Title-seeking is dangerous.
Work titles began as a way to clarify responsibility. They evolved into frameworks for compensation. Now, in the age of social media, they've increasingly become status symbols.
We aren't titles. We play roles.
In my last company, we took titles off email signatures. Instead, we put functional responsibility. If I were to take it a step further, I would have had people write a very short sentence of what they actually did - their responsibility. Here are some examples:
Head of HR - Enable the building of great teams
Head of Marketing - Drive growth through understanding
Engineer - Build solutions to solve problems
When you seek a title, ask yourself, why? You don't have to talk to anyone else about it, but make sure you are honest with yourself. The worst reason is status. If you are trying to show the world or your parents your worth or importance through a title, that's your ego. The best way to show your value is to do the work your role requires to make an impact. If you do that, you won't have to ask for a title. People will be chasing you to give you one and reward you financially.
With my title at work, telling people that titles don't matter would be inappropriate, but I want to urge you to be cautious about title-seeking and instead look to play the role the team needs.
Try this: What's your role in five words or less? Ask your teammates if they see it the same way. Finally, ask them to rate you from 1 to 10 on how well you play that role.
I've also been thinking about my role as a father. How would I describe it in a few words? I came up with this.
Enable Potential
That’s what leaders do. Enable potential. And we are all leaders.
I hope you’re good.
Take care, Kelly
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