I have always tended to believe that the titles we assign to positions in our businesses are a cheap currency we can use to attract and reward employees. There were many times over the years that I actually asked a prospective new hire to suggest to me the title that would best fit what they would be doing in the position. As long as it helped accurately communicate what they did to other employees and outsiders that they interacted with in their work, I tried to be rather flexible.
The Wall Street Journal has a story that show just how far some companies take create titles:
Princess paysalot (payables, purchasing and asset manager), cultural curator (office manager) and supreme sorceress of syntax (copywriting team lead) are among the jobs at privately held board-game maker Cranium Inc….
The “cool” factor is one driver behind the trend. “Whenever someone sees my business card, they say, ‘Wow, you must work for a really cool company!'” says Mr. Tait, whose company has about 80 employees.
Recruiting may be another. “When compared to other companies, it makes us stand out,” says Robert Stephens, founder of Geek Squad, a 24-hour technology-services provider acquired by Best Buy Inc. in 2002. Some jobs at the company: counter-intelligence agent, double agent, mission controller, covert operator and public defender. Mr. Stephens calls himself chief inspector.
As long as a title does not misrepresent what someone does, cause too much confusion, or delegitimize the company to the outside world, have some fun!
I wonder what the university would think about this title for me — The Pied Piper of Free Enterprise…..
I couldn’t agree more! Titles should represent a persons personality, position, function, and the culture of the company they work for. I am very fortunate to work for a company that ‘gets it’ when it comes to being creative with your title!
Thanks for the post. I love your blog!