Write the role purpose before you argue about titles
Title debates often mask disagreement about decision rights. Start with purpose, outcomes, and boundaries — then name the seat.
“Senior” and “lead” are comforting words. They also hide whether someone owns a P&L slice, coaches others, or simply has longer tenure. In workforce redesign sessions we ban title negotiation until the room can answer three questions for each seat:
- What outcomes does this role owe the organisation in the next year?
- Which decisions can this person make without escalation?
- What do they explicitly not own, so neighbouring roles stop colliding?
Once those answers exist, titles become a communication choice rather than a proxy war. Sometimes the honest title is plainer than leaders hoped. That plainness helps candidates and incumbents alike.
Bring draft purpose statements into consultation. People can engage with substance. They cannot productively debate a title detached from work.