Flickr photo: BrigitteLet me start by saying that I love the phrase "accidental techie." It's fun to say -- and, in the early part of this century, it was the only way we could describe the growing legion of people who suddenly found themselves mastering a new vocabulary of acronyms: LAN, ISP, RAM, CPU, CRM. My great colleague Sue Bennett even wrote a book called "The Accidental Techie."

Yet, like certain organizations, I think it's time for a rebrandng.

You have to admit, it's not very nice to call anyone an accidental anything. What's really gotten under my skin lately, though, is that as long as someone is an "accidental" techie, they're going to have a heck of a time being taken seriously.

The fact of the matter is that accidental techies don't manage technology accidentally, they manage it with thoughfullness and purpose. While someone else's accident -- not planning for technology in the first place -- may mean that they end up in this position, the tech-responsible person at any organization makes magic happen with foresight and fortitude.

Accidental techies are actually technology leaders. 

So that's what I'm going to call you from now on. You are tech leaders. And you rock.