Titles Don’t Define

“It is not titles that honor men, but men that honor titles.” – Niccolo Machiavelli

  • It’s easy to be a strategist; it’s tough to strategize
  • It’s easy to be a copywriter; it’s tough to write
  • It’s easy to add leadership in LinkedIn bios; it’s tough to be accountable
  • It easy to be an influencer; but it’s tough to do genuine, meaningful work

Concisely, we’re what we do.

We feel worth our salt when we push harder.

Concerned about the work, more than titles

People get stuck in a muck of complacency.

They define their self-worth based on their position (or who they are). Maybe they look at their portfolio and smirk. “I’ve come a long way.” And the half a dozen trophies around them validate that belief.

Then they rarely get bothered. Ease crawls in. Dissatisfaction inspires nothing. And then it becomes the usual. They get a fat check to do what they’ve always done and feel fine with it.

I’m not demeaning achievements or disregarding anyone here, but merely suggesting that the feeling of having arrived is a tricky state to be in. Mostly, the titles aren’t worth the hype (except for pay maybe).

Then what is it that really matters?

It’s that doing reaps more joy than gaining.

… more than the weight of paycheck or where we stand on the ladder. In our hearts, we know when we shed enough sweat. Or when we’re being pompous.

When we’re not doing our jobs right, we’re being … dishonest. In which case, the heavyweight titles fling like metal chips anyway. We lose our worth by taking opportunities for granted.

It’s always the exhilaration of working well that brings satisfaction. As for the titles, I think they’re for impressing others. I can’t impress myself with any labels. I can’t kid myself.