“Who run the world?”
What aspects of organizational culture are candidates most looking for when interviewing for a job? If you ask our HR team, work-life balance is high on the list.
At DCG, our company prides itself on having a flexible work culture. It’s what initially drew me to DCG and it’s why I stay. DCG gives me the opportunity to do what I love outside of work — coach for Girls on the Run.
As a remote employee, I can coach, come home and immediately start working. Instead of spending an hour commuting downtown, I commute down the hall to my home office. I get to work for an innovative, mission-driven company from the comfort of my home and meet new people through volunteering in the community around me.
Becoming a Coach
In Fall 2018, I found myself wanting to get involved in my community. One of my cousins participated in Girls on the Run in New Jersey and kept telling me how it allowed her to make new friends. I found myself looking to see if the organization had any local chapters and was amazed at how many schools participated. I immediately filled out an application and was placed at a local elementary school.
Girls on the Run is a non-profit organization designed to inspire young girls of all abilities to recognize and embrace their inner strength throughout each practice, culminating in a 5k race that they work towards all season. At each practice we talk about anything from healthy habits to making friends to learning about our inner star power — the inner spark that makes each of us uniquely brilliant.
I’m a strong believer that you can learn one thing from everyone you meet. So, what exactly could I learn from a nine-year old girl? More than I ever could have imagined.
Important Lessons
That first season during a lesson about empathy, I realized that the lessons I was teaching them every practice didn’t just apply to elementary school kids. I began applying them to my everyday life.
We get caught up in our daily stresses, but sometimes we forget to appreciate everything we have. Talking about empathy made me recognize that even when we are working, you never know what your colleagues or clients are going through that day. Instead of sending back an email with your immediate reaction, sometimes we all just need to take a moment and practice empathy.
I also learned patience. Working with girls in third through fifth grade has tested me, but has also enabled me to learn how to cope with the unexpected. As many parents know, every day is a new challenge and I have seen that firsthand with the girls I coach. Overcoming these challenges has put me in a position to be a better communicator as a coach and as a DCG team member. We must adapt and communicate clearly to the girls to help them grow. Similarly, communicating effectively at work sets us up for success and motivates us to reach big accomplishments.
Early Riser, Lifelong Learner
If you had told me that I would look forward to waking up every Monday and Wednesday to stand outside at 7:30 in the morning in 30-degree weather to run, I would have told you that you were crazy. But I don’t do it for the running. To me, it’s so much more than that.
Thanks to DCG’s flexible workplace, I get to continue learning from every girl I coach and grow to be an even better colleague.
