We see this all the time.

On event registrations, job applications, and the contact forms where we’re encouraged to get in touch.

Fill out your company name, it’s mandatory.

But what if you’re a company of one? A freelancer? Someone who’s part of many rosters?

You can put your own name, or ’n/a’, or ‘many’, but inside you know this will screen you out, lessen your importance. It sows a seed in the recipient’s mind that this person isn’t right, they don’t fit, they’re ignoring the way we do things here.

Or what if you have a company but it’s just a trading name, a way for you to do business? It’s not relevant.

Just like many other parts of the old system, this little field on the form doesn’t really make sense any more. Sure, it can be useful, but should it be required?

It boxes us in, forces us to conform. We have to follow the rules.

On LinkedIn, the ‘Projects’ section of someone’s profile is all the way down at the bottom of the page.

For many of us this is the most important section of all: the work we’ve done, the things we’ve made, the projects we’ve put out into the world.

It’s far more important than listing the bullet points of a job description we got hired to do, with a company name against it.

The old system and its various components are still the standard most of the world works to.

If you don’t fit this system then things can be very frustrating.

The good news is that this is changing.

The changes are sometimes hard to see, but they’re happening, one component at a time.

Sometimes the components just need refining or polishing. Other times they need completely rethinking. And occasionally they’re completely defunct, grinding against what works, not making it better.

Which components are now defunct for you?

What’s not *required any more?