VIA Strengths identified “Love of Learning” in my top five strengths. That might explain best why I’m head over heels about my first month at Positive Foundry as Chief Operating Officer. I’m already learning SO. MUCH.
Here’s a rundown of some of my top lessons from the first month on the job:
We all have something to learn and something to teach.
I love the “we” approach at Positive Foundry. We don’t tell our clients how to fix themselves or their workplace. Instead, we share what we can all do to be our best selves—teachers included! We’re all on a learning and improving journey and we can all learn the skills to flourish.
We all have something to learn and something to teach.
I’m blown away by the creativity and commitment of our partners. Everyone I’ve met is investing meaningfully in supporting their teams and truly cares about their employees. And it shows! At a Positive Foundry workshop with our friends at IGS [TAG], one participant wrote in the chat “our company says they care about employees AND they actually show it. I’m so lucky to work here!” I left feeling I’m so lucky to work here, too. What a gift to help people connect and learn together in this way.
The struggle is real.
I’ve led nonprofit teams for 25 years, so I’m not new to the struggles of managing and engaging employees, especially with limited resources. But as I’ve listened to prospective partners in a variety of fields, I’m learning the struggles are pretty consistent across industries. We all want our staff to thrive, to feel a sense of belonging— meaningful connection to the work we do and to each other. We want staff to feel supported, be resilient, perform well, and have growth opportunities within our companies. But we’re battling hybrid work challenges, quiet quitting, mental health complexities, a changing workforce, and more. The struggle is real and it’s pervasive. The good news is that the solutions are real and accessible, too.
Go Micro!
Not gonna lie—I’ve pretty much always been a “go big or go home” kinda gal. This last month has me seriously rethinking my ways. I’m still a newbie, so I feel like I can give you an unbiased outsider perspective and not come off like a braggart (mmmkay?). You guys, the Positive Foundry model of micro-learning in small groups is honestly brilliant! To make the biggest and longest lasting changes, we need bite size, digestible learning opportunities and regular practice to make it stick. This is why those one-time, inspiring conference sessions we get all geeked-out about never really change anything. Micro-learning makes so much sense and now I’ve seen it really work. Now, I’m a total believer.
Want to join our learning journey? Let’s chat!
Here we grow!
Rachel