What's in a Name?

In the afterword of Laszlo Bock's Work Rules!, Bock talks about the choice for Google's HR department to be called "People Operations" instead of the traditional "Human Resources". He explained that the choice was deliberate. The thought was that "Human Resources" had a very business-like feel about it, and people had a much fonder respect for teams with "Operations" in the title.

I rolled my eyes when I read that, and for those of you paying attention, that subtle physical reaction got me thinking about this. Why is it that I instantly rolled my eyes when I thought about that? The answer came to me quickly: I am personally not a fan of flowery titles. Like when somebody calls themselves something bogus an "idea engineer".

What's my issue with this?

It's a two-fold thing. First, it just feels deceitful. Like when that small business owner call themselves the CEO. While not technically incorrect, I think that CEO carries this weight that they're head of a large organization, so when somebody uses that title and has less than five people in their company, it feels like I'm being lied to.

And second, it seems like you're trying to make yourself bigger than you actually are. Harkening back to the small business CEO, it seems like that person gave themselves that title because they think their s*** doesn't stink. Well, let me tell you: it stinks. Bad. (Okay, that example got weird fast, but still, it makes me think you have no sense of humility.)

Let's get back to Bock. Reading further down, he notes that he met somebody that really liked the title of being Head of People Operations. Where Bock also initial wasn't a fan of the title, this person reinforced the idea that Bock's title was a good one.

Another double eye roll from me.

Knowing Bock fairly well from having read his full book, he breaks my "flowery title" mold. I don't think he's trying to fool anybody, nor do I think he's trying to make himself bigger than he actually is. He seems like a genuinely authentic guy that has a real desire to see people flourish.

So where do I land on this issue? Well... I don't know. If I'm being honest, I'm still leaning toward thinking that flowery titles shouldn't be used, but I have to concede that in cases like Bock's, the flowery title works. Still, I would think Bock is more of an exception and not the rule.

Where do you land on this issue? Do you like to see special titles used over conventional ones? Do you agree with what I have to say, or would you rather lean toward a more positive perspective on this matter? This is one area where I'm not going to draw a hard line. I'd be interested in what your thoughts are, too.

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