The value of a job title has long been debated. Do titles really matter? Ask seven different people and you’ll likely receive seven diverse perspectives. The short answer is it depends — on the person, the organization, the career stage — on a number of factors.
What about leadership? Does the title make the leader, or can a person be a leader regardless of title? I’d argue it’s the latter.
As my colleague Chas Fields, co-host of the People Purpose Podcast, aptly pointed out in The Workforce Weigh-In a few months ago: “Not everyone can hold a management role. HR has to broaden the vision of what the term ‘leader’ means … for example, in team meetings, the individual who is willing to speak up as an individual contributor and the peers around them are nodding in agreement. How do we help those individuals thrive to grow the people and the business? Focus your people strategy around those who are also viewed as leaders by their peers — not just by title or responsibility.”
Like the example Chas describes, leadership can take countless forms, titles notwithstanding. So, then, what’s in a title? Would a leader we call by any other title lead just as well?
We invite you to join a candid conversation on March 21 with Pat Wadors, chief people officer at UKG, and Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., president and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). In this fireside chat — “Untitled (Why Leadership Is More Than a Job Title)” — Pat and Johnny will reflect on their combined decades of leadership experience to discuss how anyone can have an impact on the workplace (and the world) whether or not they possess a leadership title.
Both Pat and Johnny are well-known leaders with storied careers, though both have long focused not on their titles but on the lasting differences they make. During this conversation, they’ll talk about what it really means to lead with empathy, how they balance vulnerability and confidence, and, how, despite the positions they hold now, they’re still learning and unlearning a lot.
In this event, you’ll learn how to be true to yourself and to inspire others on the leadership journey by drawing on your own unique experiences, values, and vision. Register today to join Pat and Johnny on Tuesday, March 21, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. ET.
This event is part of the new UKG Exclusives series. Webinars and presentations are amazing ways to learn, but certain topics are best explored through honest conversations and relatable stories. UKG Exclusives bring together people with unique perspectives for real talk and right-now advice. Where will the conversation go without slides and scripts? Attend a UKG Exclusive and find out firsthand!
Leadership Is About More Than a Title
