Does your small biz assign job titles to people? Do you get any benefit from it? Rand at SEOmoz asked that question:
I made the executive decision today that having titles like CEO, CTO, Project Manager, etc. really doesn’t serve us well. It inaccurately describe the jobs that we do and creates executive level distinctions that aren’t entirely functional in a small business environment. Thus, I’ll be taking a cue from my girlfriend, who was hired at Cranium with the job title “Princess Leia Organiza” (she’s responsible for a lot of organizational management) and developing more creative titles for the folks at SEOmoz.
Besides which, it’s not healthy to take yourself too seriously. I can’t wait to see the looks from business card receipients :)
So if you have formal titles, dump them. It’s your business, so let your personality come through. Imagine what fun we could have making up liquor store job titles!
small biz rural entrepreneurship HR
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Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.
some support from the “no titles” idea from a not so small business that tries to be like a small business
Gore, makers of GoreTex fabrics, etc. All the same title, no plants or operational units with more than 150 people or so…
I’m not advertising for Gore, just have been reading about them lately and found it interesting to read today’s post in that context.
John Crabtree, johnc@cfra.org
Blog for Rural America
Center for Rural Affairs
Values. Worth. Action.
Read more about working at Gore:
Duvivier, Elizabeth,
‘Changing technologies: IT opportunities are golden at consumer product & retail companies’
Diversity, June/July 1999
Leonetti, Dannhauser, Carol,
‘Leading Ways’
Working Woman, August 1999
Willard, Christine,
‘Who needs you? Chemical and environmental engineers get support in their first jobs.’
Diversity/Careers in Engineering & Information, January 1, 2000
I totally agree that many times titles are meaningless. more often they are difficult to use as well. my title is Business Development Specialist…. why can’t they just call me a counselor? that’s what I really do!