Cultivator Profile: Building a Performance Management System That Centers the Employee Experience

SnapStream Media, a software company that allows users to capture clips from video and TV (you've seen their tech in action in places on Buzzfeed and CNN ), has a clear mission: to harness the power of moments. And Bethany Goldson, a Cultivator and a People Operations Generalist for SnapStream, has made it her mission to deliver moments with that same power to her team. 

Bethany brings that same energy to the Cultivators Community. As a Cultivators Leadership Team (CLT) member, she helps drive the community's future, and she's an enthusiastic participant in Slack and at monthly events. A Changeathon alumna, Bethany provides mentorship and coaching to new presenters and helps them use their feedback to bring their ideas to the next level.

The Idea

With responsibility for "all things people" at SnapStream, Bethany has never been short of ideas. She notes that her ideas "have evolved alongside [her] career growth, and she has iterated and adapted several plans with the help of the Cultivator community. 

These days, Bethany is focusing on solving a pressing need at SnapStream by creating a streamlined performance management system. With executive buy-in from the start, Bethany is charging forward. But even as she's in the process of implementing her plan, she's looking to its future, knowing that it won't be a one-and-done solution. "I expect this to be a constantly evolving process," she explained. 

Gaining Employee Buy-In

Since executives at SnapStream had already identified a need for an improved performance management system, Bethany didn't have to sell it to her higher-ups.

However, getting buy-in from employees across the company is just as important—perhaps even more so—and a significantly more complex task. Bethany notes that as she develops the new system and plans its rollout, she's been careful to take staff perspectives into account. 

"I've had conversations with people across my company to learn why their experiences with performance management systems have not been very effective," she explained. "I've been taking those experiences into account to create something that works.

By listening to and addressing existing pain points, Bethany hopes to inspire SnapStream employees to approach the new system with an open mind. "What I will have to sell is our unique process," she said. "And that means evaluating how I can get all employees to see the value in performance management and goal setting."

Identifying Opportunities to Make a Difference

In Bethany's view, making change on an organizational level requires the ability to research, listen, take in new perspectives, and integrate that information into a holistic understanding of a problem and its potential solutions. "I believe true knowledge isn't achieved when you first learn it, but when you reach a point where you can share it with others," she said. When leaders master this skill, they're much more likely to deliver solutions that will resonate with employees and achieve buy-in.

And, as Bethany explained, success in people operations and cultivating change requires staying alert to even the smallest opportunities to make a difference. "People operations isn't all rainbows and butterflies," she said, "but my days are filled with opportunities to help others no matter where their path leads them. Whether it's leading someone through a nerve-wracking interview or helping a manager improve their one-on-one conversations, seeing others thrive in an environment that I helped create fills me with joy."

That's the spirit of a true Cultivator.

Advice for Fellow Changemakers

We asked Bethany to offer some words of wisdom to her fellow Cultivators. She suggests that you should always know your why. “This is important in all things, but when cultivating change at work, you have to have a clear view of the bigger picture before creating a plan. There will always be things we want or things we think need to be different, but we have to take a step back and understand why the plan will be best for everyone.”

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