I came across this post a few mornings ago… ‘What Do You Call Yourself? Changing Job Titles in Social Media‘. The author, Andrew Hutchinson, takes a quick look at how titles in the Social Media space have changed over time. He divides them up into three categories:
- Traditional Style
- Modern Style
- Hyper-Modern Style
And he’s correct, they have evolved over time. Take a look for yourself….
I’m not a big believer in Business Titles. I’ve never been. I think they do an extremely poor job in telling me anything really useful and therefore valuable about the person I’m meeting. In my world they serve two purposes, and two only. They are:
- To show off how important you may or may not be to people who don’t know you. The fancier your title, therefore, the more important you seem (It’s a power thing).
- To help other’s understand where you fit on an organisational chart. “Ah, you’re the FD, I know where you fit on the chart. You probably have a corner office and several minions to serve you?” (It’s power thing).
But who are you? What kind of person are you? The best title of anyone I’ve ever met, and I got to work with her for a few years was, ‘Very Nice Person’. And she was 🙂 I’ve had a number of titles, and I change them around from time to time. My favourite ones have been…
- Chief Imagination Officer
- Head of Play
- Curious Disruptor
They don’t give you any clue as to how important I am (I’m really not), and you certainly can’t box me on an organisational chart. But all three of them give you a sense of who I am, and I think that’s far more important and useful to someone who’s never met me before.