Role Call: Your Title is Not Your Role

Your Title is Not Your Role

One of the hilarious throughlines of the hit TV show, The Office, was Dwight’s insistence that he was ‘Assistant Regional Manager’ of Dunder Mifflin as opposed to his actual position of ‘Assistant to the Regional Manager’. The antics between Dwight and his manager around a two letter preposition — ‘to’ — were hilarious in the sitcom. In real life, confusion about roles can be disastrous for families, business relationships and civic leadership.

Are you clear about your role?

Titles can be short-lived and play out as mere snapshots compared to our roles which often play out as full scale productions over a season or, in some cases, an entire lifetime.

Titles provide specificity around duties, authority, compensation and may even affect status with an organization. Some of us confuse our titles as parents, members, ministers, founders, CEOs, etc. with our roles. For instance, my job title at the City of Birmingham is Senior Advisor and Chief Strategist. It’s a big title. I have specific job duties around strategy, communications, community engagement, among other things.

But, my role? That different, bigger and heavier. My role is to nurture and drive an equitable agenda that represents our highest and best ideals; bringing our ancestors’ dreams to life. My role is to be a sooth-sayer, no matter what. My role is to inspire and support leaders; bridging our babies and our elders. My role supersedes my title.

My role is missional, durable, and transcendent. My role is connected to my ‘why’. 

Our titles can be important too because titles define our ‘how’ for a period of time — briefly, a season, or many years. Our titles have changed and will change. That’s a good thing.

Frankly, we should explore the many titles and positions that helps us serve better in our role(s). We can even grow where are we are by taking on more responsibilities and sharpening our skills and techniques. But, why and in what direction are we growing? 

We should be filling our roles to the brim.

I had more than 30 different job titles by the time I was 30-years-old. As I reflect on how I have shown up in those spaces I can see that I did not serve 30 different roles. I probably had three or four roles: trouble-shooter, translator, harmonizer, motivator. Had I been more role-aware in some of those positions I would have increased my skills in areas such as conflict resolution, chaplaincy, or literally learning a second or third language. All of these are technical skills that support more than titles and positions — they would have support my roles.

Are you clear about your role(s)? If so, what are you doing to grow in them? What is your vision for being the absolute best version of yourself in your roles?

The reality is that we end up in odd spaces from time to time. Mis-alignment between what we feel called to do and what we are actually doing. Or, a lack of clarity about what we are called to do. It happens. Let's take a step back, get some perspective by seeing the throughlines through reflection, leaning on friends, former managers and peers for insights on how they have seen us show up. Think broadly, not just about what we are good at, but what we are good at naturally and enthusiastically. Nothing is too small. No talent or perspective is useless. They are all part of a bigger story. The story of us. The story of you.

We are all here to do things, but those things are not fully reflected in our titles. Don’t be Dwight. The only ‘to’ you should be pre-occupied with was penned by Shakespeare years ago: To be or not to be.

Be you. Know your role, own your role, and grow in your role.

Ed Fields writes in his role as marketer and strategist. He currently serves as Senior Advisor and Chief Strategist for the City of Birmingham Mayor’s Office. Follow him on LinkedIn, Medium, or Twitter.