Who Says You Need a Title to be a Leader?
The kind of leadership that doesn’t sit on an org chart.
My earliest memory of leading without a title was during my time as an associate adviser.
I was one of the juniors in a team of 15 associates; we were all doing the same thing (creating financial strategies and plans for clients), but I just felt I wanted “more”. I wanted to grow and deep down I knew that I was more drawn to leadership than advising clients (I was much more comfortable speaking in front of the team than talking to clients!)
We had a team meeting every fortnight, and I made it ‘my thing’ to bring efficiency and productivity ideas to the table: how to get our work done smarter and quicker. Eventually, I was asked if I could chair and be responsible for the agenda of the meetings.
Looking back, that was the start of me stepping into leadership without needing permission nor the title.
Titles communicate authority, but they don’t define your impact
A title doesn’t automatically make someone a leader. Leadership goes beyond titles & job promotions.
Titles are useful. They tell people where you sit in the business, what scope your role has, and what level you are operating at. And I admit that I used to tie my identity what my job title was (instead of ‘I am Karina’, it used to be ‘I am Karina and I am [insert job title]’). At one point, it was so strongly linked that I didn’t know who I was without my job #identitycrisis.
What I’ve noticed, and experienced, is that titles don’t tell you the full story behind the your capability or how you show up in the tough moments. Nor do they reflect how others feel working with you. They don’t capture the energy you bring, the trust you build, or the way you quietly pull a room forward.
It’s so easy to default to titles when we meet someone new: “What do you do?” has become our shortcut for understanding what they are about (and in some cases their value). It is implied (or assumed) that we are asking about their job title and hence we also answer this way. But we miss so much when we reduce people (and ourselves) to a job title.
I’ve been intentionally making an effort to push past the job title and hierarchy to pay attention to the human by asking them about an exciting project they are working on, or a goal they are working towards…hopefully opens them up to sharing something that could be work or personal. I want to know what lights them up! Ir reminds me of Maya Angelou’s quote “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel".
My leadership doesn’t always come with a team
What has been surprising, and what has really shifted my view on titles, is that whilst the scope and impact of my roles have dramatically grown in scale, my role titles took a ‘backwards step’. And I have been, on first glance, treated differently by people who I hadn’t interacted with before: I was now ‘just’ a Senior Manager (with no direct reports), no longer a Head of department, and that really rocked my identity for longer than what I care to admit (I made up stories in my head that I was no longer as valued, or that I was not as good of a leader as what I thought I was…they were baseless but they stuck with me).
The projects I’ve led in recent years have been much larger in scale (nine figure cost savings) and have required influencing across the business. I’ve had to bring people together from different functions, build momentum, and help them deliver outcomes. In that space, influence matters more than authority, and can be harder to lead than when you have a team of direct reports.
I naturally gravitate toward leadership, whether it’s leading teams, projects, or setting the direction and vibe. It’s where I do my best work. And I’ve learned that in most projects, you don’t lead by controlling. You lead by supporting, encouraging and creating clarity. Sometimes I take the lead, and sometimes I step back and support someone else to step forward.
That balance doesn’t always come easily! I’ve had to be conscious not to automatically jump in, and instead ask:
“What role do you want to play here, and how can I support you?”
That, to me, is leadership. Supporting others to lead and helping them achieve more than what they thought they could…not telling them what to do!
One of the most powerful things I heard at a CEO conference…
“Leadership isn’t about being in charge. It’s about taking care of those in your charge.”
That takes awareness, empathy, and the courage to be proactive and intentional. And you don’t need a title to do that!
Sometimes leadership looks like:
Noticing when someone’s being left out of a conversation and gently creating space for them.
Being the person who rallies the group. It doesn’t need to be loud - it can be with quiet clarity.
Taking initiative when no one else does. Not to take over, but to move things forward.
Leading yourself well, so others know they can trust your example.
5 Ways to Lead Without a Title
These five skills have helped me lead no matter what title I have had, or where I have sat on the org chart:
Self-awareness: Leadership starts with knowing yourself - your values, your blind spots, your impact. It’s the foundation for everything else.
Proactive ownership: Don’t wait to be told! Spot the gaps, start the momentum, step in even when you see an opportunity even when it’s not “your job”.
Connection: People follow people, not org charts, so build trust, create space, and prioritise relationships over control.
Encouragement without competition: Lift each other up! The best leaders help others rise too.
Emotional intelligence: Read the room and respond with care. Lead with presence, not pressure. Leadership is energy, not just execution.
One last note to self…
Leadership starts with how you show up. A title might give you a bit of external confidence but you don’t need it to be able to lead.
It’s in the way you listen and take initiative. It’s the way you carry yourself when no one’s watching.
The best thing we can do as leaders is to help grow others, even if it’s just helping them believe in themselves.
That’s the kind of leadership that leaves a legacy.
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Absolutely love this. Being a true leader is being someone who acts with empathy, kindness, connection and awareness.