Title ≠ Truth: The Identity Illusion in the Ikigai Intersection

AKA are you your job title and does it fit with your personal brand?

The first question you are asked when meeting someone new is often that old chestnut, “so what do you do for a living?”  I have issues with this. Many times I’ve had a job title that doesn’t mean much to the general public. Perhaps the literal answer to that question isn’t the most interesting thing about me at that point in time.  We ask questions to understand and to find connection. I am drawn to the quest towards ikigai because of the beauty and simplicity there is in your purpose aligning with the answer to this common question.

Have you specialised in one domain or job family throughout your career?  That is becoming increasingly rare.  Settling on a job title that reflects what it is you actually do can be tricky when that changes regularly.  Tricky when it’s across a diverse range of skills, tasks, topics and even the seniority or experience level of the project you are currently working on varying from month to month.  This fluidity is not unusual in tech environments where things change rapidly, not unusual in startups or innovation units nor is it unusual in smaller organisations where you have to wear many hats.  It is also a consequence of putting your hand up to take on additional responsibilities. Being flexible makes for an interesting set of activities on your to do list, but can also further blur the lines.

Arrrrgggghhhh! Biting my tongue to not scream out loud. Forcibly unclenching my jaw and shaking out the tension in my shoulders.  I’ve spent hours brainstorming on paper, moving on to quizzing ChatGPT in every way I could think of and I’m still struggling.  I have to define a job title if I’m to move from contractor status into a pensionable role, and it has to slot into a very defined grade structure that already exists.

I think moving from a subset of my quarter of a century experience (I’m not that old surely? eeeek!) in Telecommunications, for example my most recent subject matter expert topic of “Internet of Things” into a more recognisable label outside of the telecoms tech sector, say “Data”, is probably the way to go.  I’ve also contributed to other work-streams over the last few years; Digital Skills, Digital Inclusion, Smart Place strategy and Tech for good in the ESG and CleanTech arenas.

I asked ChatGPT ‘Please give me ideas for job titles that encompass the key deliverables I am working on each day, the top three areas are; Internet of Things consulting, Digital Skills lead and project support on ESG and Cleantech.’

Hello Sarah,

Navigating the meshwork of Internet of Things (IoT), digital skillset augmentation, and the intricate dance of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) alongside Cleantech innovation requires a title that's as multifaceted as the role itself. Here are some job titles that aim to capture the essence of your work:

1. **IoT Innovation Strategist & Digital Skills Architect**  

This title acknowledges your dual focus on pioneering IoT solutions and constructing educational frameworks for digital competencies.

2. **Sustainability and IoT Integration Specialist**  

A title that binds your work in sustainable technologies with the integrated world of IoT, suggesting a holistic approach to tech and sustainability.

3. **Digital Transformation Leader - IoT & Cleantech Initiatives**  

This title places you at the helm of digital transformation, with a clear focus on IoT and Cleantech projects.

4. **Senior Consultant for IoT and Sustainable Technologies**  

This professional title conveys a high level of expertise and responsibility in IoT alongside a clear commitment to sustainability.

5. **Digital Skills and Sustainability Program Manager**  

This role denotes leadership in digital education with a parallel focus on sustainability initiatives.

6. **IoT Ecosystem Developer & ESG Strategist**  

This suggests a creative role in expanding the IoT landscape and devising strategic ESG initiatives.

7. **Digital Empowerment Officer**  

A title that fuses your work in clean technology with your role in empowering others through digital skill enhancement.

8. **Smart Technologies Policy Lead & Digital Literacy Pioneer**  

A forward-thinking title that places you at the forefront of policy development in smart technologies and digital education.

Remember, these titles are just starting points, and the best one will resonate with both your day-to-day responsibilities and the strategic vision you're helping to manifest. Each title subtly shifts the emphasis between the fields you're involved in, which might help in aligning with the specific narrative you wish to convey in your professional identity.

I smiled at the use of the phrase “strategic vision you’re helping manifest” and also “professional identity”, you know me so well ChatGPT!

This is also making me reflect on how the use of LinkedIn has evolved over time and how I’d rather not have to keep changing my profile and the types of things I post about with each organisation or role change, but rather make it a better reflection of me as a rounded human with a diverse set of interest and experiences. An evolving sense of my unique value that sustains across any and all roles I have now and into the future.

What would the blended headline be if I were to revamp my profile this weekend? Possibly something along the lines of “I help people understand how technology can help them live a fulfilled and equitable life and pushing for no-one to be left behind.  Digital & data professional with a passion and curiosity for how best to balance innovation with tech for good”.  More work is needed to really nail my why and lead with that more so than my what or how.  It is too generic, too bland and not targeted at anyone in particular.  It isn’t quite the sense of purpose and specificity I have here with my substack writing, where I am committed to exploring the topic of ikigai.  I need to find that nugget that joins here to there.  Asking ChatGPT again to help me brainstorm another couple of iterations and I have a few more contenders;

• Passionate Digital & Data Professional | Driving Social Change through Innovative Technology

• Digital & Data Professional | Pursuing Ikigai through Innovative Tech Solutions | Shaping the Future with IoT, Digital Empowerment, and Sustainable Practices

• Digital & Data Expert | Championing Human-Centric Tech Solutions | Bridging IoT and Cleantech for a Better Tomorrow

Too many acronyms or terms that don’t mean anything outside of my bubble though, but I am starting to see how this format allows me to infuse some of my intrinsic motivation into what it is I am doing.  I just need to do the plain english/sell the benefits filter over it!

There were many things I read before a niche topic coalesced for me into “seeking ikigai”, here are a few that were top of mind today;

• How could I not love Simon Sinek, he started The Optimism Company and talks about starting with your WHY in his Golden Circle method.  He observes that a majority of people and businesses start talking about the WHAT and HOW of themselves.  He states though that instead we should lead with our WHY “The WHY is about our contribution to impact and serve others. The WHY inspires us.” It should be really easy to articulate this but I have struggled to make it specific and unique. I found it hard because I still haven’t honed in on what I am best at, love the most and that gives the most benefit to those around me, solving some of the big problems of our world.

• Build a Personal Monopoly by David Perell I’ve referred to before.  He has me thinking about this from a different perspective in terms of articulating the value you bring; “Your skills should be unusual, complementary, experiential, and specific. The less the skills in your Personal Monopoly Venn-diagram are found together, the better because it reduces competition and helps you define a genre.”

• I love this quote by Dorie Clark on the topic of Reinventing Your Personal Brand; “to protect your brand you need to develop a coherent narrative arc that explains to people — in a nice, simple way so they can’t miss it — exactly how your past fits into the present.’  I also take this to mean how you currently see yourself evolving into the future.

For me the process of seeking ikigai is also about unearthing your niche and unique perspective, as mapping out a clear path unearths your true passions and harnesses your talent.

If I have struggled with this (and I have a background in HR, used to be a union secretary overseeing market rate matching for job family regrading and having been involved in many different organisation redesigns and rebranding exercises) then i wonder how people cope trying to map out pathways to give careers advice to young people starting out or people exploring career change options.

So that brings me back in a virtuous circle to why I care about this on all levels. Every article I write moves me closer to a voice that better integrates work me with personal me. I’m happy to answer when asked what I do; “I am a data professional seeking ikigai”. To share that I am doing that for both selfish and altruistic reasons.  I want to help others by sharing the process and methods I find in the quest to help myself.  I’m starting to compile tangible exercises and will be ready to test some of them soon, so please subscribe if that is a journey you would like to observe or be a part of. 

PS - I’ve been listening to CMAT while writing today, i’m obsessed with her voice and her poetry, watch this video and let me know what you think! ; 

Cuz everybody likes me when 

My pain is in a sonnet 

And you can call me cheap but 

You did this shit to me 

Made me brilliant 

You fucked me up 

So I’m reaping what you’ve sown

PPS: if you have ChatGPT plus then please feel free to try my prototype Seeking Ikigai GPT and let me know how you get on! I’m hoping we get the ability to share these specialised tools with people who aren’t paying the sub, perhaps that will end up being a standalone one off fee, I’m excited to see where it goes as this new functionality is breath-taking! I’d love to hear how you are using it, or if you aren’t why not?!