Job Titles: The Participation Trophy Of The Professional World
Everyone gets a prize! It starts in preschool with participation trophies. Kids can feel good about trying and supposedly nobody is disappointed, but this fails to teach children that everyone loses sometimes. Then those children grow up. They join the workforce expecting to work with the C-suite from day one. They get discouraged if they aren’t a “manager” within two years. Job titles become their adult participation trophies.
But employees aren’t the only ones propagating the issue. Employers, in their efforts to attract and retain the “best and brightest”, increasingly use job titles as the participation trophy of the professional world. Administrative Assistants are now “Project Managers”. Line Managers are now “Vice Presidents”. This isn’t a phenomena isolated to any specific industry or company size.
Yes, companies value employees who can wear lots of different hats – everyone has to do more with less. And yes, many employees respond positively to job titles that rival or beat those of their peers. But in too many outfits gone are the days where what you did mattered. Here it is all about how your peers and the industry perceive you, which is increasingly viewed through the lens of a job title.
Take the example of a large global firm that recently went through a reorganization. All of senior leadership received titular promotions without a pay increase or additional responsibilities. It was merely a change in reporting structure that was smoothed by inflation of titles for staff impacted.
Or the start-up company that within 3 months is “promoting” staff into new roles created just to give new titles but no increased duties. The work is the same, but to the outside world, these “managers” may be more credible to clients. Then come the inevitable promotion publication proclamations across social media.
The talent industry itself is one of the worst offenders. It isn’t enough to be a great recruiter; “recruiting managers” are the new carrot for attracting and retaining skilled recruiting professionals. As candidates, you should care less about the title of the talent professional helping you and more about their interest in understanding your capabilities and helping make the right match.
The participation trophy mentality makes a job search even more complex. Individuals approach their searches zeroed in on titles instead of a role or company that is a good match for their skills and interests. The false cache of title (with or without commensurate dollars) frequently leads to mis-matches on both sides of the equation. Which in turn leads to turnover. And the cycle continues.
Are we generalizing in this post? Absolutely. Plenty of great employees achieve career growth on merit. There are lots of organizations that value competencies and capabilities and maintain high standards for preserving them. But not everyone who enters the rat race deserves a medal after the first lap.
In today’s world, it feels like we are all looking for the participation trophy in our professional careers. The best and most rewarding, authentic careers will come from focusing on results. Let your actions drive the outcomes you desire.
