Paycheck with a Purpose: How to be a Kingdom Influencer in the Workplace
A Q&A Interview with corporate executive Jess Smith
I was introduced to Jess Smith listening to an episode of Hannah Holbrook’s MEANT FOR GOOD podcast. I love her perspective and intentionality to empower others in living out their gifts, talents and calling. It resonated with me because it’s one of the reasons I created the GAMGstories platform: To celebrate girlfriends living out their gifts, talents and calling! In this Q&A interview, Jess and I discuss what she considers her role as a “Kingdom Influencer” to be in her vocation. We talk about:
How to know whether or not you are working in the right job.
Working with a standard of excellence in whatever job you are in.
How to be a “Kingdom Influencer” in the workplace.
LH: I’m so happy to talk with you after hearing you in Hannah’s podcast. As I was listening it felt like we are kindred spirits! There is a lyric in the “God and My Girlfriends” song about how God and girlfriends lift us up. To me, that includes encouraging people in the gifts we see in them, and also celebrating them when they’re doing it! My hope is that the stories shared in these guest blogs are having a ripple effect, inspiring others to do the same.
JS: I love being an encourager! I think it helps people understand what they are really good at and helps them get closer to their purpose. It highlights the “good” God put in them.
LH: From what you shared in Hannah’s podcast, it’s clear that you are an excellent leader in your job. You seem to know how to bring out the best in people. I thought to myself as I was listening to you, “I’m surprised she is not in a “life coach” type of vocation.” Instead, you’re doing this in a “regular corporate” setting. Have you always worked in the corporate world?
JS: I have a huge heart for reaching people abroad, so I did mission work for a long time. I worked for a non-profit organization that helped rescue and rehabilitate women from sex trafficking.
LH: Wow. That is some intense work that has most certainly changed lives for the better. I have no doubt it is part of what has prepared your heart to lead in the way you do now – you’ve seen people not only kept from their true potential, but also victimized and abused. Do you think God has used those experiences in ways that have honed the gifts and talents you’re using now, in this season of your life, in relationship with others?
JS: It taught me a lot about how to communicate with empathy and compassion. I learned that if I could encourage someone who was in that devastating of a position, I could encourage anyone. Ultimately people are people, no matter who you are or where you come from. We all have hopes and dreams, families and hobbies. The corporate world has been given somewhat of a bad wrap -- it’s not fully of greedy people. It’s full of people who want to make an impact, and who actually have the funds to do it! I want to encourage people to have impact, especially those who have excess.
LH: That is an important example of what “Kingdom influence” means. When followers of Christ are intentional about investing their money and resources back into God’s plans, purposes and products, we can have an amazing impact in the world! So, tell me what exactly is your current job?
JS: I am the Director of Account Management for a communications platform. We communicate to a patient on behalf of the healthcare system by powering the technology for healthcare appointments – text reminders to patients, etcetera.
LH: I realized by the end of all that you shared on Hannah’s podcast that God is using you as a “Kingdom influencer” in the workplace. I felt this would make a great topic for a guest blog. Do you feel like this description fits you?
JS: Yes! Kingdom workplace or marketplace influencer. No matter what job or vocation you are in, you can have an impact on others around you that is “Kingdom.” As a believer in Jesus, I’m passionate about being a fully-formed Christian. As someone who is leading a team of other people, I want to create opportunities of mentorship in the process of working together. My goal is to help them to get to a position where they are realizing their best and exercising the talent God has given them.
LH: What I hear you saying is, you’re using the talents God has given you to help others embrace the talents God has given them. I love that! But it sounds like the “mentoring” part is a job in and of itself…how do you manage to do that while focusing on the actual product or service you are there to do?
JS: There is a sweet spot in people where they are really talented and also will work really hard in whatever the job is they are in charge of doing. I feel that my position in the Kingdom is to help bring those two things into synchronicity in the people I am leading or mentoring.
LH: So you are stewarding a synergy between the talents God has given each person you’re in leadership with, and helping facilitate the right fit for them in a job position. I think that is cool because what I hear you saying is, you care about the WHOLENESS of the people you are working with and not just the work or skill you’re getting out of them for the job. It sounds like you want them to thrive with purpose in what they are doing as part of your team…which to me, circles back to “Kingdom.” God has created each of us to have purpose, and we can feel it when we’re in our zone of purpose because there is a passion there.
JS: When a person is operating in their gifted and talented areas, they’re going to feel purpose and passion. I think God has put our gifts and talents in each of us to be able to discover. Our divine purpose and “search” on earth is discovering them with God. That is a part of the dynamic God we serve!
LH: And sometimes other people can help us see what our gifts and talents are.
JS: He can use other people to call out the talent in us so we can be effective wherever we are, and I’m always looking for how I can do that. One of my favorite things to do is help people get on track with their specific gifts, and then help be a part of moving them on to another job that helps them grow and excel and be the best they can be. I’ve had others do that for me in my life.
LH: I love that example, it’s about the person not the product. I worked in the corporate world for about 15 years, and I remember having bosses who did not want to see me move on to other jobs that were better for me to continue growing in. It wasn’t because they didn’t want me to be happy – it was because I was a hard worker and cared about excellence. Apparently that is hard to come by and they didn’t want to lose those characteristics from their team or company.
JS: My question is, what happened to all of us doing excellent work? I think some Christians view their job as something to pay the bills and ministry as a side thing. Scripture doesn’t say “give half of yourself at work and then go witness to people on the street.” It says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” (Colossians 3:23). So by committing to do excellent work, you are actually being a witness in the workplace.
LH: What does it feel like as a team leader, in charge of leading and supervising a team of people, to have team members who are not applying excellence to what they do?
JS: Things I’ve encountered that are the opposite of excellence: Someone who is ineffective at their job. Someone who never gets things done. Someone I have to follow up with all the time. Someone who is a procrastinator. You can have a team member who you know is gifted in an area, but they don’t have a goal of excellence. They’re doing just enough to get by. It can be frustrating because you know they are capable of more.
LH: I would say that part of being a Kingdom Influencer is leading with excellence. When others you are leading see your standard of excellence, you are teaching them to also do their job with excellence. Proverbs 14:23 tells us “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”
JS: Doing excellent work doesn’t mean things are perfect or without mistakes. My team members see the worst of me and the best of me. They are the ones I’m in the most tense situations with, and when I mess up the question is, do I own it and apologize? Or do I have a giant ego and not do anything about it?
LH: Again, a great example of being a Kingdom influencer. Showing people you’re willing to admit when you messed up or were wrong about something. The Bible says in 1 Peter 5:6: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time” [emphasis added].
This has been a great interview that I hope will inspire others, in whatever job they are in, to look at their job with a “Kingdom” perspective. We all need to pay the bills…but we CAN have purpose “with a side of paycheck” rather than a paycheck as our purpose. When we carry the Kingdom in whatever we do, we carry the Kingdom Influence in whatever we are doing!
JESS SMITH’S KINGDOM INFLUENCER TOOLBOX:
HOW TO HAVE A PAYCHECK WITH PURPOSE
Start with determining if you’re in the right job. If you’re in the wrong job, you’re not where God wants you to be because He never puts you in the wrong job. A leading indicator of whether you are in the right job is asking yourself how much of it brings you joy… Is it 70%....or 30% ? It’s not about being ecstatic all of the time, but if you’re miserable the majority of the time that’s an indicator you’re in the wrong job. Reach out to a mentor and talk about what you did today at work. If you don’t have a mentor, ask your parents or your best friend, “Do you feel like I’m happy when you see me after work? Do you think I’m stressed?” Another good tool is to take a personality test. There are several good ones out there.
If you’re in the wrong job, write down what you need for the right job. God will provide, but He has given us hands to be our provision. If you know you’re in the wrong job, ask God to lead you to the right job. Write down 3 or 4 non-negotiables of what you need. God honors when we are specific; we have to be bold enough to ask Him! For example, “I want to be in this certain salary range.” “I want to be involved internationally in whatever my new job is.” “I want to have a short drive to work.” “I want to have flexibility for my kids’ school activities.” Don’t be surprised if a door suddenly opens for a job that meets your criteria. God wants to show up and show off The King’s influence!
Pour in what you want to come out of yourself. What kind of Kingdom influence do you want to have? Whatever you want to see come out of you, start putting that into you. Are there people you admire that are having the kind of influence you have learned from and have been inspired by? I am a voracious learner and for me, one of those examples is Shawn Bolz. I started listening to his podcasts and reading his books. If there is someone having a Kingdom influence that you admire, make them your mentor.
Understand the meaning of your name. Look for people in the Bible who have similar characteristics. If you know who you are called to be (whether your parents are Christians or not), your name has a way of awakening purpose. The Hebrew meaning of my name, Jessica, means “wealthy”……and I want to live that out. I want to leave an impact on this world and also leave an inheritance for my family, that’s very important to me. I started researching anyone in the Bible who had wealth in the kingdom. I can say that not only have I generated wealth, but I’ve been able to start a trust fund for my god child, employ my mom who is retired, and I have a rental property. I also like creating opportunity for people. I employ people, i.e. a woman at my church. All of this has manifested from me understanding who I am, and then learning how to become that.
Apply yourself to understanding your profession. Whatever the product or service is, know how to live it out. The Bible gives us good examples: Paul was a tentmaker. Even Jesus had a profession as a carpenter. They lived out their profession, at the same time doing the most important work we are called to do: save people’s souls.
Prayer should cover EVERYTHING. A consistent prayer life is imperative for Kingdom work and purpose. Every day I am up at 5:30 am with a cup of coffee, talking to God: “I’m really stressed out about this call.” “My teammate is really struggling with confidence, can You help him?” It puts you in a position of remembering Who you are serving, and it makes your problems seem a lot smaller. In my work, I will write down a deal I’m doing, lay hands on the piece of paper and pray over it. Also, I pray about what I have discovered in myself. It keeps me going when things get harder.
See your team as people, not just staff. I make a conscious effort to do this. I ask them about their life: “Do you have a family?” “What do you do for fun?” I want to manage the whole person, while not trying to be their therapist or go out of bounds. I have to remind myself they are a child of God – especially if they mess up or do something I don’t like. It is my honor and privilege to steward them, because God has put me in a position to do so. I’ll never forget when we had a company BBQ…..one of the ladies on my team brought her sons with her, and another one brought her sons and husband. It hit me that everything I do to and with these people impact their family. If they’re belittled at work or made to feel small, the people who will get it the most is their family.
Learn how to be an encourager. This is truly how you start to discover God’s gifting in people. “I saw how you handled that situation with one of our teammates. Great job!” “You look so nice today!” Whether you’re in a position of leadership or not, you never know how you’re going to impact a person with some simple words of encouragement.
Look for how others do things well. If you’re in a leadership position, you can go a step further beyond observing gifts and talents. You can put them in positions to do what they do really well. That’s one of my favorite things: helping people excel in things they do well by putting them in a position to do well!
About Jess Smith
Jess Smith is a leader, mentor, and world traveler who currently works as director for a health tech company. She loves the Lord, is an avid learner, and has a passion for shining a light on the potential of others in the corporate world. Jess enjoys investing in real estate, baking bread @thebreadexecutive, and tooling around Nashville in her red Jeep with her dog, Mr. Tumnus.
Jess’s reSOURCEs:
Guy Raz Podcast: “How I Built This”
Exploring the Marketplace Podcast with Shawn Bolz and Bob Hasson
Secrets of Successful People Management book
Translating God book by Shawn Bolz
Course by Nashville-based Ted-X Speaker: