Corporate work deserves the same respect as entrepreneurship
Having spent time in both worlds — as an employee, and now owning a business — I remain impressed by my former colleagues' work. Working in a corporate environment requires a lot of skill and dedication: you choose to work for someone else, in a setup you're only part of, with co-workers you depend on to get results at scale. You're a key element ensuring business continuity, there to bring growth. You don't choose to move to a small boat facing danger but progressing swiftly — you choose to stay on a boat that's hard to steer, to make it move and achieve strong results. That, by itself, is already a challenge.
That challenge has grown tremendously in recent years. What were often steady businesses are now facing disruption, requiring transformation and changes to systems and processes designed to sustain stability, not shift dramatically — on top of the day-to-day work of keeping operations and revenue coming in.
Why people leading digital transformation deserve particular respect
Among corporate roles, those who provoke and trigger change — specifically, people in charge of digital transformation — deserve particular respect. Digital transformation requires the ability to lead, collaborate, communicate, be inventive, and dare to fail. Soft skills, undoubtedly, are necessary to get the job done.
What we don't say often enough is that digital transformation in the corporate world requires courage:
- Courage to voice problems.
- Courage to bring taboo topics to the table.
- Courage to challenge how customers are perceived and treated.
- Courage to contradict a hierarchy that may misunderstand what digital transformation really takes.
- Courage to say when reassuring multi-year plans are going to fail or fall short.
- And so much more.
The isolation that comes with driving transformation
Taking on digital transformation as your responsibility — a job you depend on to make a living — means going against practices, perceptions, and attitudes that require the organisation to change. This frustrates people and creates fear and misunderstanding at every level, including top management, which doesn't always grasp the extent of what needs to change or feel ready to change itself. When you disturb this much, a colleague may use a failure as an opportunity to put you in a difficult position — and you might even lose your job.
Leadership and a compelling vision help onboard people and diminish reluctance, but not every transformation plan can boast a greater good for customers or the world — many are fuelled by the need to maintain competitiveness in harsh markets, which is a tough position to defend. Even with the CEO's mandate to "turn all the tables," defending difficult positions, pushing for change, and hinting at a coming restructuring is a harsh situation — and more often than not, you're in it alone.
Frequently asked questions
Why does working in a corporate environment deserve the same respect as entrepreneurship?
Because it requires comparable skill and dedication — operating within a system you depend on and are depended on by others, to deliver growth at scale, on a "boat that's hard to steer."
What specifically does digital transformation leadership require beyond typical soft skills?
Courage — to voice problems, raise taboo topics, challenge hierarchy, and say openly when a reassuring plan is headed for failure.
Why do people driving digital transformation often end up isolated?
Because disrupting established practices creates fear and misunderstanding across the organisation, and defending difficult, unpopular positions is rarely something colleagues or even leadership actively share the burden of.
