From Pit to Purpose: How Faith Fuels Jan Barlow's Transformational Leadership

In a world often consumed by the relentless pursuit of success, Jan Barlow, founder of Better Job Fit, offers a refreshing perspective: true leadership and purpose are found not in avoiding life's 'pits,' but in leveraging them for transformational growth and service. Her journey, marked by personal upheaval and divine redirection, serves as a powerful testament to the unwavering guidance available when faith is integrated into every aspect of business and life.

Barlow's story began in 2009, born from a profound life transition. At the pinnacle of her corporate career, a sudden job loss, divorce, and the loss of her home and car left her at ground zero. "God was just saying, 'Hey, guess what? You've got to start over,'" she reflects. In this crucible of adversity, a natural instinct to serve emerged. She channeled her expertise in job matching science, initially developed for the pharmaceutical industry, to help veterans and foster care alumni – populations often underserved and misunderstood in their transitions to civilian life or independence.

Her motivation was deeply personal: having experienced being 'put in harm's way' by a job description that didn't align with her strengths, she vowed to use her gifts to protect others from similar mismatches. "I want to keep people out of harm's way," she asserts, particularly for those coming from highly structured environments into the often-chaotic private sector. What began as a response to personal crisis has blossomed into a 16-year journey of impact, a testament to starting from the 'pit' and building upward.

Living Faith in Daily Leadership: The Power of Intentionality

For Barlow, faith isn't a separate compartment of life; it's the GPS guiding every decision. Her daily practice is simple yet profound: before every meeting or call, she sets an intention, always beginning with, "to the highest, greatest good of all." This intentionality forces her brain to consider not only her desired outcome but also the experience of others and the broader impact. It's a proactive approach to defining success, ensuring every interaction is aligned with a higher purpose.

Co-Creation with God: Navigating the Unpredictable Business Landscape

Entrepreneurship is inherently unpredictable, a truth amplified by global events like the COVID-19 pandemic. Barlow embraces this uncertainty by viewing her work as a "co-creative process with God." When plans deviate, as they inevitably do, she doesn't see failure but rather an opportunity for divine collaboration. She challenges the conventional metrics of success and failure, emphasizing that "there's no such thing as perfection or failure" from a faith perspective.

She illustrates this with a powerful example: if a workshop aims for ten participants but only three sign up, the default human reaction might be disappointment or judgment. Barlow, however, asks, "Okay, so how can we maximize that?" This mindset, rooted in a "what do we have, what do we do with it?" approach, allows her to leverage every outcome, seeing it as a divine offering rather than a shortfall. It requires reprogramming the mind to "skip over that judgment" and instead engage in an active dialogue with God, observing what unfolds and working with it.

Investing Time, Talent, and Resources: A GPS for Purpose

In a world where busyness often trumps productivity, Barlow's faith provides a clear framework for resource allocation. She asks three critical questions before committing her time, talent, or resources:

• Is this maximizing my God-given gifts and talents?
• Is this maximizing those gifts and talents to serve the most people?
• Does this activity align with what I feel called to do?

This rigorous self-reflection, an "inner dialogue with God," ensures that her efforts are always aligned with her deepest values and divine calling. She notes that the pandemic prompted many to look within, leading to a surge in entrepreneurship – a testament to people connecting with their inner guidance. Referencing David Hawkins' Power vs. Force, she highlights the distinction between a victim mentality (seeing the world as doing something to them) and an empowered mindset (taking accountability and responsibility). Her work, she realizes, resonates with those who are ready for this deeper self-reflection.

Encouragement for Christian Business Leaders: Leverage Your Faith as a GPS

Barlow's ultimate advice is simple yet profound: "Use your faith. Leverage your faith as a GPS." This means embracing the journey without needing to know the entire roadmap. God, she explains, is the ultimate author, and we are co-creators. This perspective reframes setbacks not as failures but as "redirections" – much like a GPS recalculating a route. "You don't get offended when the GPS tells you turn around," she quips, urging leaders to apply the same grace to life's unexpected turns.

She emphasizes the importance of being "observant of what we can't see" – tapping into intuition, imagination, and those sudden "downloads" that are divine communications. She shares a poignant personal anecdote: after an exhausting event, a car with a reader board sign literally pulled up in front of her, displaying the message, "Rest is work." These are the signs, she insists, that God is constantly sending, if only we open our eyes and hearts to receive them.

Jan Barlow's journey is a powerful reminder that transformational leadership isn't about having all the answers, but about having an unwavering faith that guides every step. It's about turning life's challenges into opportunities for service, co-creating with God, and trusting that even in the detours, a divine purpose is being fulfilled.