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Speaker Spotlight: Jenny Zachry
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The latest installment in our series of interviews with 2015 Risk Summit speakers is Emily Wilson's interview with Jenny Zachry, Capacity Development Advisor at CLP Successory, a Utah-based nonprofit that provides nonprofits with capacity building strategies. Jenny's background in nonprofit management and corporate HR provides her with a unique perspective on HR issues facing nonprofits. Join Jenny for her 2015 Risk Summit session titled, Don't Cry For Me Argentina, Managing HR Risk.
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EAW: I see that you have experience in both the nonprofit and the hospitality sectors. Both sectors are known for attracting people who are passionate about their work! Are there similarities in how to handle sensitive situations in these different sectors?
JZ: For part of my time in the hospitality industry, I worked for a very large, international corporation, with very stringent HR policies. While HR is often black and white, with this company there was no room for any gray. So, when it came to sensitive issues, the policy for HR and managers was to always err on the side of the most stringent risk management philosophy as possible.
Nonprofits are often very different. From board members who want to keep everything warm and fuzzy, to executive directors who are amazing program directors and fundraisers but lack HR training, HR risk issues abound with how sensitive issues are (or worse yet, aren't) dealt with. I have walked into situations where an employee who needed to be terminated several years ago wasn't simply because no one wanted to hurt her feelings. I have worked to improve organizational culture that suffers because no one wants to be the rule enforcer. And, I've had to stop a board chair from creating implied contracts in an at-will state because the board chair wanted to ensure that an employee would stay with the organization forever.
From this dichotomy of work experience, I have developed what I call "compassionate HR methods." I believe it is truly possible to be both legal AND empathetic when it comes to employment issues, and I hope to be able to convey this message in my workshop at the Risk Summit.
EAW: What part of your workshop, or the conference as a whole are you looking forward to the most?
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Rebellion: How to Change Your Approach to LearningBy Melanie Lockwood Herman
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"Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn."
- Benjamin Franklin
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The desire to learn on the job is shared by employees from all generations, backgrounds and tenures. Yet promises made to new hires about "learning opportunities" are infrequently supported with practical advice about how to continue learning while you work. Humans have an extraordinary capacity for learning. We start learning when we're born, and many of use will continue to learn even after our our bodies have become frail.
Few days go by when I'm not teaching AND learning. When I thank an audience at the end of a workshop, I often feel overwhelmed as well as grateful, for their candid stories, terrific questions, and willingness to engage and learn with me.
This week I had a chance to watch two talented members of my team teach a class on project management. I was not only a super proud supervisor I was grateful for the opportunity learn from their perspectives. After the training one of the attendees approached me and said, "Your staff seem so young, but they are so accomplished!" This learner's comments caused me to reflect on the lessons that fuel my thirst for learning.
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Focus on the message, not the messenger -- Although we've all heard the warning to not "shoot the messenger," many adult learners miss the powerful messages of workshop leaders by becoming distracted with the presenter's youth, accent, fashion faux-pas, or nervousness. Not every presenter with something meaningful to share is TED-Talk ready. Remind yourself to stop being petty and listen for the valuable life experiences the speaker is willing to share. Show your support for their courage by smiling, nodding, and responding when asked to participate in an audience poll.
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Fixate on one thing -- One of the ways adult learners set themselves up for disappointment is by expecting too much. When you attend a 75-minute workshop, it's a bit unrealistic to expect the speaker to hand you the keys to raising millions, the formula for predicting "Black Swan" risks, or the secret to insulating your nonprofit from liability. Instead of expecting the world, aim to learn ONE THING you can use to advance the mission of your nonprofit. Learning "one thing" in 75 minutes is an excellent use of your time!
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Revel in the reminders -- When I ask audience members if they learned something new during my workshop, I often hear, "you helped me recall things I knew," or "You reminded me of lessons long forgotten." I've come to realize that few people are able to recall the enormous volume of lessons we've learned over the years. A workshop that reminds us of valuable, but forgotten lessons, is a gift anew.
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Take copious notes -- One of my greatest frustrations as a presenter is when an audience member sits stoically, takes no notes, and then asks me to send her my slides and notes. If you want to learn, take notes! Whether it's a briefing by your nonprofit's CEO, a presentation by a team of colleagues, or the remarks of a guest speaker, taking notes is the best way to remember what you've heard and how it relates to the mission-advancing work of your nonprofit. Stop making excuses and start taking notes.
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