Many ambitious eng leaders blame org charts and politics for their limited impact. It’s comforting to think that a lack of authority or a rigid hierarchy is the only thing keeping you from greater things. But far more often, the real barrier isn’t the organization. It’s the title on your business card, and how you use it as an excuse. A bit like the old show “Whose Line Is It Anyway,” titles don’t matter.
Self-pigeonholing is what happens when you let your job title define (and confine) your impact. It’s when a software engineer says, “I’m just an engineer, I can’t contribute to product strategy,” or a CTO avoids strategy meetings thinking it’s outside of their scope. These might feel like reasonable boundaries, but they’re really self-imposed cages. The truth is, job titles are far less limiting than the stories we tell ourselves, especially in startups. These self-imposed limits feel safe, and that false sense of safety is exactly what makes them so dangerous. Which of these self-handicapping lines have you caught yourself saying?
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“That’s not my job”
Reality check: Sticking strictly to your job description is a great way to stay stuck in your career.
Ostensibly, it sounds responsible to focus only on your assigned tasks. In reality, that mindset makes you indistinguishable from any other cog in the machine. Every time you utter “not my job,” you’re voluntarily capping your value. Companies reward problem-solvers, not problem-deflectors. If you habitually refuse to step outside your defined role, you signal to everyone that you’re content doing exactly what you do now and not a bit more. It’s like when one of my kids is annoyingly picking up precisely the three pens they drew with from among the couple of other pens used by their sibling.
Fix it: Stop drawing mental chalk lines around your role. Instead, when you notice an issue or an opportunity outside your comfort zone, grab it. Solve a lingering problem that no one has claimed, even if it lives in the gaps between “official” responsibilities. Volunteer for cross-functional projects. By showing initiative beyond your title, you prove that you’re more than just a task checklist ticked off each day.
The irony is that the people who advance fastest are usually those who first act beyond their current job scope. So next time you see something important falling through the cracks, don’t say “not my job.” Say “I’ll take care of it.” This is how leaders are born, long before they have a leader’s title.
The last time I saw Kent Beck in person, he was raving about precisely this sort of culture, where people look for ways to expand their ownership of the product, not stick their heads in the sand.
“I’m just an engineer/manager/insert-title”
Reality check: Defining yourself as “just” anything becomes a self-fulfilling career ceiling.
When you think “I’m just a junior developer” or “I’m only a UX designer, not a decision-maker,” you’re effectively telling yourself (and everyone around you) that you’ve hit your limit. It’s a form of surrender. Titles are meant to describe roles, not diminish potential. A fancy VP title doesn’t automatically make someone visionary, and lacking that title doesn’t prevent you from having great ideas. The tech industry is full of people who started influencing beyond their role long before they got a promotion. They’re the engineers who speak up about product improvements, the QA testers who suggest process tweaks to the team, the designers who dip into AI. They didn’t wait for a title to authorize their insight. If you box yourself in with “I’m just X,” you ensure that’s all you’ll ever be.
Fix it: Drop the “just.” Start viewing your role as a base to build from, not a straitjacket. Ask questions outside your narrow domain. Learn about the business drivers behind your project. Share your thoughts on improving things even if it’s “above your pay grade.” For example, if you’re an engineer, you could propose a small product experiment. These actions might feel bold, but this is exactly how you signal that you’re ready for bigger challenges. Remember, leadership is demonstrated, not awarded. Don’t wait for someone to hand you a better title before you act like a leader. Act first, and the titles will follow. In short, be the proactive problem-solver now and you’ll find yourself earning the credibility (and titles) that reflect your true contribution.
“I need my manager’s approval first”
Reality check: If you always wait for permission, you’re not polite. You’re paralyzed.
Sure, in a regulated environment or a critical decision, you should keep stakeholders in the loop. But day to day, hiding behind “I need the go-ahead” is usually a form of risk-aversion or fear. It’s one thing to coordinate; it’s another to use “approval” as a crutch to avoid taking initiative. Often, this mindset masks a fear of overstepping or making a mistake. But consider this: in healthy organizations, no one is stopping you from improving things.
Would your boss really be angry if you found and fixed an issue outside your area, or took the time to streamline a team process? In most cases, they’d be thrilled. By waiting every time for a green light, you’re training yourself to think like a follower, not a leader. And you may even frustrate your superiors: instead of bringing solutions, you’re bringing requests to be told what to do. That’s not the path to growth; it’s a recipe for stagnation.
Fix it: Next time you see an opportunity to make an impact, take initiative and inform, rather than passively waiting and asking “Can I…?”. For example, if there’s technical debt hurting team velocity, you might do some research and say to your manager: “I noticed X is causing delays, I plan for Jane to spend two days refactoring it to save time going forward.” Frame it as a course of action, not a plea. In doing so, you’re still respectful of the chain of command (you’re informing them), but you’re showing that you can think and act independently.
Nine times out of ten, managers will appreciate the ownership. If there truly are boundaries, you’ll learn them, but far more often you’ll find those boundaries were only in your mind. Proactive communication is key: it turns “permission” into “alignment.” Rather than asking to solve a problem, start solving it and keep others updated. This approach demonstrates confidence and competence.
Remember, leaders don’t incessantly seek approval to do the right thing. They just do it and bring others along. Trust yourself to make the call when it counts, and you’ll earn greater trust from those above you.
In conclusion, it’s easy to blame organizational barriers for holding you back, but it’s usually self-pigeonholing that clips your wings. The good news is that what’s self-imposed can be self-removed. By refusing to be limited by the words in your title, you’ll operate on a level that most of your peers don’t. In the long run, that’s far more important to your career than any promotion.
Organizations notice when someone consistently delivers beyond their role. That’s often when new opportunities (and roles) appear. So challenge yourself to step outside the cozy confines of what’s “expected” for your position. Solve the extra problem, share the bold idea, lead from where you are.
Your title isn’t a cage unless you choose to stay inside it. Break out, and you’ll find that the only real limits on your growth are the ones you set for yourself. After all, titles don’t make leaders—taking initiative does.