Comments on: Are you more than your title?

By: Ian Sanders

Ian Sanders — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 10:33:26 +0000

Jeffrey, love this post as it’s what I have felt for a long time. Fulfilling your potential is about going beyond a job-title and doing more than what’s in a job spec. It’s about the plurality of a worklife that reflects our multi-dimensional talents. But that brings challenges in our professional identities as we struggle to define and communicate our talents. Hey, I do loads of things: project manager, ideas producer, writer, marketer, small business owner.

But yes, success in 2009 is about results; it doesn’t matter what it says on the business card or on the office door, it’s about making a difference. And those who just shuffle paper will become extinct…

By: Adriel Lopez

Adriel Lopez — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 05:34:55 +0000

Great Post, completely True. People tend to get distracted with titles instead of paying attention to what really matters, developing the skills to be at the same level of your”title”. The point is not to get titles is to grow professionally and be better at what you do everyday.
Thanks Jeffrey!

By: John

John — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 05:39:07 +0000

As one who has stumbled into being “creative director” there are days when I ask, how did this happen and does anyone else believe that I know what I’m doing? There are other days when I see my value, and realize that I’m doing positive work and raising the bar. It’s a struggle and in this current economy it’s common to question your personal value. On the good days – I tell myself that my best skills will be put to use for good.

By: tobias

tobias — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 04:12:13 +0000

Hey Jeffrey, great post! Ironically, one of the best examples of a title-less and massively effective work place I ever saw was in chronically hierarchical India. Friends worked for a startup telco in Mumbai. The CEO told the GM that he was now the “CEO of the office”. The GM told the department manager that he was now the “CEO of this department”, etc etc. Everyone was told to think and act and execute like the CEO of their domain – and forget their actual title. As a consequence, pride, ideas, and effectiveness oozed out of every pore in that place. Even the tea boy made damn sure that he gave you the best tea you had ever tasted. After all, he was the CEO of tea making! And they went on to become a powerhouse in telecoms in India. Fascinating stuff.

By: Devin Reams

Devin Reams — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 23:27:08 +0000

Fascinating post and I completely agree. I left a company 9 months ago because they required everyone to move together up the ladder. Title A, to Sr. Title A, to Title B. Hooray. Three years passed and WTF did you do?

I, too, hope things change quickly.

By: Grant

Grant — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 21:52:48 +0000

Seriously good post. Thanks for taking the time to write it and put it out there.

By: Jimmy Hendricks

Jimmy Hendricks — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 19:51:12 +0000

Hey Jeffrey. Great post. I remember meeting you at my first tech conference Community Next at Stanford 2 years ago and it’s been great watching Threadless grow and hit it big these last couple years. Keep rocking it.

By: The Blog Poets

The Blog Poets — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 18:36:28 +0000

[...] where we got to talking about ideas for his latest post, which centered on the concept of how titles in business have potentially served their purpose. That they are the antiquated visage of an early time, where large companies have job requisitions [...]

By: Doc Pete

Doc Pete — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 16:39:36 +0000

Do not stop your writing
Thank you for the humility = reality

By: Aimee Greeblemonkey

Aimee Greeblemonkey — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 15:23:50 +0000

It’s wild – this is the 1st time I have clicked over to your blog and the topic is the very one we chatted about in Austin during SXSW. Kismet!

Great post.