Stop using boring job titles.

Job titles can be pretty underwhelming.

"Manager" "Supervisor" "Coordinator"

Without any context, they’re all a bit… ‘Meh…’

On their own, they don’t necessarily reflect the unique contributions each individual puts into building a great company.

And that’s always bugged me a bit.

But even knowing it, I still waited for over a decade before doing anything about it.

When I first had the thought, I told myself it was just a stupid idea I’d eventually grow out of.

I mean, who was I to challenge the ingrained ways and established practices we all follow in business?

Most of these titles had been around for decades.

I thought, surely everyone just knew what they meant and therefore aspired to be in that position.

But you know what?

What young person actually wants to be a ‘Supervisor’?

And responsibility you say? No thanks…

After a decade of observing the disconnect and noticing that my thoughts around this hadn’t faded, I decided to lean in and change it.

And today, I want to share the first steps I took to redefine job titles and reconnect people to how they add value to the business.

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Anyone who’s responsible for a team of people needs to develop the skill of connecting the dots between where each person is and where they could be in the future.

I believe that part of that is dropping those ambiguous job titles scattered inside our organisations OR adding a punchy one-liner to sum up the value that each role brings to the team.

When I looked inside my own business, many job titles didn’t really tell the full story of what that person did.

The outcome they helped achieve for the business.

The transformation they were seeking to make.

For instance:

Project Manager could become Project Manager: I ensure timely completion of projects with excellence.

Content Creator might be Content Creator: I capture and share stories that resonate with our fans.

Sales Associate becomes Sales Associate: I build and maintain client relationships that last decades.

Cafe Attendant becomes Cafe Attendant: I transform people’s day by delivering unique experiences.

It might sound subtle, but when everyone in the organisation has a clear and concise descriptor of their role, you get a bunch of cool things happening.

Enhanced Collaboration: Teams understand the distinct value each member brings.

Increased Efficiency: With clarity, there's less overlap and more streamlined processes.

Improved Morale: Employees feel seen and recognised for their unique contributions.

Elevated External Communication: Clients and stakeholders gain a clear picture of who they’re working with and the value each person adds.

At the end of the day, it’s about distilling someone’s position down to a single one liner instead of expecting them to remember every dot point in the job description they signed years ago.

And not relying on ambiguous titles that aren’t very aspirational.

So instead of, (Job Title) with nothing following it…

Start to do the following:.

1. Write down dot points under each role to outline what that person did for the company.

2. Write those points into a simple sentence in line with this question - “I help who, do what, how?”

The key is to keep it really simple.

No jargon, fancy words or acronyms.

Your goal is to get to the core of what ultimate outcome each person was helping us achieve as a business.

That clarity, simplicity and connection can be incredibly motivating.

That’s all for today!

I hope it helps.