Eight months ago US Marketing Manager Dina Rose began her quest in the USA to help non- profit organizations be more effective in their leadership teams. The Insights Discovery workshops were delivered by a network of trained Insights practitioners across the US who donated their time to the initiative. The outcome has had a positive and lasting effect for all involved. Dina Rose explains more...
I recently read an article about a movement started by USA Weekend Magazine called ‘Make a Difference Day’, where volunteers come together on one day in October to give their time to a worthwhile cause. This wonderful program makes one simple statement – “Everyone has a skill they can use to help others. What can you do?” I was inspired to think beyond just one day of service. What could Insights do that would have a bigger impact?
The work of insights makes one simple statement too – “We want to create a world where people truly understand themselves and others and are inspired to make a positive difference in everything they do”.
We work with organizations, their teams and leaders to find out what people really need, what the company values are and what everyone wants to achieve. This is our skill – what if we used it to help ‘Make a Difference Day’. What if we helped non-profit leaders become more effective, so they could build stronger and better organizations for their employees? The gift we give them is not for just one day, it could help the non-profits carry out their mission for many years. From that initial inspiration the ‘Gift of Discovery’ was born.
In order to make this happen, I knew we’d need help. So, we presented this idea to our clients who are accredited to deliver our programs and asked them if they had a non-profit organization they would like to help. The response was immediate and extremely positive - instantly our clients across the US signed up to give the 'Gift of Discovery'.
The non-profits they wanted to work with provide a vast array of services, from the Glory House, a program helping parolees re-enter society in South Dakota, a program supporting the arts in Phoenix, to the YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago, Rebuilding Together Oakland County in Detroit, the National Hispana Leadership Institute (NHLI) in Washington DC, and the United Way in Delaware, plus many states in-between.
By the time this program concluded in June, we had reached over 270 people in 16 organizations.
The ‘Gift of Discovery’ program comprises a one-day workshop, tailored to the needs of each organization. Participants receive an Insights Discovery Profile which identifies a person’s strengths, value to the team, communication style and management style. That information is then used in working sessions to help enhance how people interact with colleagues, to foster improved goal setting, speed up the delivery of results and enable success - personal, professional and organizational. The results are immediate and provide positive, lasting change.
The Discovery course and its materials come free to the non-profits from Insights. But it is our clients who rallied around the initiative and made it work. The delivery has been provided at no cost by a diverse, energetic and dedicated team of Discovery-accredited professionals, whose experience with the program made the gift resonate with the authenticity of the real world.
But it’s what those involved actually say that is making this initiative so personally gratifying and truly worthwhile.
"The Discovery workshop helped me understand my colleagues and their motivations better. I can see how while we all have the same goal, we see the path to achieve that goal differently and that our different approaches are each beneficial and critical to delivering the best services to the men and women we serve." - Molly Rysman, Skid Row Housing Trust External Affairs Director
I am proud that Insights fully supported and nurtured this idea. I am proud of the 16 clients who joined us in this effort. For me, helping people, teams and organizations reach their fullest potential is what the people development business is all about.
