Sep 13, 2023
Grace Zuncic is Chief People and Impact Officer at the deeply purpose-driven adventure gear retailer, Cotopaxi. She sees it as her own purpose to help others be their best selves, which she's realized is something she can do at scale in HR roles. Now, she's helping Cotopaxi through a stage of rapid growth beyond its initial familial startup phase, to attract, develop, and engage employees
We discussed ways that employers can help their people identify and engage with their own individual purpose, even if the organization is earlier in its technical impact journey than Cotopaxi. Three levers came up to do this: first, building a culture with a growth mindset, questioning each other and established practices, and practicing radical candor. Secondly, doing human things that fit your organization's size and structure, like celebrating birthdays, sharing personal stories, or posting non-work inspiration photos on a corporate channel, like Cotopaxi's #inthewild Slack channel. And finally, helping people see and recognize the ways that the other pieces of their 'pie' can provide fulfillment, inspiration, and purpose - and supporting them to spend time and energy in those activities, not just at work.
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