You Don’t Need a Title to be a Better Leader

Being promoted doesn’t make you a leader. In fact, you are more likely to be promoted if you focus not on the title but on the qualities you need to be a better leader now.  

You may have heard that you don’t need a title to be a better leader. If you aren’t sure about the relationship between titles and leadership, I’ll do my best to explain which comes first. By the end, you should have a good idea of your best pathway to a promotion.

The War for Talent

First, instead of taking the point of view of an emerging leader trying to find their way up in an organization, let’s take the point of view of the organization from the top looking down through the ranks. From the perspective of the company’s leadership–that is, everyone from your boss to the CEO–new leaders are hard to find. Sometimes executives call this scarcity of leadership the war for talent. So, organizations spend a lot of effort identifying who has the potential to lead.

This is why it is true: you don’t need a title to lead. It’s rather the reverse. Being a better leader is the best pathway to career advancement. When you start putting your organization’s needs over your own, you demonstrate that you have what it takes to lead. It may seem counterintuitive, but putting other people’s needs over your own is the best way to get your next promotion.

The Difference Between Titles and Leadership

Titles and leadership confuse some people. They are not the same. In fact, titles often have little to do with a job. We have all seen people whose work goes far beyond their job description, and others whose work seems to be beneath their title. Honestly, I’ve seen leaders who don’t really do much at all for an organization. (Hint: they don’t last long.) At the same time, I’ve seen associates eager to get more experience. They volunteer to tackle any problem and dig in to do what is needed. (Hint: they go far.)

Furthermore, if you are wondering what comes first, the title or leadership, there is no chicken-and-egg conundrum here. In almost every instance, the people who demonstrate better leadership are the first to be promoted. Demonstrating leadership potential and a leadership mindset almost always comes before anyone grants you a leadership title.

An Emphasis on Titles Can Hurt You

Actually, people in leadership are wary of anyone who is too concerned about their title. Making a big deal about what title you get or don’t get reveals insecurity. Instead of showing power, it shows that you care more about the outer trappings than the responsibility for leadership.

In fact, Korn Ferry reported that in 2023, 37% of organizations gave people new titles and added responsibility but offered no pay increase. This is a so-called dry promotion. This was confusing to a lot of employees. Why take on more responsibility without more compensation? Although this seems like a legitimate question, it demonstrates a mindset rooted in self-interest, not in the interest of the company.

However, the people who put the organization’s needs over their own understood that the organization was facing a lot of uncertainty and trying to make progress while maintaining fiscal responsibility. The people who took these dry promotions demonstrated a commitment to the organization that is likely to keep them at the top of the list for a real promotion when the economy supports industry growth. Furthermore, in the case that there is another major disruption, they have positioned themselves as committed leaders and are less likely to lose their job.

An Age of Disruption

Whether we like it or not, we live in an age of disruption and instability. As a result, many organizations have intentionally adopted strategies that will result in losing people who don’t show commitment. Over the last few years, many organizations laid off low performers and trimmed costs in order to get ready for the next disruption.

Overall, companies are offering significantly fewer promotions compared to a few years ago. Experienced leaders know that finding the people you can count on to be with you in good times and bad is key to surviving sudden disasters. Rising leaders are smart to recognize this reality and do their best to shine and keep their job in the face of whatever disruption is next.

Often, organizations use stretch assements and growth opportunities as testing grounds before a round of promotions. If you turn an opportunity down because it’s more work and not more pay, you can find yourself first in line for a layoff when the company downsizes. On the contrary, committed employees jump in to help. They take on tough assignments and figure out how to get desired results. As a result, these are the people who earn trust and get visibility that is hard to get any other way. If you’re looking for the fastest track to a promotion, this is it.

Be a Better Leader and the Title will Follow

So, stop waiting for a promotion to be a better leader. You definitely don’t need a title to lead. In your career decisions, put your ego and self-interest in the back seat and put the company first. In short, stop asking, “what’s in it for me?” Instead, start looking out for the common good. That’s when you are on the way to becoming a better leader, and the title will follow when the company needs to grow.

Rather than being a title, leadership is a set of skills and values. In addition to putting the organization first, leaders jump in to do what needs to be done. Indeed, leaders understand that there is no job that is above them or beneath them. If they need to grab a broom because that’s needed at that moment, they don’t hesitate to grab the broom. By the same token, if they need to walk into a meeting with clients or high-level stakeholders, they straighten up and walk in, ready to contribute.

Show Leadership Before You Get the Title

In most organizations, you need to show you can take on more responsibility before they offer you a title with more responsibility. Every high performer knows this. If you think about it from the organization’s perspective, it makes sense. You don’t want to promote anyone who isn’t ready. So, the best way to know that someone is ready for more is if they are already doing more.

If you want to get promoted, here are four steps you can take to get noticed:

1. Put the organization first, and put your ego in the back seat.
2. Jump at every chance to make a positive impact on the organization regardless of whether it feels above or below your paygrade.
3. Volunteer for a stretch assignment, whether it’s a high-stakes presentation, working on a committee, or taking over interim duties for someone.
4. Drive for results by continually refining and troubleshooting your approach to work and making sure the people around you have what they need to be their best.

In the end, the key to any promotion is a commitment to the idea that what is best for the organization is best. So don’t wait for the title, start being a better leader now.