I was researcing one of those now-common job titles, "Customer Success Manager," trying to figure out just what these people do for a living. And I found some research where people with this title from a number of different companies talked about what they did. But what was interesting is that all the people who had this job title worked for companies that were self-described "leading providers." It was unanimous. They didn't just work for marketing companies, sales companies, product and service providers--they were working for companies that were all leading providers--100%.
I am often amazed at just how much American business copies from each other. I wondered how you might want to trump you job title by being a leading person in your craft at a leading company in your industry.
"Hi, I am Stuart, the Leading Customer Success Manager from Temportie Inc. the Leading provider of fast fusion foods in the energy lossenges market."
It all sounds so stupid.
I remember as a college student stopping in to the a little restaturant that was in fact a double wide trailor just a short distance from the Missiouri River in a tiny town in Missiouri. The restaurant was called the Whopping Big Cheeseburger Diner. It was late at night, but there was a big crowd of locals, probably hard-working men from the Rockwell Plant and other like businesses nearby. We were very hungry, but we were also foolish college students who needed to grow up a bit.
For some reason, we couldn't get over the fact the place had "whopping big" cheeseburgers. We walked past a lot of crowded tables and sat at the counter. A waitress came over after a few minutes to take our order. We could all see by the look on her face that the diner likely didn't have time for students at this place--so she said in a loud voice, "what'll be boys, it's getting late so we need take your order right quick." The plates from the previous dinners who had the seats before us hadn't been removed yet. My friend Schmitty from Peoria was the first to order and he looked up and said, "I'll take a whopping big cheeseburger and a whopping big order of fries with a whopping big coke." Down on the dirty plate in front of Schmitty was a whole piece of bacon that the previous dinner had not eaten. Schmitty picked it up and ate it and smiled at the waitress.
After each of us had placed a similar order--everything "whopping big," the waitress had enough of us and she threatened to throw us out of the restaurant if we said one more annoying word.
We were hungry, we complied. But I learned a language lesson that night.
A "leading provider" overused makes about as much sense as everything "whopping big" in a diner--it is tacky and doesn't fool anyone. If I was your Customer Success Manager and you were leading anything, I'd suggest that you drop it!
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| The Brown and White |
Forty plus years in the making, The Brown and White is a fictionalized memoir that tells the story of Collin Callaghan's freshman year at a Chicago Catholic High School. Collin is a white boy who is living in turbulent times in a changing city. He clings to his neighborhood and his family as he heads out each day with his classmates on the Brown and White, the ancient school bus driven by free-spirited Willie. Memorable characters abound as this story unfolds. Collin's loveable family, especially his Irish Catholic policeman father and his Irish immigrant mother face life together. Collin and classmates blaze their own humorous and passionate trail through the late 1960s. A unique cast of terrific teachers are there to see the boys through. Laughs and life meet readers head on as they travel on the Brown and White.
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