Three years ago, I never imagined taking a corporate executive role. My career had been built on challenging corporate norms from the outside. But when I was approached to join the executive leadership team at Venus Aerospace, the opportunity was too good to pass up. What could be more compelling than testing my ideas and implementing strategies in real-time at a rapidly growing hypersonic tech company aiming for one-hour global transit by 2030? Nothing I was doing at the time.
Before Venus, I spent years traveling the world, speaking on stages from New York to Rome and engaging with top leaders driving some of the best companies globally. It was the journey of a lifetime — filled with learning, inspiration, and the thrill of interacting with brilliant minds. My weeks were a whirlwind: speaking to hospital execs in Nashville on Tuesday, an investment firm in New York on Wednesday, and coaching a founder in LA by Thursday. I was the outside voice, absorbing how different industries approached leadership and performance.
I always felt my lack of corporate experience was a gap, wondering if I was missing something crucial. This was my chance to fill that gap, and it hasn’t disappointed.
Eight Powerful Lessons I Learned From Inside the Corporate World
Here are eight unexpected lessons that reshaped my understanding of work, leadership, and the value of an outsider’s voice after moving inside.
1. Strategy vs. Operations: The Daily Reality of Corporate Leadership
As a speaker and advisor, I thrived on high-level strategy, abstracting insights across industries, and drawing broad conclusions. But once inside the company, my cognitive bandwidth was quickly consumed by the daily demands of operations. I had less space for abstract thinking, and though my ability to solve immediate problems improved, my capacity to think broadly across industries diminished.
2. Communication Breakdown: How Office Habits Can Undermine Corporate Relationships
Early in my tenure, a colleague approached me, concerned that I might be upset with them. The reason? I didn’t say hello as I passed people in the office — a habit I had developed to avoid interrupting someone’s focus. But in the corporate world, this was seen as a sign of frustration or disengagement.
Similarly, while I preferred phone calls over video meetings, believing that “camera-on” increases stress, others viewed my approach as disengagement. These experiences taught me the importance of clear communication in setting expectations and avoiding unnecessary friction.
3. Gaining Buy-In: Overcoming Resistance to New Business Strategy
As a business consultant on the outside, my credibility was often accepted without question. However, on the inside, every idea required persuasion. People naturally resist changes they didn’t help shape, and convincing the team to embrace new strategies became a crucial part of my job.
4. The Best Practice Trap: Why Risk-Avoidance Stifles Corporate Innovation
Inside the company, I gravitated toward “best practices” that had become standard across corporate America—often risk-avoidance tactics rather than true solutions. In consulting, I pushed for innovation, but inside, it was easy to rely on the safety net of these practices. It wasn’t until a colleague pointed out that I’d stopped using the playbook that made me valuable that I realized I was in a trap. True innovation requires the courage to challenge norms and stick to what you know is right, even when it goes against the grain.
5. The Value of External Voices: Preventing Groupthink in Business Leadership
I realized how crucial external voices are in any organization. Inside, groupthink can take over, creating blind spots—like teams prioritizing speed over quality, leading to costly mistakes. External perspectives help highlight these issues, and being on the inside made me value their role in maintaining a balanced, healthy organization.
6. Building Meaningful Work Relationships: The Key to Corporate Success
In consulting, relationships are often short-lived, driven by the duration of a project. In a corporate role, I’ve had the chance to form deeper, more meaningful connections with colleagues. These relationships have become one of the most rewarding parts of my corporate experience.
7. Unleashing Team Potential: Achieving Business Breakthroughs by Removing Constraints
One of the most powerful lessons I’ve learned is that a team can accomplish extraordinary things when freed from unnecessary constraints. At Venus, we achieved a major breakthrough — hitting detonation on an engine that billions of dollars and 60 years of previous efforts hadn’t been able to achieve. This wasn’t because we had the only capable team, but because we avoided the typical corporate constraints that stifle creativity. The freedom to work without those limits allowed us to accomplish what others couldn’t.
8. Bureaucracy in Business: The Leadership Challenge of Protecting Creativity
The most important leadership lesson I’ve learned is the need to protect employees from the creeping tide of bureaucracy. It’s easy for well-intentioned initiatives to become burdensome distractions that prevent people from doing their real work. Leaders must be vigilant in resisting this and focus on creating an environment where people can thrive.
Reshaping My View of Leadership
Stepping inside a company has profoundly reshaped my understanding of leadership. It’s no longer just about strategy — it’s about creating an environment where creativity can flourish, and it requires the courage to challenge the norms and bureaucracy that can stifle innovation. These lessons have deepened my appreciation for what it takes to lead in today’s complex world.