Empowerment of a Job Title, or Lack Thereof

Christmas Eve…what a pointless day to work. My concentration certainly isn’t on anything of substance…in fact, I can barely concentrate on anything at all other than the time which is so very slowly ticking by…Perez Hilton held my attention for a solid 10 minutes, but my focus was broken upon my supervisor strolling past my desk.

After starring at an empty computer screen, my eyes glazed down. Instead of the computer screen, I began starring endlessly at our staff directory list laying next to my keyboard…all the names, filed one after the other. And these names, listed immediately with their position title…and that’s where I stopped and finally began to focus.

Community Programs Development Coordinator…..Executive Director of Events and Design…Operations and Sales Support Manager…when you think about it…what is that?! Does a job title define you?! Look at my title…Reservations Coordinator. Yes, I deal with reservations, but let me tell you, I don’t coordinate much. Yet at the same time I do a little more than just take reservations (or make, however you want to look at it), but it’s mostly stuff that gets dumped on me. I feel my job title really doesn’t define my role and responsibility within the organization. However, the title definitely places me within the company, but unquestionably no where near the top of “first people saved if aliens were to come and take over the world” list. Not like Executive Director of Events and Design...holding importance and responsibility, attention grabbing, and so confusing you don’t know what they really do. Plus compared to this, my job title is plane ol’ boring.

“Oh you work where? And as a Reservations Coordinator…interesting. You must have quite the role within your facility!”
-Yeah, I’m hardly sure this is the other side of the conversation I would hear from someone.

So I started to do a little research. It took me seconds before I found just how BS job titles can be. http://www.bullshitjob.com/titles.html

Customer Creative Consultant
Customer Implementation Manager
Human Infrastructure Orchestrator
District Optimization Technician
Dynamic Communications Liaison!!!

These are all more well-worth-it titles…unlike Reservations Coordinator…lacking interest and creativity, plus it’s too obvious yet not obvious enough.

“Oh wow, you work as a Human Infrastructure Orchestrator. That just sounds so fascinating…what a wonderful organization to work for…oh me?! I’m not doing anything as fabulous as that.”
-See the difference? This is the other side of the conversation that I would hear from someone…granted a little exaggerated, but the point is made.

So what do I do? Allow that silly title to define who I am and my role within the company. Oh hell no! Deep inside, I AM a Dynamic Communications Liaison, and as a Dynamic Communications Liaison, I will take on not just this company, but take the world by storm.

Therefore, I’m going to change my title…moving around my supervisor.

Step 1. Staff Directory list. When the new staff directory is made after the Holidays, I will have it “deviously” changed… “Weird! How’d that get there?!”
Step 2. Voicemail change. “Hello, you have reached…Dynamic Communications Liaison to…. I’m currently away from the phone or with another customer at this time, blah blah blah.”
Step 3. Well, I haven’t thought that far ahead yet, but there will be a Step 3.

Before they know it, I will be the Dynamic Communications Liaison of my company. And when I leave this position they will no longer be hiring for Reservations Coordinator, but a Dynamic Communications Liaison…just wait and see.