StrengthsWatch: Recent Episodes
Miyah
How do you change a toxic workplace into a positive, thriving culture? How do we help the mental health of ourselves and our workers? What's the deal with hybrid vs remote vs in-person options?StrengthsWatch takes listeners on a journey as we talk with local business owners, entrepreneurs, and nonprofit leaders to answer these questions and more.We discuss character strengths, career strategies, and of course, shenanigans.A frank and funny look at work, in whatever form it comes.
What does it mean to be successful? Has the idea of success changed in recent times? We spoke with Ella Dastillung of TransformCincy and Rev. Kate Smith of Hyde Park CUMC about how they use their strengths in their unique contexts, being honored as local Upstanders, and generational differences of defining success.
You can visit their organizations websites above or volunteer for SuperServe Saturdays here.
Email Rev. Kate Smith here: ksmith@hpcumc.org
Visit us on LinkedIn and Facebook to share how you like to be celebrated!
Leaders, teams, and organizations across the country are facing a similar issue: how, where, and when should work be done. Before the pandemic, only 6% of the employed worked primarily from home. In May 2020, about 35% of the employed workforce reported that they had worked from home in the prior four weeks. (Coate, 2021) Two years later, we're still in flux. So, how can we build a hybrid workplace that works?
We spoke with the Executive Director of Green Umbrella, Ryan Mooney-Bullock, about how her organization is navigating this Hybrid Work environment.
In times of intense polarization and tough issues, how do we start conversations that lead to effective change? Community engagement built out of the principles of grassroots organizing is at the core of CoHear's model of change.
We spoke with the CEO of CoHear and their Director of Community on building collaborative relationships between leaders and the community they serve.
To connect with CoHear, visit their website at wecohear.com.
To become a BridgeBuilder, email Nikita Anderson at nikita@wecohear.com or Monique Gilliam at monique@wecohear.com
How does a manager best support employees with different needs? We spoke with April Carr aka DJ Apryl Reign, Director of Programming and Evaluation at Elementz, about using your personal strengths as a manager of a diverse team.
If you'd like to talk with April or get involved with Elementz programming, you can email her at april@elementz.org or click here.
How does job crafting work exactly and how can we use it to make more meaningful work? We spoke with Janice Weiss, Director of Marketing & Strategic Partnerships at Mayerson Academy, about using job crafting to personalize her roles throughout her career. We explain the three types of job crafting: Task, Relational, and Cognitive, and the benefits to both an individual employee and their organization.
If you'd like to talk with Janice, email weiss.janice@mayersonacademy.org or click here.
How do we practically add character strengths into our programs and relationships with students? What is the impact? In Episode 2 of StrengthsWatch, Miyah Byrd speaks with Amy Scarpello, Director of Impact at ArtWorks, about integrating character strengths into student programs.
If you're interested in opportunities at ArtWorks or connecting your children/students with one of their programs, visit https://www.artworkscincinnati.org/.
Visit our website for more interviews with leaders around Cincinnati and professional development.
StrengthsWatch Season 2, Episode 2: Integrating Character Strengths into Student Programs
Can we be both authentic and professional? How do we create an environment where people want to come to work?
Season 2 of StrengthsWatch starts with a dynamic interview where Miyah Byrd talks with Allen Woods, CEO of MORTAR, about creating positive culture norms. If you're interested in entrepreneurship and/or supporting MORTAR, visit www.wearemortar.com
Visit our website for more interviews with leaders around Cincinnati and professional development.
StrengthsWatch Season 2, Episode 1: How To Create Positive Culture Norms
Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence could be misunderstood as simply "liking pretty things", but this strength can open up a sense of awe and wonder from both people and experiences. Shawnee Turner, Interpretive Learning Director at the Contemporary Arts Center, shares how she finds beauty in unconventional art and the interactions she sees as people experience her workplace.
You can check out the Contemporary Arts Center here: https://www.contemporaryartscenter.org/
Self-Regulation helps us find balance and manage our emotions/actions, but how do you teach such an individualized strength? Gary Pottebaum, Director of Transition and Community Employment at Easterseals, shares how he helps people build self-regulation systems that work for them.
You can check out Easterseals of Greater Cincinnati here: https://www.easterseals.com/gc/
Prudence is a necessary strength in finding the "just right" optimal use of our strengths. Wally Hart, Rap Coach and Director of Events and Communication at the Music Resource Center, shares how he combines prudence with his top strengths to teach and give feedback.
You can check out the Music Resource Center here: https://mrccinci.org/
Self-awareness and building trust are both necessary for developing relationships with colleagues and staff. Amanda Tipkemper, Education & Autism Services Director at The Children’s Home , shares her experiences in teaching awareness and how to read social cues in this powerful episode.
The mission and vision of an organization set the direction and steer it through difficult times. Katie Nzekwu, Co-Founder of Found Village, shares how the character strength of love influenced the foundation of the nonprofit and how that mission guided how they navigated the challenges of 2020.
Fostering a sense of empathy and belonging starts with the character strength of kindness. Amy Tuttle, Director of Programming at Wordplay Cincy shares how their youth programming has students integrating kindness to themselves and others into their writing and how her workplace has given both grace to those who need it and pushed for accountability-two different ways to be kind.
We all could use a little reminder to look for the strengths of the people around us. As we head into the middle of October, our strength of the month is Perspective aka the ability to see the bigger picture.
To look for the humanity in different points of view,
To keep the moral arc of history firmly in mind,
and to laugh and be encouraged by the strengths and skills we see in our neighbors.
This month, I spoke with Jenna and Patty at Community Matters about the benefits of spotting strengths in community members. Have a listen!