NCP GPTW Feedback by

Green

natasha_borjachavarro — 2017-01-11 16:21:08 UTC

Q: How can we rely on our strengths to maintain these high scores? Share what you believe we're doing right and/or what we should continue doing to shine in these categories.

1. Overall: a. Taking everything into account, I would say this is a great place to work [71%]

2. Credibility [Overall 69%]: a. People here are given a lot of responsibility [83%]. b. Management is honest and ethical in its business practices [80%].

High Level of Responsibility:

Team members are given and have the oppty to work on meaty/high stakes projects through their day to day role responsibilities as well as broader cross-team projects (case for support, dei working group etc)'
Yup, we work hard and are given more than enough opportunities to stretch ourselves and assume responsibility within and beyond our job descriptions

Mgmt Honest and Ethical in Biz Practices

Mgmt communicates and actions match a commitment to honesty and transparency as it relates to our work with donors or other teams (communicating any mistakes/miscommunciations, program changes and updates - such as RT and org updates)
Greater focus on transparency in strategic decision making, esp in last yr
High degree of trust with all colleagues, including mgmt, on personal and professional level
Agree with both anne and joe here

3. Respect [Overall 73%]: a. Management recognizes honest mistakes as part of doing business [82%]. b. This is a physically safe place to work [100%]. c. Our facilities contribute to a good working environment [90%]. d. I am able to take time off from work when I think it's necessary [88%].

Mgmt Recognizes Honest Mistakes

Mistakes are recognized but also with a commitment to reflecting and understanding what went wrong and how we can avoid similar challenges in the future
I find accountability ingrained as a part of our D-team culture
totally agree with Anne and JK- mgmt is thoughtful in actions after mistakes/ challenges

Physically Safe Place and Good Working Environment

TFA and our team leads ensure we have phsyically safe and good work environments that foster collaboation - both in-person and virtually
All good here...
great work environment

Take Time Off When Necessary

I am - and see other team members - encouraged to take time off when needed
All good here...
Feel comfortable taking time off when needed

4. Fairness [Overall 62%]: a. People are treated fairly regardless of their age. b. People here are treated fairly regardless of their sex [80%]. c. People here are treated fairly regardless of their sexual orientation [90%].

Fair Treatment Regardless of Age and Sexual Orientation

Team members are asked perform the same types of tasks and are welcomed/engaged in similar manners regardless of age or sexual orientation
Yup...
Agreed

5. Pride [Overall 77%]: a. When I look at what we accomplish, I feel a sense of pride [83%]. b. People here are willing to give extra to get the job done [80%]. c. I feel good about the ways we contribute to the community [83%].

Sense of Pride and Feeling Good Abt Cmmty Contribution

Team structures- weekly meetings and slack - encourage celebration and ensure team members take time to reflect on and feel proud of indivudual and team work being accomplished and for what that work means for the cmmties we partner with
I'm not sure if I feel pride so much as satisfaction at having done my best in most activities/responsibilities. At times I feel somewhat disconnected from community contributions, but other times not; I'm not concerned by this.
Yes, I feel appreciated and celebrated

Ppl Willing to Get Job Done

Can share lots of examples of team members going above and beyond to support others in seeing a task through right. The more ppl see these examples (esp new team members) I think the more we will cont. to see ppl going the extra mile.
- Agree with the above; i see numerous examples of ppl going above and beyond expectations. I'm not sure this is a positive thing, as one's willingness to give extra can be taken advantage of in some circumstances. Also, for me seeing others give extra can be stressful and pressure-inducing at times in that it can induce a feeling that one has to give extra to keep up.
- Completely agree with Anne

6. Camaraderie [Overall 73%]: a. People care about each other here [80%]. b. This is a friendly place to work. [83%] c. When you join the company, you are made to feel welcome [83%].

Ppl Care Abt Each Other

Can point to lots of instances ncpt and devo team wide of team members demonstrating care and concern - both at a personal and professional level - and checking-in/follow-ing up with one another. I think the more this is practiced among team members, the more we see the practice returned to others.
Yup, i think people care and i have felt welcomed since day 1 on the d-team. i see my teammates regularly striving to make new folks feel welcome and our veterans to feel celebrated. i see a commitment to knowing the person, not just the colleague. i think we do well here.
Absolutely. I think sub teams and also in a lot of cases cross team mates care about colleagues on a personal and professional level. A lot of genuine, strong relationships on d-team.

Friendly Place to Work / When you Join, Made to Feel Welcome

It is my sense that this is the exp ppl have when they work with ncpt/the devo team - and it is something I try to put forward in my own personal actions

7. Strategy: a. I have clarity around the strategic direction. (For the organization this is the org-wide strategic direction; for your region / team this is the vision / charge / priorities of your region or national team) [71%] b. I believe that the strategic direction will lead Teach For America to maximize its contribution to educational equity [78%].

Strat Direction Clarity

Have clarity on our direction organizationally and as a d-team at a high level. At this point in time feeling like I'm not plugged in to the latest as to where we feel we are mid-way thru FY17 at the org-level.
org-wide, not sure where we're at on our BT results or how we're measuring progress along the way. i feel clarity on the overall vision/direction tho.
I need more strategic direction clarity on corp team. I have carefully read our vision ppt, but I think engaging in step back and work will help with this!

Believe Strat will Lead TFA to Maximize Contr.

Personally feel very inspired by TFA's new strategy and direction and what efforts in service of it will mean for kids
I think i believe we are on the right path, but i worry about accountability across the board and whether we are really improving at anything or just talking. Proof will be in the pudding, as they say.

Red (Results of 40% or 20%)

natasha_borjachavarro — 2017-01-11 16:21:08 UTC

Q: Explain what would have to be true for us - the NCP team - and the Development Team more broadly, for you to score said category higher.

2. Credibility [Overall 64%]: a. Management makes its expectations clear [40%]. b. Management delivers on its promises [40%].

Mgmt Makes Expectations Clear

Visions of excellence for all roles wld helpful to align on at the top of each FY and to revisit across the FY
i'm not sure where this low result is coming from. i feel fairly clear on my role/expectations. i will say that i sometimes feel pressure to contribute to the d-team in ways that is not outlined in a job description (e.g., be an active participant in the zoom/webex chat, contribute to DEI sessions, lead a skill builder), but i generally don't mind doing those things...tho i can see how those "hidden" expectations could make ppl feel murky on what they shld focus on to advance their career
I feel like ncpt takes expectations clear seriously for onboarding. I'm not sure if was always like this, but I feel like I have a clear sense of what is expected of me, how I need to contribute, and what skills I need to build. This is all just from one week in the role.

Mgmt Delivers on Promises

over the past 6 months and with merry coming on board as SVP, there have been strides in addressing things that we have continued to call out as d-team challanges via the working groups - the clear vision and updates being provided by OSVP and working groups have been really helpful to show the progress being made on areas we have been told we are working towards
i'm not sure what "promises" mgmt has put itself on the hook for, so i guess i don't have a feeling that mgmt is shirking any commitments.
Agree with anne

3. Respect [Overall 65%]: a. I am offered training or development to further myself professionally [40%]. b. I am given the resources and equipment to do my job [40%]. c. Management involves people in decisions that affect their jobs or work environment [20%]. d. People are encouraged to balance their work life and their personal life [40%].

Offered Training Devp and Resources to do Job

This is an area I have seen d-team wide as something being focused on. A key component here though that I still dont know has been clearly shared team-wide (assuming this is still true) is the element of self-advocating for what you need.
I see training being focused on, but the heavy lifting is being done by teammates not professionals so i'm not convinced this approach will change the needle too much.

Mgmt Involes Ppl in Decisions that Affect Jobs/Environment

Org-wide transparency/insight into matters that will impact key donor partnerships. One ex over this past yr that comes to mind as really the one time I felt this, was the shifts to our DEI efforts that directly impacted our relationship with FedEx. Not that I needed a say in this decision, but moreso the transparency that we were missing to be able to disucss with a partner. There were many factors at play here (including things that we cld have been on top of already with FedEx) and I understand that there were reasons that the shifts were kept close to snr leadership and not widely shared, but devo team leadership not having the line of sight to communicate before it went public was frustrating and caused us to spend a lot of time doing damage control w/ an impt partner.
Org-wide, i don't feel much connection to mgmt's decision making. From d-team standpoint, i think there's general transparency and a limited sense of involvement of others (we request a lot of input/fdbk) but i still have the sense that a small group of ppl are driving strategic decisions and i'm unclear if the fdbk is instrumental in what decisions are ultimately made
I agree with Joe, I don't feel connected org wide to mgmt's decision making. I think we are in the dark when it comes to org-wide decisions. I think since Kwame took over as interim leader, our team has stressed collective action- where leaders try to take feedback into account.

Work/Life Balance

Although employees are able to take time off when needed - and TFA offers a fair amt of vacation/personal time, it if often a catch-22 because of the ramp up and extra hrs that need to be put in in advance of that time off or immediately following to try to catch-up, which often feels counter productive to taking that time off. I'm not sure what the answer is to how we can improve on this team-wide - perhaps starting with acknowleding that this is something that we grapple with?
I also sometimes find myself questioning the # of hours worked and if I am on track, working too much, or too little as it relates to my teammates and my d-teammates - there is ALWAYS work to be done, where do we draw the line to close out a day and how do we model that for new team members coming in? To improve, perhaps it is setting a vision for what work/life balance means for team members and having gut-check converations with managers?
agree w/ commenter above that we have a very generous amt of PTO at TFA. i also feel support in taking time when needed. but in my current role i feel like i will be so far behind w/ every day i take off that i often don't do it. there are too many nights/wknds where i've had to work to meet my job responsibilities, such that it feels normal rather than an exception. also, if i travel for work it often means late nights or working wknds before or after the travel in ordre to make up for the time out of office and working feverishly at the airport and during hte flight...this really rubs me the wrong way, as it feels like i have to work extra hard to travel for work when i believe the org-wide policy is to actually give people time back in the form of personal time when traveling for work (especially if, for example, traveling early mornings or late nights). some of the pressure described above is of my own doing, my own lack of efficiency, etc., but some of it seems ingrained within our culture and contributes to making me feel defensive about protecting my personal time. to me this also goes back to my perception that ppl are expected to do a lot within their roles and a general pressure to exceed expectations and go "above and beyond" in order to build one's personal reputation and advance one's career.
On the PSR team, I felt like I had a great work/life balance. I would work 9-10 hour days and have a hard stop at the end of the day. There were only a few late nights/ weekends, but honestly, they were so rare. I came into this role assuming that the work/life culture will most likely be different where I will have longer days/ weekend work more often. .

4. Fairness [Overall 55%]: a. People here are paid fairly for the work they do [20%]. b. I feel I receive a fair share of the profits made by this organization [40%]. c. I am treated as a full member here regardless of my position [40%]. d. Promotions go to those who best deserve them [40%].

Ppl Paid Fairly for Work and Feel Receive a Fair Share of Profits

On the whole, it has been my exp/understanding that TFA generally pays well for the NPO space. What has called me to question this recently though has been hearing during the hiring process of various teams that TFA's salaries are not matching devo salaries at other organizations. When things like this are shared, it can plant seeds of doubt. Clarity/transparency wld be helpful on where TFA stands in this space.
I'm ambivalent on this one. everyone wants to get paid more, and i know there are other jobs out there in the education and NPO space that pay higher for similar responsibilities. especially in devo, i think we underpay folks in comparison to other roles i've seen advertised w/ similar or lower responsibilities. at the same time i don't feel undercompensated. as a benchmark i feel like EVB's salary as CEO is fair when considering her responsibilities vs. mine (e.g., ppl receiving fair share of profits).
like Anne wrote, I do think there should be more clarity/transparency around compensation. This has been brought up on team calls multiple times, and I think everyone on the team agrees there is a lack of transparency. It would be helpful to know what other people on our team are making, especially in managing director/senior managing director roles, so that I can have a sense of what is possible at TFA as a leader.

Treated as Full Team Member

At the org-wide level, we dont often receive acknowledgement as to the efforts and role that the d-team nationally and in regions is playing towards our efforts.
- Co-sign! I even feel like we guide our program folks at times but we don't get our fair recognition at the org-wide level

Promotions to Those Best Deserve

Overall I think the promotion process is not very clear d-team wide, and this is something that has been acknowledged for a few yrs that there hasn't seemed to be much resolution to. Think this is really impt to establish as new jr team members come through so they can know what to expect. On a personal level I havent felt a team member didn't deserve a promotion, but rather, what are the factors (skills, team salary budgets etc) that need to be in place for any team member to receive a promotion on the d-team.
Promotions are a murky process, especially when ppl are promoted within their roles. i feel happiness when ppl are promoted and think everyone i've seen get promoted deserves it, but i've also benefited from a recent promotion myself so i'm perhaps just wanting to feel like i earned that.

5. Pride [Overall 70%]: a. I want to work here for a long time [40%]

overall i think ppl feel secure and inspired to stay with a team and org that has a clear vision and direction, is transparent in it's efforts, helps ppl see their future within the org, and makes ppl feel valued for their contribution. addressing team red flags called out in this whiteboard wld likely go a long way to improving the response level to this q
i've got a lot of pride in TFA as an alum and staffer. we have nice benefits and perks (e.g., i can work from virtually anywhere tomorrow if i wanted!). but i find working here to be stressful at times and the balance between personal/professional isn't always there for me, so i can't say i want to work here for a long time until it feels more sustainable from that standpoint.
I would like to stay on the TFA dev team as long as possible. There are three priorities for me: gain a lot of experience in frontline fundraising, continue to work for a cause that I'm deeply passionate about, and grow in my career while my husband is active duty (moving constantly). TFA dev team hits all three priorities.

6. Camaraderie [Overall 62%]: a. This is a fun place to work [40%]. b. You can count on people to cooperate [60%].

Fun Place to Work

ncpt wise, this work is hard but we have made time and space to ensure we are also finding the joy in our work and each other. i have seen the d-team make progress in this area since the fall via things like slack and coffee chats.
i wouldn't use the word fun to describe working at TFA overall, tho there are fun moments

Count on Ppl to Cooperate

it has already been my exp that d-team wide and corp team wide you can count on ppl to cooperate
yup, i think ppl work well together and want to cooperate whenever possible
agree with both anne and jk

7. Strategy: a. b. I am personally inspired by my role in the strategic direction [63%].

personally inspired by my role - and the broader team's role. tools such as the dashboard updates team members receive weekly are grt oppties to see from a numbers perspective the role we are playing and our progress. it wld be neat to be able to see more narrative-based updates as to the role the d-team is playing (what unique programs/elements are our donors mkaing possible tied to our BT results for ex)
i enjoy development work and think it's essential to an NPO. inspired is maybe a strong word for me to use in this case...maybe more like satisfied with my role in the strategic direction
i love anne's idea of narrative-based updates! I think it's more challenging to see the results of our work when compared to teaching. As a teacher, you can see your contribution to your students every day, which can help motivation throughout the year. With our line of work, it is important to touch base with that direct result by hearing what has been possible through our efforts.

NCP's GPTW Results: What should we continue doing to excel and what would have to be true to increase out scores in "red" areas of improvement?

natasha_borjachavarro — 2017-01-11 16:21:08 UTC

Step 1: Review and reflect upon the GPTW data and our conversation during the D-Team call - What is your overall reaction? What, if anything, might feel different now, knowing that we took this survey in October 2016? What recommendations do you have for you, for Molly, for the NCP team and the Development Team, as you reflect on these results?
Step 2: For our "green" areas (categories in which we're excelling), please comment on how we can rely on our strengths to maintain these high scores. Share what you believe we're doing right and/or what we should continue doing to shine in these categories.
Step 3: For our "red" areas (categories to focus/improve upon), please explain what would have to be true for us - the NCP team - and the Development Team more broadly, for you to score said category higher.
Step 4: (optional) Share any thoughts, questions, or comments about our GPTW data in the other comment box.

**Note: To add a comment or edit your post within the various sections below, hover your mouse over the block and click the pen on the top right. Reach out to Natasha with any questions. WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT CLICK ON THE LITTLE TRASH CAN, AS THAT WILL DELETE THE ENTIRE BLOCK!**

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natasha_borjachavarro — 2017-01-11 16:21:08 UTC

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