My Name is Dan and I'm an.......

Got your attention? This probably isn't headed where you think it is. But I hope it will give you  something to think about. It did me.

I attended a holiday function earlier in the week for a professional organization I belong to. It's a good group of folks who work on the field of organizational development, which is a fancy term for what some would consider a "non-job". Our guest speaker was a storyteller and she was delightful. But that's not what this story is about.

Before the storyteller was introduced and after we had done the perfunctory mingling and small talk while noshing on the over-sized breakfast burritos, we went around the room and introduced ourselves. You know the drill- your name, where you work and what your job title is. Seems simple enough. Been there done that.

If you've been through one of  these rituals before you probably have noticed that some people, in my humble opinion, have a tone that some might describe as...shall we say...pretentious. Admit it, you've thought that, haven't you. "I'm the executive director of people strategy, human capital and corporate jargon maximization".  "I'm the project lead for enterprise agility, nimbleness and silly talk". No wonder people think we have "non-jobs". 

Then  there is the person who tries too hard to be cute or make their job title sound cutting edge. "I'm the zen master for creative energy and people realization" Stop it. I'm going to barf if you keep it up.

I'm happy to say that no one in this group went that far over the edge. Most simply repeated what their company had titled them. But when it came time for me to introduce myself, I said, "Dan Kingkade, Blah-blah-blah company. I'm am encourager." Said it pretty straight forward...I didn't even milk it for a laugh.

A few people chuckled. A few nodded in approval. And I'm sure a few probably thought "He's being pretentious" or "He's trying too hard". Or maybe they thought, "That guy is annoying". But I was serious about what I said. "I'm an encourager."

Here is a list of the job titles I've had in my lifetime: Crew member, corn detassler, gas station attendant, stockroom clerk, band director, department manager, human resource manager, manager of training and development, employee assistance counselor, consultant, guest speaker, learning consultant, senior learning consultant, organizational development manager.....and there are more that I haven't listed but you get the picture. I've had lots of jobs and lots of titles. And in just a few more years, I will step away from the world of fancy titles and job descriptions-the ones that someone else decides for you.

I've been really fortunate that my talents and strengths lie in the area of working with people. The jobs I've had have always put me in situations where I've been able to be helpful to others, sometimes in  ways that weren't on my job description or in my job title. In the last couple of months, I've had several people describe me a mentor and I find myself seeking out even more situations where I can be encouraging to others. 

Just before I wrote this, I left a young man who I mentor weekly at a local high school. I'm having lunch today with a friend I've known for 23 years. Yesterday afternoon, I sat and listened to one of our nurse managers who is struggling with her team. It's a good gig.

So when the opportunity came to share  my job title, I picked the one that fit who I am and who I will continue to strive to be-with or without a job. "I'm an encourager"

Someone I know was laid off from her job this week, after 20 years of service. I hope that when she thinks about what she does next, she is able to continue to do what she does best, with or without a job title or job description.