How an early-career assignment taught me that reliability, initiative, and trust are built one decision at a time.
A Request Outside My Role
Early in my career, while my manager was travelling, I received a message through a business contact at another organization. I was asked to arrange a cheque for an approved payment worth several hundred thousand dollars. The funds were due to the venue hosting an important international conference, and the deadline was approaching.
As a junior officer, I wondered why my manager had entrusted the task to me. The simplest response would have been to declare that it belonged to Finance and pass it along.
The Risks of Stepping Aside
Before redirecting the request, I considered what was at stake:
- The task might not be completed on time if I transferred responsibility without ensuring ownership.
- I could undermine my reputation as someone trusted to deliver without direct supervision.
Despite my uncertainty, I accepted responsibility. I navigated the required approvals, coordinated with the relevant teams, and ensured that the cheque was ready by the deadline.
When my manager returned two days later, he said he had never doubted that the payment would be made on time. “It’s not my job” was a phrase I had never liked hearing from others—until I caught myself thinking it. In that moment, I realized that the request, although outside my formal job description, was not an inconvenience; it was a vote of confidence from my manager.
The Career Value of Stretch Assignments
Leaders and mentors often encourage emerging professionals to pursue special projects and responsibilities beyond their formal job descriptions. This is sound advice: well-chosen stretch assignments can broaden skills, demonstrate readiness for greater responsibility, and strengthen professional credibility.
Reliability Is Built Through Consistent Action
A reputation for reliability, trustworthiness, and efficiency develops over time. It is reinforced whenever we accept appropriate responsibility, follow through, and communicate clearly. It can also be damaged quickly when we dismiss an opportunity that someone intended as a sign of trust.
The lesson is not to accept every request without question. Rather, it is to recognize when an unfamiliar assignment offers a genuine opportunity to contribute and grow. Before saying, “It’s not my job,” consider whether the task is also an invitation to demonstrate judgement, initiative, and readiness for what comes next.
See the BIG picture. Focus on what’s important.
theBIGpicture Camille 