It is an entirely personal perspective, but in my opinion making a big deal out of job titles belongs in the 'big corporate' arena and shouldn't have a place in small business. One of the things I would never miss about corporate life is the stepping stones to success with random words from trainee, deputy, assistant deputy assistant trainee, and so on (as an aside, I also don't miss car-badge promotion where seniority is judged by whether you drive the L or the GL variant). This was brought home to me early on when a friend who worked for a large accountancy firm described their philosophy as 'if you can't give them a raise, give them a title'.
Unfortunately there are many people out there who don't entirely share my view and I have noticed that when 2 or more people are looking to start a business together an argument frequently breaks out over roles and titles; often culminating in the development of ever more spurious titles to satisfy all egos thus you can end up with a 3-man business whose owners bear the title CEO, MD and Chairman.
There are two key issues here, one is resolution of disputes and laying down of responsibilities, which will be the topic of a detailed post in the near future. For the purpose of this post I am really interested in perception - ie - will anyone really take you seriously when you claim to be Chairman of a business which operates from a shed in your garden?
Again, it is not a matter of wrong and right, but I for one am entirely unimpressed by self-granted status - by all means, make it clear who you are - proprietor, owner, MD and - should the need arise - dish-washer.
As I've mentioned in previous posts, small business is all about flexibility and personalisation - being a small business is something to be proud of, not to hide from; so why deprive yourself of the benefits of being small by saddling yourself with a big title?
At another level, there are recognised traps to avoid; one I walked into was sharing the MD title - people look at the card which says Joint MD and immediately ask 'so are you MD or aren't you?' I won't do that again!
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