I remember sitting in my car outside a client meeting three years ago, hands gripping the steering wheel, feeling like I was drowning. My phone was buzzing with notifications from three different organizations I was working with. I was facing a major organizational challenge at one organization where I was CEO, and I had rapidly approaching deadlines for a real estate project for a client that same week. The weight of it all pressed down on my chest like a physical burden.
How did I get here? I thought, staring at my reflection in the rearview mirror. And more importantly, how do I do this without losing my mind?
That moment of raw honesty forced me to confront something I'd been avoiding: I had no real system for managing multiple leadership roles. I was just... winging it. And it was exhausting everyone around me, including myself.
The Myth of Natural Multitasking
Here's what I wish someone had told me earlier: leadership across multiple organizations isn't about being superhuman. It's about being intentionally strategic with your energy, your attention, and your heart.
I used to believe that juggling multiple responsibilities was a sign of importance, that being needed everywhere meant I was indispensable. But that thinking nearly broke me. You may ask yourself the same question I did during those overwhelming months: Does being busy equal being effective?
The answer, I learned painfully, is no.
The Art of Sacred Prioritization
The breakthrough came when I started viewing my multiple roles not as competing demands, but as interconnected brushstrokes on a larger canvas. Each organization, each responsibility, was contributing to something bigger than the sum of its parts.
Time blocking became my lifeline. Instead of bouncing chaotically between tasks, I dedicated specific hours to specific roles. Monday mornings became sacred for recruitment strategy. Tuesday afternoons were reserved for seminary recruitment work. Sunday evenings were for reflection and planning across all my commitments.
But here's what the productivity experts don't tell you: time blocking only works when you're honest about your emotional capacity. Some days, I had to acknowledge that I was too drained to give my best to a particular organization. Learning to communicate that vulnerability – rather than pushing through and delivering subpar work – became crucial.
The scripture that anchored me during this season was Ecclesiastes 3:1: "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." I had to accept that not every season would allow me to operate at full capacity in every role simultaneously.
The Power of Strategic Delegation
One of my hardest lessons was learning that delegation isn't abandonment – it's multiplication. For years, I held onto tasks that others could handle because I believed no one else would care as much as I did.
What arrogance that was.
Task batching transformed how I approached similar activities across different organizations. Instead of handling budget reviews separately for each entity, I dedicated entire afternoons to financial oversight across all my roles. Rather than scattered one-on-one meetings throughout the week, I grouped them into focused relationship-building blocks.
The beauty of this approach was unexpected: patterns emerged. I started seeing connections between challenges in one organization that could be addressed by solutions I'd implemented in another. My multiple roles began informing and strengthening each other rather than competing for my attention.
Technology as Ministry Tool
I'll be honest – I used to resist automation because it felt impersonal. How could I serve people authentically while using scripts and systems? But I discovered that smart automation actually freed me to be more present in the moments that mattered most.
Simple tools like project management software helped me track progress across multiple initiatives without keeping everything in my head. Calendar blocking prevented double-booking disasters. Email templates for routine communications saved hours each week that I could invest in strategic thinking and genuine relationship building.
The key was remembering that technology serves people, not the other way around. Every system I implemented had to pass this test: Does this help me love and serve others better?
Mindfulness in the Chaos
Perhaps the most transformative practice was what I came to call sacred transitions – brief moments of mindfulness between switching from one role to another. Instead of rushing from a recruitment call directly into a community planning meeting, I learned to take thirty seconds to breathe deeply, pray briefly, and consciously shift my mental and emotional posture.
This wasn't just spiritual discipline; it was practical leadership. Each organization deserved my full presence, not the scattered remnants of my attention from the previous meeting. The Pomodoro Technique became more than productivity strategy – it became a rhythm of grace, allowing me to work intensely and then rest intentionally.
The Communication Imperative
Nothing exposes weak leadership faster than poor communication across multiple commitments. I had to develop systematic check-in processes that kept everyone informed without overwhelming them or myself.
Weekly update emails became my practice. Not lengthy reports, but brief, honest communications about progress, challenges, and upcoming priorities. These updates served a dual purpose: they kept stakeholders informed and forced me to regularly assess whether I was actually making meaningful progress or just staying busy.
But here's the deeper truth I discovered: transparent communication about my capacity actually increased trust rather than diminishing it. When I honestly told organizations, clients, and staff members, "I can give you my best work on this project in three weeks, or rushed work next week," they consistently chose quality over speed.
When Everything Feels Like Priority One
There will be seasons when everything feels urgent, when multiple organizations are experiencing crises simultaneously, when your phone won't stop ringing and every email seems marked "URGENT." I've been there, and I want you to know: you don't have to carry it all at once.
During my most overwhelming period, I had to come to terms with the reality that sometimes good organizations would need to wait for great leadership. Sometimes saying "not now" to one opportunity was the most loving thing I could do for everyone involved, including myself.
The verse that sustained me was Matthew 11:28-30: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
The Integration of Purpose
What I've learned is that leading multiple organizations effectively isn't about compartmentalizing your life into separate silos. It's about finding the common thread of purpose that runs through all your commitments and letting that guide your decisions.
For me, that thread has always been about creating opportunities for others to flourish – whether through recruitment, community development, or consulting. Once I recognized that connecting theme, I could make decisions more quickly and confidently about where to invest my limited time and energy.
The Ongoing Journey
I won't pretend I've mastered this. Even as I write this, I'm managing deadlines for four different organizations and trying to be present for my family. Some days I nail it; others, I'm back in that car, gripping the steering wheel and wondering how I got so scattered.
But I've learned to extend grace to myself in the chaos. Leadership across multiple domains isn't about perfection – it's about faithfulness with what's been entrusted to you, one day at a time.
The goal isn't to be everything to everyone. It's to be exactly who God has called you to be, in every space you occupy, with wisdom, intentionality, and love.
What areas of your leadership need more intentional focus? Where might you need to release control and trust others to carry the load?