Not very long ago, I met someone who proudly introduced themselves as “Senior Digital Strategist.” The introduction alone could have been a LinkedIn post. But as we talked, I quickly realised that behind the shiny title, there wasn’t much strategy happening—at least not in the way I understood it.
…and that’s when it hit me, titles can be deceiving!
See, many of us grew up thinking that if someone is called “Manager,” “Specialist,” or “Director,” it automatically means they’ve mastered their craft. But the truth is, a title doesn’t guarantee competence—sometimes it’s just a label, awarded by circumstance, connection, and most times even a vacancy that needed filling.
One cold, and loud evening, I remember chatting with a friend who had just landed a gig as a “Lead Developer” at a startup in Kampala. He was buzzing with excitement, but six months in, he confessed that the title felt heavier than his actual skills. It got me thinking: titles are often more about optics than true expertise. They don’t always reflect the grind, the late nights debugging code, or the real-world problem-solving that defines technical know-how.
So, I know first hand that titles might open doors, but it’s the technical chops, the ability to adapt, innovate, and fix what’s broken, it’s the hands-on experience – that hones your edge. Technical know-how is not born from a business card; it’s forged in the quiet hours of practice, self-education, and solving real problems – that keeps you in the room.
In my own career, I’ve worked with “executives” who had no idea how to execute, “leaders” who couldn’t lead, and “technical experts” whose “expertise” vanished the moment you asked them to do the actual work. I’ve also worked with interns who could out-think and out-deliver people several levels above them—without ever needing a fancy designation to prove it.
And don’t get me started on the corporate facade. In boardrooms, I’ve witnessed “Directors” who couldn’t explain simple things even if their bonus depended on it, relying on juniors to do the heavy lifting. It’s like the boda guy who knows every shortcut in Kampala better than any GPS – no title, but unmatched know-how. True experience comes from failures, iterations, and that relentless curiosity.
Have you read the World Bank’s reports on human capital – World Development Report 2018: Learning to Realize Education’s Promise? It highlights how poor education systems churn out titled individuals who lack practical skills, stunting global development. Uganda’s no exception, our unemployment rates scream that mismatch.
So, what’s the takeaway? We need to shift focus from titles to tangible skills because, titles are just introductions. What matters is the substance that follows. Employers should look beyond the resume – test for real competence. In the end, titles fade like yesterday’s trends, but technical know-how? That’s the real currency that builds empires.
What do you think – has a title ever misled you, or proven worthless?
