The Power of Mindset and Professional Agility

Recently, I had a conversation with an executive I trust—someone who has successfully reinvented herself multiple times across different industries. I appreciate that she hasn’t allowed her skills to atrophy or her personal brand to become irrelevant. Her ability to pivot and stay relevant is something I admire and strive for.

I’ve transitioned or reinvented myself more than once, and I’ve found that if you consistently lean into developing new skills and cultivating new ways of thinking, career pivots aren’t as hard as they seem. But here’s the catch—you have to get out of your own head.

One of the questions I often get asked is how I approached transitioning industries because many professionals find it difficult to do. It’s interesting—while people express a desire to develop “professional agility,” they often hesitate when they see, for example, a nonprofit executive stepping into the for-profit world. The truth is, people tend to compartmentalize. We want to categorize everyone neatly—each person has their place, their role, and we expect them to stay there.

Reflecting on this over the years, I’ve realized that many of us tie our identities to our jobs. According to What Happens When Your Career Becomes Your Whole Identity, published by the Harvard Business Review (Janna Koretz), psychologists use the term “enmeshment” to describe situations where personal and professional boundaries blur, preventing the development of a stable, independent sense of self. When your identity is tied too closely to your career, the idea of stepping outside your comfort zone can feel threatening.

After two decades of climbing the leadership ranks in the nonprofit sector, I found myself at a crossroads—successful but worn down, craving a new and challenging path. I was on track for a global leadership role, but then an opportunity arose through the bank board I served on. That opportunity led me to pivot into banking, where I now serve as chair and CEO. I jumped. Were there challenges? Absolutely. But those challenges have provided some of the most valuable lessons of my career—lessons I’ll explore in future posts.

Here’s the reality: Transitioning industries felt like diving into cold water after years of swimming in the warm. (By the way, those who know me, know I don’t swim—yet.) Different industry, different rules—but the same core principles applied.

Three Strategies That Helped Me Land and Thrive:

1. Master Sales (Even If You’re Not in Sales): Regardless of the industry, understanding how the organization generates revenue is essential. When I transitioned into banking, I immersed myself in learning how the financial sector—particularly community banks—drive profit. Early on, our head of sales gave me feedback on deals I was bringing to the table: “That’s not in our sandbox,” he said. What he was teaching me, beyond understanding the deal pipeline, was the subtleties of our sales and credit culture.

This mindset of learning is crucial no matter your level. Even as CEO, I adopted the posture of a student. By understanding the core revenue streams, I connected my skills to the areas that mattered most.

Ask yourself: How does this new industry make money? Where can I add value to that process?

2. Finance First: Cash flow, profits, and losses tell the story of any organization. Before I entered banking, I invested time in developing financial literacy. I’m not a finance person by background, but on every board I’ve served, I’ve intentionally chosen to sit on either the finance or audit committee. This gave me insight into how organizations in different industries manage their finances.

I learned to track financial performance and key ratios to understand a company’s fiscal health. Understanding how money moves within an organization provides clarity into its priorities and vulnerabilities.

Ask yourself: How does the company manage its finances, and where do my skills intersect with that?

3. Strategy + Risk Management: In banking, I quickly realized that every decision ripples across the organization. Whether it’s operations, sales, or finance—everything is interconnected. Drawing from skills I first developed in college, I learned to break down systems into smaller parts, analyzing each component with a focus on financial risks and market positioning.

By deconstructing products and processes, I gained deeper insights into how the bank was positioned in the market and found ways to contribute to mitigating risks.

Ask yourself: How is this company positioned in the market? What risks could threaten its success, and how can I help address them?

If you’re stepping into an individual contributor role, your approach might look different. Focus on solving specific problems and assessing the risks tied to those issues. At the C-suite level, broaden your perspective to identify company-wide risks and strategic opportunities.

Ultimately, these strategies reinforced one key takeaway for me:

The Biggest Lesson: A career pivot isn’t about reinventing yourself—it’s about evolving. It’s about repurposing what you already know and applying it in new contexts. The leadership, decision-making, and adaptability skills I developed in the nonprofit sector transferred seamlessly to the banking world.

If you’re considering a pivot, reflect on these key points:

• How does this industry make money?
• Where does my existing skill set align?
• What blind spots do I need to close quickly?

You’re not starting from scratch—you’re scaling your strengths in a new direction. You’ve got this.