When we first started the SameHere Schools program – it was pre cov!d, & schools were looking for programs – for their STUDENTS.
They realized, their kids were struggling. Here was the issue: having worked in corporate offices in sports my whole career, I’d been to many workshops – where our leaders didn’t show: no CEO, team president, or owner. In those scenarios, no matter how good the presenter, the materials, or how engaging & collaborative the breakouts, once we were out of that “safe” environment, it changed nothing w respect to our culture: medium/long term, bc the employees never felt like leadership was fully on-board w the concepts shared by the workshop leaders.
So, w SameHere Schools, we started to tell the k-12s, we need to do programs w teachers & school professionals (& parents if possible), FIRST, before ever getting w the students.
From there it bled into the SameHere Sit-Downs w colleges: made sure when going to the campuses, the coaches of athletic teams were there – the ADs were present (I shared a few days ago how Hofstra did this beautifully w their AD).
It’s the same w SameHere Safe – the corp office programs. At first we were shy & didn’t bring it up…& yes HR depts or DEI directors would be in the audience, but often the CEO “had a mtg” & couldn’t show. Now, w/ corporate – our expectation is we do programs w the leaders first, or that the leaders will be IN the session w the employees & even start the sessions by sharing a vulnerable story of their own.
I bring all of this up bc of the pic on the last slide ➡️. Yesterday I did a session w the 1st Sgts from Nellis Air Force Base in Vegas, thru a request from the USO. The leader of that group, is David Bartlett, Chaplain, Capt, USAF – one of the few dressed in uniform in this pic (rest got to be in civilian clothes). He started the session by saying at the avg base arnd the US there’s ONE suicide a yr. At Nellis last yr: EIGHT. These Sgts are the leaders for the Airmen on base. 11k of them. This Chaplain & these Sgt LEADERS, had to be the first grasp & say SameHere before seeing the change to reverse the trends. Step one of many to come…