Losing captain, a starting spot or a job title hurts. Who you are without the title is the real test.

A title does some of your thinking for you. It tells you where to stand, what to do first, and how to describe yourself in one word, and losing it removes all three at once. What remains is whatever you were actually doing underneath the label, which is both the painful part and the honest measurement.

If this has happened to you, keep doing the job the title named, without the title. Be early, organise the thing, help the newest person. You will learn quickly whether the role was describing you or carrying you.