Forget the Hard Stuff - Keep it Simple
Pivoting into the corporate world this year is turning out to be the adventure of a lifetime (and I’ve had a few adventures). My work with Raven Resources began as freelance work in December and from there it evolved very quickly into an executive role. The learning curve transitioning from decades of vocational ministry leadership into corporate communications has been steep but energizing.
The work I do with my boss started as a small personal project for him that happened under my freelance writing umbrella. I was surprised to find that I quickly proved myself valuable, not because I had many years of corporate experience, but because I showed up when it came to the simple stuff.
When my husband and I did the math in late 2024, it became clear that my part time pastoral staff role was no longer compatible with our financial situation. We live in a very high cost of living area and we have three children - need I say more? I started researching jobs and found that in role after role, I did not meet the posted qualifications. MBA’s, executive certifications, years of executive experience - the list was long. I knew what I had to offer, but couldn’t get my foot in the door.
So when I started working with my now-boss, I was surprised to find that the things that stood out to him were not my degrees or my extensive portfolio. What turned out to be impressive were things like sending deliverables on time, asking intelligent questions, and taking initiative to complete projects with little oversight.
After years of church leadership experience, these principles seemed obvious. Do what you say when you say you’ll do it. Do as much on a project as you can before checking in. Show up to meetings prepared and think forward and strategically. These are simple things. And yet not a lot of people do them.
We can get hung up on getting good at the hard stuff. Letters behind our names, impressive networks and awards, leadership of broad campaigns, and global recognition. But the most surprising thing to me about entering the corporate world is how many people have impressive backgrounds and Fortune 500 portfolios but cannot actually do the work they say they can do.
What I’ve learned in these few months is that the same things that win in the church world - true integrity, healthy authenticity, and smart strategy - win in the corporate world. If you’re lazy or cheat the system in the church world, you’re probably not a very good pastor. If you’re lazy or cheat the system in the corporate world, you’re probably not a very good employee.
If you do things right, if you lean on what you know you know, and if you have the courage to take risks, you’ll benefit in either arena, and the people you lead will be glad to work alongside you.
