Why Purpose Can’t Be Delegated to Your Job Title

There’s a moment I think many of us have experienced—maybe more than once.

You land that role you worked so hard for. You’ve finally made it. The job title sings: Product Manager. Senior Strategist. Director of Whatever. Maybe even MD/CEO or Founder. You update your LinkedIn profile with pride, craft the perfect post announcing the new gig, and the congratulations pour in.

But after the buzz wears off, there’s a strange silence. A quiet question begins to whisper in your soul:

“Is this it?”

You start wondering: why do I still feel unfulfilled? Why doesn’t the position I chased for so long feel like enough?

If you’ve ever asked that question, welcome. You’re not alone. And you're not crazy.

Let’s talk about something that’s not just trending but timeless:

PURPOSE.

And more specifically, why it can’t be outsourced, delegated, or downloaded into your job title.

First, Let’s Define the Players: Title vs. Purpose

Your job title is what you do—the function you fill in an organisation. It’s a combination of your skills, responsibilities, and the problems you’re expected to solve.

Your purpose, however, is why you exist. It’s deeper. It's not tied to KPIs, annual reviews, or whether your company hits Series C funding or revenue/profit target.

A title can be given. Purpose must be discovered.

A title can be taken away. Purpose stays with you—even when you’re unemployed, pivoting, or in-between seasons.

So here's the deal:

Your job title can reflect your purpose, but it is not your purpose.

The Danger of Delegating Your Purpose

We live in a culture that loves labels. And in the professional world, job titles are status symbols. They tell the world: I’m progressing. I’m important. I’ve made it.

But here's the trap: when we mistake our title for our purpose, we hand over too much power to things that can change at any moment.

I’ll never forget a conversation I had with a friend, let’s call him Sam. Sam had been a Senior Project Manager for over 10 years. Sharp, capable, respected.

Then came the layoffs.

When Sam lost the role, he didn’t just grieve the job—he grieved his identity. His sense of self was so entangled with the title that losing it felt like losing himself.

That’s what happens when we delegate purpose to our profession.

And trust me—this isn’t just a “corporate burnout” problem. It can happen to pastors, entrepreneurs, creatives, stay-at-home parents—anyone. Purpose confusion doesn’t discriminate.

Why Titles Can’t Carry What Only Identity Can

Your job title was never designed to carry the weight of your soul. It can’t answer questions like:

• Who am I when nobody’s watching?

• What impact am I here to make?

• What legacy do I want to leave behind?

Only identity can answer those. And identity is where purpose lives.

If you think about it, your job title is external. It lives on your resume. But purpose? That’s internal. It lives in your story—your values, your beliefs, your unique wiring.

And here's the kicker:

Purpose flows from identity, not role.

Roles change. Titles shift. Careers evolve. But if your purpose is rooted in something deeper—your values, your convictions, your reason for being—then you remain anchored even when everything around you moves.

Purpose at Work: A Beautiful Bonus, Not the Main Source

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying your work can’t reflect your purpose. In fact, when your job aligns with your sense of calling, it’s one of life’s most powerful combinations.

But it’s still a reflection, not the source.

Your job is a vehicle. Purpose is the fuel.

If you lose the vehicle, you can still walk. Or take a bike. Or board a plane. The mission continues.

But if your only source of purpose is the job title, the moment it’s gone, you’re stranded.

So, Where Do You Find Your Purpose Then?

If it’s not in the job title, where is it?

Let me give you a framework I call the Three Ps of Purpose Discovery:

1. Patterns

2. Pain

3. Pull

Let’s unpack them.

1. Patterns – What keeps showing up?

Look back at your life. The story you’ve lived tells you a lot about the purpose you carry.

• What themes keep showing up?

• What compliments do people often give you?

• What do you do naturally that others struggle with?

These patterns are not random—they’re often clues. If you’re always the one bringing people together, solving messy problems, or encouraging others when they’re down, pay attention.

Purpose often hides in plain sight.

2. Pain – What have you been through?

This one’s harder, but often more revealing.

Many people find their purpose through their pain.

• Maybe you struggled with mental health, and now you care deeply about helping others heal.

• Maybe you experienced poverty, and now you're passionate about financial empowerment.

• Maybe you felt unseen, and now you make others feel valued.

Your pain doesn’t define you, but it can refine your sense of mission.

3. Pull – What pulls at your heart?

Some things just stir you. You can’t explain why, but they grab your attention. Make you emotional. Wake you up at night.

That pull is your soul’s way of saying, “Hey, pay attention. There’s something here.”

Purpose is not just about what you're good at; it's about what matters to you.

What If You Don’t Know Your Purpose Yet?

First of all—breathe. You’re not broken or behind. You're just in the middle of the discovery process.

Purpose is not a lightning bolt. It’s a layered unveiling.

Sometimes, you find it by experimenting. Sometimes, it emerges through stillness. Sometimes, others help you see what you can’t.

But one thing is certain:

You don’t find purpose by waiting. You find it by living.

So show up. Try things. Reflect often. Keep asking better questions. Surround yourself with people who care more about who you’re becoming than what you’re achieving.

How to Keep Your Purpose Bigger Than Your Title

Here are five practical reminders that help me stay anchored:

1. See yourself beyond your LinkedIn headline. You are not just a product marketer, designer, developer, or founder. You are a human being with a unique mission.

2. Ask “why” more often. Before you say yes to a role or opportunity, ask: Does this align with the why of my life, or is it just flattering to my ego?

3. Detach progress from promotion. Growth is not always vertical. Sometimes it’s inward. Sometimes it’s in impact, not income.

4. Build a life, not just a career. Craft rhythms, relationships, and routines that reflect the person you want to be, not just the title you want to hold.

5. Invest in your purpose outside your job. Serve, write, speak, mentor, volunteer. Purpose expands when exercised in different arenas.

We’re all writing a story with our lives. And titles—they’re like chapter headings. Useful, yes. But they don’t capture the plot.

Purpose is the plot.

When you know who you are and why you’re here, you stop chasing titles for validation. You start using them for service.

You begin to hold roles loosely, knowing that your real work is not what you do for a living, but what you’re doing with your life.

So let me leave you with this question:

If your title was stripped away tomorrow, would your purpose still stand?

If the answer is no, it’s time to dig deeper.

And if the answer is yes, keep walking in that truth. Keep showing up with purpose in every room, every role, every relationship.

Your life is more than a LinkedIn profile.

Make it count.

I’d love to hear from you:

• What’s one moment you realised your job title wasn’t enough?

• How are you discovering or living out your purpose right now?

Drop a comment or send me a DM. And if this resonated with you, consider subscribing to this newsletter, where we unpack how to live deeply and lead purposefully in a world obsessed with professional performance.