Money vs. Title and Authority

Over the years, The InSource Group has helped clients staff technical positions ranging from individual contributor to SVP and CIO. One of the more interesting (and typically complicated) questions asked is: “How do I weigh the importance between job title, responsibility and authority, and money when making a job change?”

Since there is not a simple right or wrong answer our response is normally, “It depends”.

This question typically arises when someone is offered a position that has a more senior title and apparent increase in responsibility, yet does not have an increase in salary. Sometimes individuals are even asked to accept a lower salary than their current level for a “ground floor opportunity”.

In an ideal world all components of the job align correctly, along with their appropriate weight of importance. But we know that is not always the case. Titles are normally the tangible indicator of job responsibility. But authority is really the critical basis for success, and must come hand in hand with responsibility.

Books have been written on managing careers, and this is not intended to be a substitute for a more complete approach. Here are a few thoughts however to help you analyze the situation when presented with the Money vs. Title and Authority job offer.

First, at what stage are you in your career development? Ask yourself:

• Is it more important to maximize current income, or are you at a stage where responsibility and authority are more satisfying to you in your job than just money?
• Is the position a high risk position regardless of the role? If the new role does not work out, how does this job look on your resume? Does it really add to your long-term marketability, and does the title and role look legitimate on your resume based on past career progression?

Second, does the new position build important and needed skills for future advancement? Consider these aspects:

• With an increased title and role should come increased responsibility AND authority. Lacking authority to make critical decisions in the new role can lead to either premature departure or deprive you of being able to accomplish the tasks you were hired to perform.
• Be careful not to judge increased responsibility primarily on staff headcount. Managing a staff of 20 in a company with complete tactical and strategic leadership duties may be more important to you than managing a staff of 40 without having input on the direction of the organization.

And finally, be sure the “pull” to accept this new position is greater than the “push” to depart from your current role.

Don’t let the big title blind you to any warning signs! Accepting a new job without performing all the requisite research, reference checking, and due diligence could lead to a decision founded on regret rather than excitement for the new challenges ahead. Remember, there is a huge difference between an opportunity requiring transformational leadership and one where it will take a miracle to accomplish the goals.