At one of my previous jobs, I was a senior copywriter who desperately wanted to be promoted. I was doing the work, mentoring the juniors, bringing ideas that stuck in pitches, but the organization was flat. There was nowhere to go: no title to chase and no ladder to climb.

It was beyond frustrating. When you’ve put in the years and you’re hungry for more responsibility, it’s hard not to feel stuck. But what I eventually learned (the hard way) was that leadership isn’t something you get from HR. It’s something you start practicing long before anyone gives you the official title.

Leading Without Permission

In that role, I didn’t manage anyone, but I noticed younger writers and strategists coming to me for feedback. Designers wanted me in the brainstorm because I helped sharpen ideas. Even account folks started looping me in earlier because they knew I’d help untangle a messy brief.

I believe that leadership is influence, not authority. You don’t need “Director” on your LinkedIn profile to be the person the team looks to. You just need to consistently make the work better, the process smoother, and the people around you feel like they can do their best work.

Making Ideas Easier to Say Yes To

One way to do that is by becoming the person who makes bold ideas easier to buy. Not by sanding off their edges, but by framing them in a way that clients, strategists, and account teams can say yes to.

Back then, I learned how to “translate,” turning a risky idea into a story that made sense strategically, emotionally, and financially. It’s not about making the work smaller. It’s about making it clear enough that others can champion it, too.

Mentoring in the Margins

Mentoring doesn’t have to come with direct reports. It can be as simple as taking an extra ten minutes to explain why you’re rewriting a line or showing a junior designer how a headline could shift the whole tone of a layout. Those small moments add up. And when people know you’ll take the time, they’ll start seeking you out. That’s leadership.

Being the Calm in the Chaos

Another thing I discovered is that influence often comes from being steady when everything else is wobbling. Deadlines shifted, clients freaked out, briefs changed midstream, and I found that if I could stay calm and help the team focus on the next best move, people naturally leaned in.

Sometimes leadership is just showing up as the person who believes we’ll figure it out and then helping everyone else believe it, too.

The Bottom Line

I never did get the promotion at that job. But by the time I left, I realized I’d been building something better: credibility and influence. The kind of trust that made people want me in the room, title or no title.

That’s the thing about creative leadership: it doesn’t begin when someone hands you a new role. It begins when you decide to lead: through influence, through clarity, and through mentoring. Through being steady in the storm.

So, if you’re a senior creative waiting for someone to “officially” make you a leader, stop waiting and start leading. Chances are that people already see it in you. The title just hasn’t caught up yet.