A while back, I read a story about the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) asking for examples of important-sounding, obscure and even bizarre job titles. One of the entries offered her job title of Underwater Ceramic Technician; she was a dishwasher at a restaurant.

Sometimes titles are used to make a job sound more important. Upon further analysis, all parts of an organization or a body are necessary to function properly. No one part is necessarily more important than another.

In an organization, it doesn’t matter what title we hold. What is important is the purpose of the talents we have and how we use them to improve, strengthen and sustain an organization’s excellence. When we gauge our effectiveness by this standard of excellence, it will not matter when we are moved to another role or no longer hold a specific title. As safety professionals, we do not work for praise based on our job title or position, instead we serve to build up and help our fellow employees. Our gifts and talents are not for us, but for the benefit of others.

Whether we are a vice president, safety resource manager or part-time, hourly employee focused on improving safety excellence, the real issue is what we are doing to eliminate the possibility of incidents in the workplace and off the job with our family and community. Maybe one of the better titles for safety professionals is “someone I can count on to do the job I need done.”

The Doc