Does the "Deli Lama" Work Here?
The Power of a Job Title Can Build Pride and Improve Retention
by Gregory P. Smith
The right job titles provide status and self-esteem and can help you reduce
turnover and improve pride.
People care about their job titles. Sometimes they will even choose the
better title over more pay. A recent graduate with a desire to move up in a
chosen career field may feel that acquiring a title that will look good on the
resume is worth accepting a little less money. Recruiters have discovered that
they receive a better response with well-chosen job titles. Administrative
assistant or sales associate are boring, bureaucratic, and easy to skip over in
the classifieds. Chief of client relations will attract much more attention!
The president of a computer service company once tried an experiment: He
offered new hires at a remote location a choice between the title sales manager
and salesperson. Although the salesperson position paid $2,000 a year more, most
people took the manager title.
A bicycle storeowner asked me what he could do to keep his best employee from
quitting. He could not afford to give him a big raise. I said, "Give him a small
raise and then ask him what job title he would like.” It turned out the title
the employee wanted was Director of Bike Operations (DBO). Problem solved. The
job title changed his attitude about his job and sounded impressive to his
friends too.
Director of bike operations has terrific ego appeal. And that is fine. People
want to be proud of their job titles. A grocery store chain allowed the
delicatessen manager to choose his title--he is now called the "Deli Lama." We
have to get over the bureaucratic concept that only certain people get certain
job titles and business cards. Allow a little freedom of choice, and you will
reap plenty in loyalty.
The ultimate goal is to energize people and make them feel good about their
jobs. If it is a choice between losing a good employee and a job title—I would
go with the job title anytime and especially because giving an employee a
prestigious title is one way to recognize and reward when a raise is not
affordable. Here are a few job title examples we have seen.
- Senior vice president of great people
- Chief talent scout
- Director of fun
- Director of consumer delight
- Top dog
- Person in charge
- Top Employee #1
Here are a few other ideas to consider:
Invent a new job. A 12-year veteran at Charles Schwab was considering leaving
the company—until his boss allowed him to invent a new job as organizational
troubleshooter that drew on his technical and business skills. Now vice
president in Schwab’s Electronic Brokerage group, he acknowledges that creating
his own job let him “change things and get charged up about work again,” and
calls it “the key to my staying.”
Encourage hallway training. A study to see how much information coworkers
shared informally demonstrated that during a typical week at one company, over
70 percent of the 1,000 workers in the study shared information with fellow
employees. Fifty-five percent asked co-workers for advice. This spontaneous
exchange took place during the following: meetings; exchanges with customers,
supervisors, and mentors; on-the-job training; site visits; cross- training;
shift changes; same-level employee communication; and simply doing one’s job.
The next time you see employees talking during shift changes, in the halls, or
at coffee breaks, remember that you may be witnessing learning in progress.
Use “stand-ups” to reinforce company culture. The Ritz-Carlton Hotels have
always made training and development a top priority. Today Ritz-Carlton
practices something called “stand-ups” before each shift. All employees across
the globe receive a 10- to 15-minute class on the same topic. The shift leader
inspects each employee for proper uniform, nametag, and appearance. The stand-up
may also include questions about one of the Ritz-Carlton’s 20 customer service
principles. The stand-up concludes with announcements and a discussion of guest
preferences, and then everyone is ready to begin their shift.
Chick-fil-A University. Chick-fil-A is a popular restaurant chain. Its
turnover rates are some of the lowest in the food industry as the result of its
commitment to training. Through its Chick-fil-A University, new store owners
(called operators) benefit from a comprehensive seven-week training program.
Classes for three weeks are held in a classroom in Atlanta; two weeks of
training take place in the field. After a one-week reinforcement phase,
operators spend five days at their restaurant working with a coach from
corporate headquarters who helps them solve problems and review everything they
learned during the seven-week process.
Greg Smith is a nationally recognized speaker, author, and
business performance consultant. He has written numerous books and featured on
television programs such as Bloomberg News, PBS television, and in publications
including Business Week, Kiplingers, President and CEO, and the Christian
Science Monitor. He is the President and "Captain of the Ship" of a
management-consulting firm, Chart Your Course International, located in Atlanta,
Georgia. Phone him at 770-860-9464 or visit his web site at
http://www.chartcourse.com.
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