Zoom meeting with Mr. Harry Prince at 11. Yes. No. Maybe.

Personally, I just can't seem to keep up with what titles Harry is using these days. Duke of Earl? Prince of Darkness? Prince of Tides? 

But BetterUp, a Silicon Valley start-up that's wild about Harry has bestowed on him a new title: Chief Impact Officer. 

ButterUp, I mean BatterUp, I mean BetterUp has a motto that seems to expand on Melania Trump's abortive campaign: BE YOU AT YOUR BEST. 

This is, of course, not bad advice, if a tad a) banal and b) unachievable on a 24/7 basis. It does, of course, beat BE YOU AT YOUR WORST, which is a trap that most of us fall into on occasion. And it's certainly more aspirational than how most of us roll: BE YOU AT YOUR MEDIOCRE MEH.

What does BetterUp do?

From big challenges to little changes, BetterUp offers personalized coaching, content, and care designed to transform lives and careers...

The BetterUp experience brings together world-class coaching, AI technology, and behavioral science experts to deliver change at scale — improving individual resilience, adaptability, and effectiveness. The results? People living more meaningful, vibrant lives with greater clarity, purpose, and passion.

Personalized. Content. Transform. Resilience. Adaptability. Effectiveness. Clarity. Purpose. Passion.

They've got almost everything in the personal and corporate improvement jam covered. A couple of things are missing: Meaningful. Platform. Journey. And damned if they don't get to them in the release announcing that Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex has joined the team. Here's part of what Harry has to say about his new gig: 

As BetterUp’s first Chief Impact Officer, my goal is to lift up critical dialogues around mental health, build

supportive and compassionate communities, and foster an environment for honest and vulnerable conversations. And my hope is to help people develop their inner strength, resilience, and confidence.

(If you want find those other words I mentioned, you can read the full presser here.) 

I'm all for supportive and compassionate communities, not to mention inner strength, resilience, and confidence. And God knows Harry, growing up as he did in what was and is a crazily privileged and cocooned environment that is simultaneously wildly dysfunctional, he probably has something to offer. But, well, royalty. The concept is pretty much nuts to begin with. One thing for the first king (or queen) who lopped off enough heads to get and stay in power. But to have the riches and glam get inherited from there to eternity? It really doesn't fly in this day and age, even though, with the crazily privileged and cocooned billionaire and/or famous-for-being-famous class that's taking its place, we're seeing something equally dysfunctional set in.

But what, exactly, will Harry's job be?

It certainly can't/won't be fulltime. He's going to be doing podcasts on Spotify. He's also got some Netflix deal that he and his wife are working on. The couple also runs Archewell, their non-profit dedicated to something noble or other. There's another baby on the way, and he'll be taking paternity leave. He probably wants to set things right with his grandparents before Prince Philip, who seems to be circling the drain, finally whirls down it. Plus the Aspen Institute has asked him (Harry, not Philip) to become part of its Orwellianly-named Commission on Information Disorder, "which will deliver 'recommendations for how the country can respond to this modern-day crisis of faith in key institutions.'" (Source: WaPo)

But there's a lot that he can do to build me up ButterCup, I mean ButterUp, even if it only means a couple of hours here and there. 

He can participate (virtually) in big client pitches. He can probably make an occasional guest appearance (virtually) with the common folk clients, maybe even doing a bit of one-on-one coaching for some lucky sod. His name will open corporate and international doors, if only out of curiosity. BetterUp has done just fine without him - they've raised hundreds of millions in investment, and are eying (what else) an IPO at some point - but Harry's presence will help keep the company's name prominently out there. There's plenty of competition in the personal-professional-passion-purpose realm, and Harry's a differentiator. It will also help them with recruitment. Even the most jaded among us gets a little frisson when we get a little close to a celebrity. (I've gotten a kick out of passing Richard Branson, Robert Redford, and the late Zbigniew Brzezinski on the street - not all at the same time. And Nancy Sinatra follows me on Twitter. Who among us is immune???)

BetterUp also mentions that one of their values is "craftspersonship"  - "find meaning in what we do through crafting excellence." I haven't seen this word before, but I wouldn't be surprised if it scoots past artisanal. Harry can certainly help out here, especially if Meghan can help out on the branding and marketing front. 

And if the IPO works out, he'll be able to help replenish the coffers that were diminished when the Prince of Wales turned off the financial spout when Harry and Meghan decided they didn't want to play any longer by the god b-awful rules of the British royal/tabloid game. 

If forced to take sides in the Harry & Meghan vs. The Firm (i.e., the Royal Family), I'm coming down on the side of H&M. After all, I've watched The Crown... But I also realize that Harry and Meghan have found their perfect branding moment. And they're no less worthy of taking advantage of it than any of the Kardashian/Jenners. 

But, sadly, it all speaks to the ever more extreme crud-ification of our $$$, visibility, branding, narcissistic, celebrity-obsessed, and self-obsessed culture. 

Ugh!

Maybe Harry should spend more of his time with Aspen's Ministry of Disinformation. Separating out truth from lie seems like an excellent thing to focus your craftsperonship on. 

Go for it, kiddo.