The Illusion of Titles: Focusing on Substance Over Status

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why promotions are often outside your span of control—and why that matters
• The risks of tying promotions too closely to salary and status
• How to reframe career goals around learning, skill-building, and impact
• The importance of asking: What do I want to be known for?
• Other ways to meet needs for money, influence, or recognition without a title change
• How to spot whether a promotion is truly what you want—or just shiny object syndrome

Resources & Links:

• Follow Teresa Torres: https://ProductTalk.org
• Follow Petra Wille: https://Petra-Wille.com

Mentioned in this episode:

• Great Expectations by Thor Mitchell - MTP Engage Hamburg 2022
• Building My First AI Product: 6 Lessons from My 90-Day Deep Dive by Teresa
• Continuous Discovery Habits book by Teresa
• Petra’s coaching work