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?

This is the story of how Netta collaborated with CAMP sponsor and community champion company, West Arete, to create the CAMPfire app, a fully accessible, inclusive, and camp-themed social app…in less than one month! I recently got to speak to Netta and Natalie of the West Arete team, about their inspiring collaboration.

DE&I is a critical topic with more companies than ever focused on creating more equitable organizations and inclusive teams. Simultaneously, due to expanded access to technology, paired with the pandemic-induced rise of remote work, companies and teams exist in an increasingly global context. As teams become more international, effective DE&I strategies and initiatives need to account for the varied perspectives, cultures, and political contexts of their team members.

One of the most common questions we hear from Cultivators is some variation of, “How do I get buy-in for my change initiative?”. Whether you’re seeking peer support to launch an ERG, or leadership buy-in for an organizational culture initiative, challenging the status quo is hard without support, and even the best ideas can be shut down before they start. So how should we go about getting buy-in? What happens when we hit common blockers? How can we move past a "no"?

In celebration of Transgender Day of Visibility, we are amplifying the voice of our very own Account Executive, Kai.