By Mike Sorth, Vice President, Business Capacity Services
I recently had lunch with an old friend and was telling him about my work at Let’s Build Hope over the last year. As we were about to leave the topic, he said, “You’ve really mastered the pivot.”
My immediate reaction to the comment was to feel insulted. To me, a pivot carried connotations of giving up or changing course after failure. I never thought of any career changes I’ve made as failures. To me, working in electoral politics for the Speaker of the Illinois House and the Missouri Governor’s office was a logical launching point for a career in public service.
I went on to spend nearly 20 years as a public finance investment banker, working to fund economic development projects and public-private partnerships in the for-profit sector, where success was often measured in revenue, efficiency, and scale. For more than a decade, my latest chapter has been spent in nonprofit leadership positions, where the metrics shifted to mission, impact, and community outcomes. I moved freely back and forth between these sectors without hesitation, carrying lessons from each into the other.
My friend didn’t offer the comment to insult me. It was a sincere compliment. To him, it was notable that I had found success in seemingly different ecosystems, transitioning from profit-driven environments to mission-driven work. To me, it’s not that remarkable. It is a career spent serving one purpose, being guided by a consistent ethos, regardless of whether the work served an income statement or a mission statement.
Of course, I didn’t always think of it in those terms. Early on, I knew I wanted to serve my community, but there was also a healthy dose of ego involved. I wanted to be respected and do impressive things, but I also wanted to make my community stronger and ensure my neighbors had the opportunity to pursue the lives they wanted for themselves, regardless of their origins. Whether in the for-profit world or the nonprofit sector, I just took advantage of opportunities that allowed me to move that goal forward.
Right now, some of you may be considering a change. Maybe you’re looking to move from the for-profit sector into nonprofit work, searching for greater purpose or alignment with your values. You could be a volunteer looking to make nonprofit work your full-time endeavor, a for-profit professional questioning how your skills translate into mission-driven impact, or a nonprofit staffer looking to pursue entrepreneurial interests.
Before you commit to a change, I encourage you to complete the following exercise. Grab a piece of paper and write down what you care about. What makes you want to live? What makes you want to work hard? What can you not live without? Do you see it among the words? I bet your purpose is in there somewhere.
The answers may change in different chapters of your life, but I bet there is a throughline. For me, it’s my family, my friends, and my community. It’s learning and seeking adventure. The order of importance and how I serve the things I care about has changed over the years, but making my community a better place has always been at the center. The shift from for-profit to
nonprofit work didn’t change that purpose, it clarified it. Currently, my purpose is helping nonprofits overcome the barriers to serving their mission.
I bet you have a constant worth sacrificing your days for. It’s your life’s work waiting to happen.
When we finish the book of our lives, it doesn’t matter if it has one chapter or a hundred. What matters is that it’s your story, and that it serves your purpose.
It’s not a pivot. It’s a path.