The title sets the stage. The title of any work of art – as with any professional effort – is its distinctive name. Titling and labeling is incredibly powerful … it matters. The word “title” is simply defined, and is synonymous with the word “name” in any dictionary. The title is the label which first distinguishes any work from another. I believe it was Shakespeare through his character Juliet that coined the phrase, “What’s in a name?” A great deal it turns out.
For all of us, self-representation, our personal connection to our own names, begins in the first year of life. It rises above all other noise across a crowded room for us, and activates our brains in a way nothing else can … throughout our lives. When our brains activate, chemicals are released and the effect becomes physiological. All from a word, or set of words, a journey begins. Think of the “titles” of some songs that stuck to you over the years – and the journey you begin just seeing them.
“Yesterday” / “Stairway to Heaven” / “My Way” / “Blue Moon of Kentucky” / “Mojo” / “Carolina in The Fall” / “Four Seasons”
Titles and titling don’t belong only to songs, think of books, movies, paintings:
“Casablanca” / “Rocky” / “Star Wars” / “The Old Man and the Sea” / “100 Years of Solitude” / “1984” / “The Bible” / “The Quran” / “The Mona Lisa” / “The Last Supper” / “American Gothic”
The title sets the stage. Just a few syllables can send us on a very distinct journey. Yours might be different from mine depending on our ages, families, religions, or just our sum total existence. But these titles, these labels, can reach out and touch us over decades, or over centuries.
What you call what you do matters. Projects, products, roles and responsibilities, none are immune to the dynamics of titling. “The title establishes the art” is an old saying – and it does so before we experience the art. The title is our first impression. And once it’s done, it’s done. The movie “Casablanca” was going to be titled “Everybody Comes to Rick’s”. “Annie Hall” almost ended up “It Had to Be Jew” and “Captain America” had a working title of “Frostbite” (though perhaps intentionally). Different titles create different journeys, or at the very least different expectations of the journey to come.
The second book I wrote for McGraw-Hill publishing is a journey of leadership. It’s a journey of global research into what our people want us to know, and what they want us to do in leading them. I was very sure I wanted to title it “Return on Leadership” or “Capacity Without Headcount.” But, my editor and publisher stuck to their guns and we went back and forth for a fair amount of time. The result? We ended up with “Bring Out the Best in Every Employee.” What a great brand – bring out the best! I’m fortunate to have had people around me that stuck to their ideas, and to have had the ability to listen to them.
The title sets the stage – for a performer, and for a leader. My takeaway? The title is the one part of the creative journey where we do well to invite others into the process. We’re only half of the equation. Would “Casablanca” be a classic today if it had been titled “Everybody Comes to Rick’s?” I don’t know, maybe. But, I’ll say it again – the title establishes the work before we experience the work. The name before the experience. We only get that one shot at a first impression. In fact, my dad wanted to name me “Angus” (a guid Scot’s name), and I thank my mom for nixing that one. The title, the name, sets the stage. Make it a good one. Make it the right one.
Let’s do something different – we can’t help but get better:
- Name it to claim it – purposely put a name to your top three projects, responsibilities, efforts or priorities.
- Select some stakeholders – put together a group of five, plus or minus two, individuals that are critical to your success with the endeavor. Try out your title … brainstorm, listen and make sure you get the best!
-Don Brown
don@donbrown.org
Don Brown dedicates his career to ‘helping people with people’ in leadership, sales and customer service. Bilingual and experienced at the executive and line-level alike, you see the results of his work across dozens of industries, including brewing, automotive, airline, banking and medical equipment.
Speaking, writing, coaching and selling to the best – Ford Motor Company, Anheuser-Busch, United Airlines, Harley-Davidson, Jaguar Cars, Hilton Hotels and many, many more – Don takes great pride in long-standing customer relationships (some running well over twenty years).
