Podcast: You got the title. Now earn the influence.

Wendy Chin recently had the pleasure of joining the Big Meaningful Life podcast to talk about something many leaders experience but rarely discuss openly.

What happens after you achieve the title you've always dreamed of?

Big Meaningful Life: What did we discuss?

In this episode, I speak with Sally Mahamdeh about what many high-performing leaders experience once they reach director level and beyond.

We talk about why strong execution alone often stops being enough at this stage of a career and how influence, relationships, and visibility begin to play a much larger role in how leaders are perceived. I also share what I’ve seen from the inside of conversations, the dynamics that are rarely visible to the leaders themselves, but which shape who moves forward and who doesn’t.

This conversation goes beyond career strategy. It touches on identity, energy, family, and the often unspoken pressure leaders feel to continue pushing forward without pausing to reconsider what success means in this stage of life.

5 reflections from the conversation

Tune in and listen to key points including:

• Why strong performance may not be enough as careers progress .

• How identity and self-worth can become closely tied to roles, titles, and recognition.

• Why influence at senior levels is less about authority and more about relationships.

• How inner work quietly shapes leadership presence at work and at home.

• Why redefining success for the current season can relieve pressure without lowering ambition.

  
  

Working harder isn’t always the next step. Sometimes the real shift comes from reframing what success looks like now.

So I’ll leave you with the same question we explored in the conversation:

If you stopped chasing the definition of success that got you here, what might success look like for you now? Listen to the podcast here or below.