Title vs Responsibility — What Actually Drives Growth?

Originally published on LinkedIn · June 4, 2026

I have noticed a pattern in career conversations. And I think it is holding many people back.

Whenever I ask someone about their career goal, the answer is almost always a title. “I want to become a Director.” “My goal is to reach VP level.” “I am working toward becoming a Manager.”

I used to think this was normal. But over time, I started to see that this one simple answer reveals a lot about where someone’s energy is going — and whether that energy is actually helping them grow.

The problem with chasing a title

When your goal is a title, the result is in someone else’s hands. A promotion needs your manager to agree. It needs the right timing. It needs budget approval. So naturally, all your energy goes toward that relationship — trying to look good, trying to manage perceptions, trying to show you deserve it.

When things go well, this feels like progress. But when the promotion does not come — when someone else gets the role, or the company restructures, or the timing is wrong — it becomes very easy to blame the management or the system.

The goal did not change. But now the person feels stuck, and it is always someone else’s fault.

When your goal is a title, your frustration always points outward. When your goal is responsibility, your frustration always points inward. One of these is much more useful for growth.

A better question to ask

What if instead of “what title do I want?”, people asked: “what level of responsibility do I want to be capable of handling?”

This small change moves everything. The goal is no longer something someone gives you. It is something only you can build. The question is no longer “am I being recognised?” — it becomes “am I actually getting better?”

People with this mindset look for harder problems. They ask for honest feedback. They are more interested in what they cannot do yet than in protecting what they already do well.

The irony

Here is what I find interesting. The people who focus on building responsibility usually end up getting the titles anyway — often faster and more durably than the ones chasing them directly.

When someone consistently takes on more than their current role requires, people notice. When someone gets promoted without the real capability behind it, the gap shows quickly.

The title follows the growth. It does not lead it.

Two well-known examples make this very clear. Both of them were building capability quietly, not chasing a title loudly. The recognition came because the growth was already visible.

A question for managers

Next time someone comes to you with a career development conversation, try asking them this after they mention their target title:

“If that title did not exist — if promotions were not possible — what would you do differently starting tomorrow?”

The people who answer quickly and with real energy are usually the ones who will keep developing no matter what. The ones who go quiet are telling you something important about where their focus really is.

Neither answer is wrong. But knowing the difference helps you have a much more useful coaching conversation.

Career goals do not have to be destinations. When people treat them as directions, they usually go further than anyone expected — including themselves.

So the next time you think about your own career, try swapping the title for a capability question. Not “when will I become a Director?” but “what does a Director-level thinker actually do — and what small part of that can I start practising today?”

That shift alone can change a lot.

What do you ask people when you are having a career development conversation? I would love to hear what has worked for you.

Read the full article and join the conversation on LinkedIn.