“And” Should Not be in a Job Title
Lock. Stock. Barrel.
This article is the counterpart to my previous article, “The Leatherman Theory: How the marketing industry is doing too much.”
Ever wonder how the phrase Lock, Stock and Barrel came about? The term was first coined in 1817 in letters by Sir Walter Scott. In the early days of firearm manufacturing you would purchase the lock, the stock and the barrel from three separate tradesmen. As business evolved, they were combined under the same roof and provided by one company or person. This is where, I think, the consolidation of experts started.
Throughout my career, I’ve seen (and been in) cases where companies are trying to get two or three people in one role.
Actual job postings I’ve seen include:
- Graphic Designer/Front Desk Assistant
- Car Salesman/Social Media Manager
- Marketing and Warehouse Manager
- Anesthesiologist/ Social Media Coordinator (for real)
Job postings like these make me think that employers don’t understand the mental toll it takes on a person to switch gears several times throughout the day.
In my early days in marketing, specifically promotional products/branded apparel, my title was “Graphic Designer and Marketing Manager.” To make my day easier, I would divide my day in half around lunch and do graphic work in the morning and marketing in the afternoon. That was the only way to keep me from switching gears multiple times a day.
The more you split a person’s role, the less effective they are at the job you hired them to do.
To get more bang for your buck is human nature, but we should limit that to subs at the local deli and wireless plans, not human beings. Having a particular area of focus should not be frowned upon. Employees should feel comfortable saying “No.” regardless of the size of the team or company. Building a team of specialists will yield a more efficient team with a greater level of output.
In your current role, you may not be able to focus on one thing only, but I would encourage you to try. Say “No.” once and a while, delegate where it makes sense, or outsource if the task is too great.
In my career now, as a Social Media Consultant, I say “No.” on a weekly basis. “No.” to “Do you do websites?” “No” to “Do you do video production?” “No.” to “What about logo design?” To date, no one has been upset by my response; in fact, they seem to respect it more.
What if we turned the idiom “put all your eggs in one basket” into a positive? You should want to put your eggs in one basket — one basket well-built on a solid foundation of knowledge and experience.
