View source for Empowering pathways for learning

= How have you been supported in learning and growing by your org/community? =

Question: what have people in your team, organization, or community done that helped you grow into who you are and doing what you're doing?

Initial example: being made aware (via a gentle call-out) of something I was doing that wasn't helpful for the group dynamic. Helped me become more mindful of similar situations.

Being generous with critical feedback and with your contacts.

Providing a challenge or growth opportunity, then '''stepping back''' while still observing and being available.

Also, asking me up front specifically '''how''' someone wants to step out of your comfort zone.

== Mentorship ==

Establishing explicit mentorship relationships

* Been going through a 9 month onboarding a co-op. I have both a supervisor and an assigned "buddy". In the 9 months, I get three feedback sessions with opportunities for giving evaluation to supervisor and "buddy".
* Reverse mentorship - juniors helping seniors grow
* What happens when your role is very individual, and you have no peers or seniors in your org in a good position to mentor you?
** Example: the only "data person" at your org. I got connected with the data director at another org by being part of "Movement Cooperative", though that has a paid membership.
** As a manager, if I can't be a mentor, I work to connect my reports with potential mentors, including looking outside the org when appropriate.
* As a manager, may not have a lot of room for the role to expand! Can instead support them by helping them with "growing away."

== Trial by fire? ==

Thoughts on trial by fire?

* Trusting someone to handle something difficult/new/urgent helps them build confidence.
* Q: What gave you a sense of safety, if anything?
** A: It had to happen whether or not I felt safe!
* Being under-resourced or over-relied on isn't great, though. Don't want to set someone up to fail.
* Helpful to clarify:
*# What would failure look like?
*# Assurance that it won't cost someone their job, and that the team/supervisor/org has a Plan B to catch you if things don't work out.
* Blameless retros/post-mortems
* Regular check-ins with someone I trust
** Made effective by knowing my ideas were taken seriously
* Vulnerability with supervisor
** Saying, "I'll give you a lot of notice if I plan to leave. Please give me a heads-up if there's something I can improve on." [in order to maintain a sense of safety]

== Shared goals ==

Sharing our goals for personal growth as a group

* Both staff and managers understand how they're each trying to grow
** This requires some vulnerability, but that can also create trust/safety. It also enables more helpful feedback.
* How do you keep these values in an ongoing way?
** Revisit our values and goals via quarterly check-ins.
** We establish our learning goals as actual project work! We create a ticket and categorize it as "ILO" for Individual Learning Objective. Everyone on the team has exactly one at a given time.
*** Not a punitive thing like a PIP! Your supervisor or team lead helps you establish a learning goal. Can be related to a team need, or your own personal interests. Can even be separate from team needs, e.g. learning about geospatial programming isn't relevant to my work as a sysadmin, but growing my interests makes my work feel sustainable.

== Learning as culture ==

Learning as a culture thing - it's always happening. Coming from a community culture that prioritizes learning.

* This raises the question of "Who feels safe enough to fail?", specifically when it comes to learning new things to tackle new projects. (See prior discussion from "trial by fire")
** Privilege pays into comfort with failure or possibility of failure
* "A union helped us build a sense of safety"
** Collective power can support our collective aspirations
* https://recurse.com is a pretty cool learning community! Free programming retreat; 6-12 weeks. Stipends available for living expenses for certain folks.