Your Title Doesn't Measure Your Success

For years, we've been taught that career success has a very specific look.

• Get the degree.
• Climb the ladder.
• Get promoted.
• Become a manager.
• Become a director.
• Become a VP.
• Become a CEO.

And somewhere along the way, we started confusing a title with success.

I don't believe your title measures your success.

Your title tells people what your organization calls your role. It doesn't tell them how you lead, how you serve, how you influence, how you develop people, or how much you've accomplished.

Some of the most influential women I've encountered weren't necessarily the ones with the biggest titles.

• They were the women who walked into a room and made people believe in themselves.
• They were the women who developed people who went on to become leaders themselves.
• They were the women who built something from nothing.
• They were the women who showed up when things were hard.
• They were the women who changed a culture, strengthened a team, served their communities, raised families, built businesses, and kept going when nobody was watching.

That is success.

Stop Chasing the Next Title

There is nothing wrong with wanting to advance your career.

I've spent much of my career in sales and leadership, and I understand the satisfaction that comes from earning the next opportunity.

But I've also learned that there is a danger in constantly looking at the next rung on the ladder.

You can spend so much time trying to become something that you forget to appreciate what you are already doing.

You can accept a promotion because it sounds impressive, only to discover that the work doesn't fulfill you.

You can take a higher-paying position and realize that you've traded your peace, your purpose, or your passion for a number on a paycheck.

And you can spend years trying to prove that you're successful to everyone else while quietly knowing you aren't doing what you love.

A bigger title doesn't necessarily mean a bigger impact.

Find What You're Good At-and What You Love

I believe there is something powerful that happens when your strengths and your passion intersect.

When you genuinely enjoy what you do, you approach your work differently.

• You become curious.
• You want to learn.
• You want to improve.
• You care about the people you work with.

You don't have to constantly convince yourself to show up because there is something meaningful about the work itself.

And when you combine passion with skill, something else happens:

You become really good at what you do.

That can create opportunities you never expected.

Not because you chased a title, but because you created value.

Not because you demanded recognition, but because your work became impossible to ignore.

Leadership Isn't a Title Either

This is especially important when we talk about leadership.

You don't need to be a CEO to be a leader. You don't need "Director" or "Vice President" after your name. You don't even need direct reports.

Leadership is what happens when people trust you enough to listen to you, learn from you, grow with you, or follow your example.

I've always believed that one of the greatest measures of leadership is not how many people report to you. It's how many people become better because they worked with you.

• A leader can change someone's career with one conversation.
• A leader can give someone confidence they didn't know they had.
• A leader can create psychological safety where people feel comfortable bringing ideas, admitting mistakes, and asking for help.
• A leader can recognize potential in someone before that person recognizes it in themselves.

No title can guarantee those things.

Success Has to Be Personal

The older I get, the more I believe success is something each of us has to define for ourselves.

• For one woman, success may be becoming a CEO.
• For another, it may be building a small business that gives her freedom.
• For another, it may be leading a team she loves.
• For someone else, it may be leaving corporate America entirely and pursuing something she is passionate about.
• And for another woman, success may have nothing to do with work at all.

There is no universal definition.

Your success doesn't have to look like someone else's success.

That's an important lesson for women because comparison can be incredibly distracting. We look at someone's title, salary, accomplishments, followers, company, or career trajectory and assume they're ahead of us.

But we don't know what their definition of success is. And more importantly, they don't get to define ours.

Choose Purpose Over Prestige

If you're considering your next career move, don't just ask:

"What title will I have?"

Ask:

• "Will I love the work?"
• "Will I have the opportunity to use my strengths?"
• "Will I be surrounded by people who challenge me and support my growth?"
• "Will I have the autonomy to do my best work?"
• "Will I be proud of the impact I'm making?"
• "Will this opportunity allow me to become more of the person I want to be?"

Those questions might lead you somewhere completely different than chasing the most impressive title.

And that's okay.

Because there is no prize for having the most impressive title if you aren't happy with the life that comes with it.

Your Impact Is Your Legacy

At the end of the day, I don't think people will remember us because of the title we held.

• They'll remember how we made them feel.
• They'll remember what we taught them.
• They'll remember whether we encouraged them when they doubted themselves.
• They'll remember whether we showed up.
• They'll remember what we built.
• They'll remember the doors we opened for other people.
• They'll remember the difference we made.

That is influence.

And that is why I don't believe your title measures your success.

• Your title can change.
• Your company can change.
• Your salary can change.
• Your position can change.

But the impact you make on people can last long after you've moved on.

So don't spend your life chasing a title that looks impressive to everyone else.

• Find what you're passionate about.
• Become exceptional at it.
• Lead with purpose.
• Create an impact.
• And define success on your own terms.

Because your title may describe your position.

It will never fully describe your worth, your leadership, or your impact.