Affinity groups, Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), and other workplace communities empower organizations and their employees through improved retention, culture building, and leadership development. Despite that, not all ERG leaders receive fair compensation for their valuable work. Dive into the step-by-step guide to asking for a compensation increase and other tangible support as an ERG lead.

Recently, we had a chance to chat with Jackson, Product Manager at Microsoft and a Cultivator, about his project, the importance of Data Science, and how competition can drive innovation.

The idea behind his project is a radical one, which is to offer products, that are typically sold in Enterprise format, for free- allowing the product experience to drive the business. This strategy, known as Product-Led Growth, has become central to Microsoft’s culture and strategy.

Power is one of the most important cultural forces Cultivators contend with as they work to change their organizations. But, like all cultural forces, power is complex and often invisible. Luckily, social psychologists and researchers have thought about power dynamics in various contexts for a long time.

Meet Karima Moustafa, Social Learning Coach at Mars Global Services, and a member of our Cultivators Community. She has a deep passion for the importance of embracing discomfort to build vibrant, inclusive communities - and honoring yourself in the process.

Here’s what Karima had to say about staying motivated and supported at work…

We’re over “representation matters” being used as a buzzword, and so is Calvin McKee, Senior Diversity and Belonging Specialist at Shopify.

This is why we needed to talk to him about the “Free To Be Me” photo campaign, which featured LGBTQ+ employees from across the organization, showing multiple diverse experiences of being queer at Shopify.

Janine is not only an L&D Leader at Google, but an Adjunct Professor at UC Berkeley’s Haas MBA program, an executive coach, and a USC doctoral candidate finishing up her Doctorate in Education (Ed.D.) with an emphasis in Organizational Change and Leadership. In her doctoral program, she is focusing her dissertation research on the Sense of Belonging for Women of Color in the technology industry.

Victoria Liu has been a Cultivator since day one…literally. In May 2019, she started at Indeed (the employment platform) where she joined two Inclusion Resource Groups (IRGs) on her very first day of onboarding. Her initial goal was simply to meet new people and get to know the company she was a part of. Ultimately, her work with IRGs (particularly Asian Network and Women at Indeed) shaped her experience and growth at the company where she spent the last 4 years, most recently as Deputy Chief of Staff.

A few years ago, Justin, who has now been at Highmark for 17 years, clicked on an internal email and responded “yes” to an event. This quick gesture set the wheels in motion that led us to today. With that quick yes, he became a member of the Mission & Vision Pack at Highmark, an initiative led by Cultivator Penny Schnarrs.

Continuing our How Cultivators Work series is Alvin E. Haygan, Jr., Change Management Principle at Seagen, and a new member of our Cultivators Community. We caught up with Alvin as his family welcomed their second child and so first, we have to start by saying a big Cultivator Congratulations!

Here’s what Alvin had to say about staying motivated and supported at work…

Whether she’s working on her own professional development, co-hosting our Curiosity Club within the Cultivators Community, or working on her book, Caroline is a Cultivator who centers learning in all she does. It’s not a surprise that she finds herself leading Learning and Education for Women in Supply Chain (WISC), a new and growing employee community within her workplace.

We built this comprehensive definition and model of organizational empowerment as a way to synthesize the large quantity of research on this subject into a simplified list of dimensions that describe, at a high level, what it looks like to inhabit a more empowering organizational space where all employees can thrive.

In a way, Steven Panza, Innovation and Design Thinking Lead at Experian, takes his work home with him. His knowledge of Design Thinking and his commitment to finding innovative solutions extends beyond his work hours, even leading him to test different layouts in his kitchen to optimize the experience of making his morning coffee!

We take celebrating Cultivators seriously. We want to hear the story of the community that got you through this year, supported you on your best (and maybe worst) days, and spotlighted opportunities for your career development. We want to hear the story of the person in your network that’s been making waves and taking names!

Elizabeth is the Vice President of Clinical Strategy Execution & Business Operations at Highmark Health, Inc., and the former lead of the Evolve internal development program. With a Ph.D. in Training and Performance Improvement, Elizabeth uses her expertise, her experience, and her passion to drive change through community-focused learning and development.

Recently, we got to sit down with Eva and Deborah to talk about how they’re leveraging social learning and community-building to create a massive impact within a global corporation at Mars.

Cultivators do a lot. They’re the folks who are going above and beyond in their role to make a positive impact on their company or team. And that means that staying motivated and preventing burnout are necessary parts of how they succeed. Every Cultivator is different, and so our curiosity got the best of us…we decided to ask them just how they do it!

Pinaki Kathiari, CEO and Co-Founder of LocalWisdom, and an active member of our Cultivators Community was game to go first. Here’s what he had to say about staying motivated and making time for care:

Stefanie Hausner likes a challenge. Alongside her work as a Senior Designer on the Marketing Team at an investment management firm, Stefanie has made a habit of driving community-focused change; founding and leading the Women’s ERG to taking initiative across DE&I and culture change efforts within the organization. So, when the Chief Marketing Officer noticed that the department was consistently behind on delivering on projects, it wasn’t surprising that they tapped Stefanie for a fresh approach.

The best lessons I’ve ever learned about teamwork came from repurposing a tray of taco meat. It all started with a small community organization working to reduce food waste in South Central Pennsylvania.

Icebreakers don’t have to be anxiety-inducing or cringe-worthy. In fact, icebreakers play a big role in building successful communities where teams can learn and grow together in meaningful ways.

Creating change within our lives or work can be difficult. As a Cultivator, you know *in theory* that the route to change is often winding, with many stops to regroup and strategize along the way. Oftentimes, a change in direction on a strategy or project can feel like a failure…but what if it didn’t have to? What if instead, you chose to look beyond that moment of change and celebrate the ways you changed course?