William Shakespeare wrote in Romeo and Juliet, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
The line is spoken by Juliet and encapsulates the central struggle and tragedy of the play. Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet meet and fall in love. They are doomed from the start as members of two warring families. In this line, Juliet tells Romeo that a name is an artificial and meaningless convention, and that she loves the person who is called “Montague”, not the Montague name and not the Montague family.
If only it were that simple. A name is not an “artificial and meaningless convention.” It is the embodiment of all that we are. It expresses personality and character. It is the first entry into who we are.
When we introduce ourselves, we don’t say, “Hi, I’m from North Carolina USA.” We say our name, because it’s the first thing somebody wants to know about us.
But everybody already has a name. So why do we even need to consider this issue, especially if we think the name has worked for us for many years? Of course, if we truly believe that the value of our name is so great that a change will do nothing for us, then we should not change it. But maybe that value isn’t really there.
Here are four questions to consider in regard to your name:
- What actually is the name?
- How much real value does it have?
- What does the name mean?
- Is this the right time to change it?
In fact, let’s take that a step further. Click here to find a list of 10 questions that will help you determine whether or not you should consider changing your organization’s name.
Want to know more about the whole concept of naming? Contact Dave Baseler. Ask him about his proprietary naming process and “Dave’s Game of the Name.”