What Am I Even Supposed to Be Doing? | A (Mostly Painless) Guide to Managing Up

Let’s be honest: some of the biggest red flags in a workplace don’t show up in metrics, they show up in meetings, side chats, and Slack messages that begin with a heavy sigh.

You’ll hear it in statements like:

• “I’m constantly worried I’m going to get in trouble for something I didn’t know I was supposed to do.”
• “Every day is a surprise party… and it seems I’m the only one who didn’t get the invite.”
• “I just started this task, and someone else is already doing it too. Worse, they’re doing it wrong.”
• “There are five of us on this team. And zero leaders.”
• “When I ask what I’m responsible for, I get a laundry list of tasks. But no clarity.”

These aren’t just complaints. They’re diagnostics. And they all point to one big, fixable issue: a lack of role clarity.

And that, my friend, is not just a recipe for confusion, it’s a shortcut to burnout, duplicative effort, diminished trust, and eventual turnover. It’s not just inefficient. It’s expensive.

How to Spot the Muck

You might be stuck in the murky middle if:

• You have no idea if you’re doing a “good job” unless someone tells you.
• You and three coworkers are doing the same thing, and no one knows who owns it.
• “What’s next?” is your most-used phrase (right after “Sorry, I didn’t know you were doing that.”)

When responsibilities are unclear, two things happen:

1. People waste time figuring out who’s doing what.
2. Then they do it twice, or not at all.

It’s not just annoying. It creates a team-wide undercurrent of frustration that chips away at performance, culture, and any joy you had in your work.

What to Do Instead

1. Know the difference: Tasks vs. Responsibilities

Let’s clear this up once and for all:

• Tasks are what you do. You can check them off a list.
• Responsibilities are what you own. They’re tied to outcomes for a person or group, not just outputs.

Example:

• Task: Submit the project budget.
• Responsibility: I’m accountable to my team lead to ensure the budget and timeline stay on track and on time.

That “accountable to” part? That’s where clarity lives. That’s the structure of a high-performing team (see page 4 of The Culture of a High Performing Team if you want to nerd out with me).

2. Understand the levels

Responsibility isn’t one-size-fits-all. Here’s how it usually breaks down:

• Director level: Accountable for organization-wide results
• Manager level: Accountable for areas, projects, and resource alignment
• Support level: Accountable for capacity, task execution, and skill delivery

Knowing where you sit helps you speak up when something’s outside your lane, and take ownership when it’s in your wheelhouse.

3. If you’re an individual contributor: Manage Up Without Melting Down

Asking for clarity can feel risky. You don’t want to sound lazy or like you’re negotiating the bare minimum. But the truth is: you’re not trying to do less. You’re trying to do the right work, well.

That’s not slacking. That’s managing up. It’s courageous. It’s smart. And it gives your manager the chance to lead instead of handing out task lists like Halloween candy.

When your responsibilities are clear, conversations shift from “How do I do this?” to “Here’s the outcome I’m driving. Good with that?” That’s alignment. That’s momentum. That’s sanity.

4. If you’re a manager: Lead, Don’t Lurk

When someone asks for role clarity, it’s not an attack, it’s an invitation. It’s your team telling you they’re ready to level up. Take it.

Yes, it might reveal some gaps in how you’ve structured things. That’s fine. Fixing that is called leading, not failing. Once roles are clarified, your team will need less oversight, not more. You get your time back. You get to focus on what you’re great at. The team wins, the work flows, and the numbers get happy.

A Final Word on Timing

Role clarity isn’t a one-and-done checkbox. It’s a living, breathing agreement that evolves as people come and go, or projects scale up or down.

But don’t overdo it. A recalibration every 6–12 months (think: performance review season or post-reorg) is usually plenty.

Clarity = Confidence = Capacity

If you’re unsure what you’re supposed to be doing, it’s not a you problem, it’s a system problem. And if you’re willing to step up and ask for clarity, you’re not causing trouble. You’re becoming a catalyst.

Go ahead, manage up. You deserve to know what you own.Your team deserves efficiency.And your manager? They just might thank you.