WHO AM I?

Remember when you were a kid and you played, Who Am I?, where you secretly took on an identity and then the other kids had to ask you multiple questions to figure out who you were? It was one of the games that I loved, because I used to take on identities of obscure characters, my favorite being King Moonracer, of the Land of the Misfit Toys (I had great empathy for him and the rest of the toys :)

In corporations, we are not allowed to guess identities and roles. Titles abound, some meaningful, others not so much. People get attached to titles and even though an individual may be offered another position in their or another company that does not have a comparable or higher title, and even though the role provides everything else, responsibility, pay, growth opportunities, they turn it down because, well "people" (and who knows who these people are) will think I've had a demotion.

Titles also result in senior executives separating themselves from the rest of the organization and the rest of the organization from the executive. In my last corporate iteration I remember when I walked around the warehouse and spoke to the workers (the ones that are truly the foundation of any organization), they were surprised that someone with my title would enjoy chatting, learning about them on a human level and letting them know about me. This was not the first time I encountered this attitude. Perhaps it is bred in the bone within hierarchical organizations.

So what would happen if we eliminated titles, just used our names, or perhaps even let our staff make up their own titles -- something meaningful to them?

Oh, I can see the color has drained out of your face! How would we ever figure out who has authority, responsibility and what area they work in? The whole system would crash and there would be anarchy!  And OMG, how could we develop an organization chart. Can't do it, just a crazy, crazy idea. Let me pull out my business card so I can see my title and feel like I'm in the real world!

Ok, so I ranted on your behalf. But think about it for a moment. Where do most aspects of organizational teamwork break down? It isn't about knowing who does what, because after a while everybody figures that out. It is about people thinking they need to follow a chain of command, rather that going to the individuals that can truly work with them to develop a new innovative approach to market, solve an issue, enhance a process etc. etc.. If you worked with the people that you need to, as opposed to those whom, because of their title, you think you need to -- as Louis Armstrong sang "What a Wonderful World" it would be.

In a session I was moderating today, one of the participants said "We don't have titles in our organization, and it works." It is a smaller group, but nonetheless, I think we could learn something from their experience.

Our comfort zone comes in labelling people, because then we can make assumptions about who they are. The problem is we are often wrong with those assumptions. I've been guilty of it, and quite honestly when I was younger, I was a little title hungry, because I thought it gave me status. I learned quickly that status means nothing. Success can be measured in the positive relationships you forge and how you work with people, how you inspire them. Because when you do these, the work usually exceeds expectations. My titles often became a hindrance as opposed to a benefit.

So think about how your organization would function without titles. I would offer the opinion that it would be better. Maybe you can then play the game Who Am I? and create a fluid, amoeba-like team, where everyone was working together for the common good of all stakeholders.

But if we need to have a title --Who am I? I think I'd like my title to be Inspirer of Possibilities. Who are you?