The Job Title Trap
I’ve worked with someone for over six years. He originally held the title “3rd Line Support”. Smart guy, always reliable, but somewhat boxed in.
About 18 months ago, I changed his title to “Technical Consultant”.
That’s all. A single line in the org chart.
No direct promotion. No big announcement. Just a shift in framing.
And it’s been fascinating to watch what’s happened since.
Here’s What Changed
1. He got involved in business ops
Not just IT tickets — actual business discussions. Understanding workflows. Asking why things were done a certain way. Contributing upstream.
2. He improved repeatable processes
Not just fixing things — systematising them. Taking what was ad-hoc and giving it structure. That’s leverage.
3. He helped us measure service quality
Not glamorous. But when you can prove reliability and communicate it clearly to investors? That’s a differentiator.
Tech-Side Evolution
What started as support work is now much more strategic:
- Building back-end systems – often standing up work originally scoped for another (external) consultant.
- Architecting federated identity – and other complex cross-org machinery.
- Building relationships – with technical peers at client firms, not just ticking internal boxes.
He used to be passive. Wait for tickets. Follow instructions.
Now? He’s pushing forward. Sometimes a bit too much — but that’s a better problem to have.
So What Happened?
I think removing the job title helped.
It unshackled him from the old “stay-in-your-lane” expectations.
He took ownership. Not of everything — just of his domain.
Same as I do.
We didn’t need to hire three other people because he grew into the gaps.
And interestingly, he’s more satisfied now than ever.
The Real Lesson
Job titles are useful, sure. But they can also quietly trap people — define them by the lowest-resolution version of their potential.
Remove the label, and sometimes, people rise.
Not always. But when it works, it’s magic.
People stop fitting in and start filling in.