Skip to main content

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.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Beware the Grammar Police

We all know those folks. The people who persistently point out where a comma was misplaced, where a word was misspelled, and where something wasn't properly capitalized. Mistakes happen, and spelling / grammar is definitely important. But when a person takes it upon themselves to start correcting these minor mistakes, there is a much deeper problem going on.
Post a Comment
Read more

Decision Fatigue and Five Tips to Avert It

One of the best things about living in Bloomington-Normal is the diversity of restaurant choices we have to choose from. Want one of the big chains? We've probably got it. Nice local restaurants? Yup. Italian, Chinese, American, Thai, and Indian places? Check. Ironically, one of the worst things about living in Bloomington-Normal is, you guessed it, the diversity of restaurant choices we have to choose from.
Post a Comment
Read more

Five Undergrad Courses I Wish I Could Retake

Education is a tricky thing. Many jobs require you to learn things prior to you getting on the job, but sometimes, that education is more valued in retrospect. What is and what isn't valuable gets especially lost in four year degrees that mandate something like 130 credit hours for graduation. A college isn't going to tell you, "These classes are important, and these classes... not so much." To be fair to colleges, value is a subjective thing. What I might have found valuable might be different to somebody else. This is especially true for a more general major like mine, Business Administration. I took courses in macroeconomics, marketing, communications, finance, accounting, HR management, and more. If you go ask my fellow graduates which courses they valued the most, I bet every one of them would give you different answers. Anyway, I was reflecting back on my own undergraduate education and thinking about the classes I wish I could go retake. It's not that I...
Post a Comment
Read more

Redeeming Rob Bell

Well, that's probably a name you heard in a while! For those of you not familiar with that name, Rob Bell was (and kind of still is?) a big name in the Christian community. He is the former megachurch founder and pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church, wrote widely read books Sex God  and Velvet Elvis , and is probably most widely known for his NOOMA video series. In 2011, Rob Bell had a big falling out with the Christian community following the release of his book, Love Wins . In that book, he contended that people would be able to accept Jesus and enter heaven after death in addition to before death, which many people misconstrued as universalism. (Which is not particularly right... but I can see why people would draw that conclusion.) Having attended a Christian school at the time, I was right in the thick of the controversy. People freaked out. Having been looked at as a Christian hero in the community for the longest time, people were floored with the sentiments shared in Love...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Problem with Hierarchical Hiring

I browse LinkedIn pretty often, and the category of things that appears most on that main feed are inspirational quotes by inspirational leaders. Folks like Richard Branson and Simon Sinek appear most often. More specifically, the quotes have a central theme to them: companies need to hire good people.  For example, one of the latest quotes I've seen on my feed include this one from Tina Fey: "In most cases being a good boss means hiring talented people and getting out of their way." That's a great sentiment, but is that really reinforced in reality?
Post a Comment
Read more