SCATTER STORIES: How a Young Marketing Professional is Changing Her Workplace

“Marketing is an industry where we are literally a mouthpiece. We get to speak to the world,” says Kaylee. “We grab (people’s)  attention in so many different ways through social media, through email. We have the opportunity to bring light and love into all of those channels.” 

The marketing field, however, often gets a bad reputation. It can be seen as deceitful and manipulative. But what if we shifted the narrative? What if we could be kingdom communicators in a space surrounded by darkness? Kaylee, a young marketing professional, is committed to doing just that – both in how she approaches messaging, as well as how she interacts with colleagues and clients alike.

“Questionable practices go beyond (just) marketing,” she says. “It goes into all of the business world.” Kaylee explains that it’s not that everyone in the industry has bad intentions; it’s just the way things are expected to work. 

“My boss and I both have a desire to show people that there’s another way,”  Kaylee shares.

Getting Started

But Kaylee didn’t always see marketing as a place for redemption. In high school, she wanted nothing to do with the business world. She knew of the stereotypes and decided that she wanted no part of it. It wasn’t until her senior year, however, that God began to change her mind. In fact, he started to reveal that she may be wired for marketing.

“I have always felt like I didn’t fit in any box because I’m very logical and analytical, but I’m also creative and I love art. I wondered, how do those things go together? And for a long time, I believed that they didn’t. But marketing really brings all those things together so well.”

That’s when Kaylee started to pay attention to the things God put inside her, the way she was created: the things she’s good at, the things that cause her heart to ache, and the things that make her unique. She began to see that God actually shaped her for marketing. But not marketing in the way she had previously understood it. 

Instead, Kaylee decided to use her unique, God-given shape to pursue marketing with integrity. 

Making an Impact

This approach sets her apart from others in her industry and allows her, even as a young professional, to take part in changing her workplace. And this lens impacts everything – from how she creates messaging and design to how she interacts with her clients and colleagues. 

Being two of the few Jesus followers in the office, Kaylee and her boss are both committed to intentionally reflecting the hope of Jesus every day.  One way that they do this is by praying for the team each week. This time is open for anyone to join. There’s no hidden agenda, no mandatory attendance – just two people committed to interceding in the midst of their work day. While only the two of them have shown up each week, their consistency is changing their office culture. 

Team members now know that they can share their burdens and prayer requests with Kaylee, even the unspoken ones. It’s in these little moments that Kaylee has seen God at work the most.

“As a Christian, (it’s) those little moments where you just show intentionality and listen. (It’s even) apologizing when you mess up… Those are things that exemplify Christ,” Kaylee explains. 

Recently, Kaylee had an awkward interaction with a colleague.

She didn’t intend to hurt this individual’s feelings; she simply disagreed with his idea and made that known. Only later did she learn that while not intended harshly, her words had stung. So, she found her colleague and apologized. That’s just the natural response when we wrong someone, right? Well, not always.

Her colleague was genuinely shocked by Kaylee’s apology. “I have never had a coworker go out of their way to apologize to me,” he explained. 

It’s seemingly little moments like this that make a big impact in the workplace and go a long way in changing the culture for the better. It’s making a kingdom impact simply by showing up and doing what is right in the everyday moments, big and small. 

So, pause and pay attention. Look for ways you can bring kingdom into the little moments.  No matter if you’re just starting out in your career or you’re at the top of the company, you can make a kingdom impact right where you are.

So, take the time to discover and embrace your God-given shape! Then go and live it out – in every place, space, and role along the way. 

To learn more about discovering God’s original intent for your life and work, check out our Scatter Foundations video series or these blogs on unpacking your God-given S.H.A.P.E in Part 1 and Part 2. 

Scatter Stories is a monthly series spotlighting how God is using everyday people in everyday jobs to reflect His kingdom around the world.