Who am I : Singnature lines

One of the advantages of working for a maverick company is the chance to meet exciting people. Of late I have started taking notice of the signature lines of Thoughtworkers..

The latest one is 'Problem Solver'

I think that is way better than signing off as 'Business Analyst'.Each word carries a lot of baggage with it. The moment you write a 'Business Anaylst' or a Project manager, there is a lot background that gets painted even without the the person realizing. No one to blame. Stereotyping is just one of the many cognitive biases we have to live with.

But how do people react when they are faced with something that they cannot anchor to something else. It's just doesn't fit into the fixed frames of references they have made for themselves. Well this is another complex subject and a whole lot of other cognitive biases come into picture. Most of the times they tend to make a close approximation or rely on only one facet of information that they find handy or easily available.

Here is a small snippet of how people react to a innovative signature line (as expressed by of another Thoughtworker)..

I tried an experiment when I moved from PS into a sales role.  I got business cards that said “leader of change” and some that said “Business Development Manager.”  LOC cards get me a strong reaction one way or the other (what does that mean/how interesting to “is this a joke?”) while the BDM cards were immediately dismissed for fear that I would sell them something.

 I would prefer this scenario better than letting others stereotype me. I am unique and I deserve a chance to describe myself to you... Even if it means unsettling your frames of reference or shocking you ..