When I reflect on my company’s journey, I realize the motivation underlying each of my accomplishments was love. I have always wanted all members of my team to feel connected and cared about. Work comes and goes but, as a leader, it’s the relationships formed that are constant and longstanding. When I take the time to get to know somebody, I am able to create an environment that is easier for them to engage, discover, and connect with their WHY.
FROM PANDEMIC PIVOT TO MOVEMENT
As a long-time partner of Downey Unified School District (DUSD), Bayha Group coordinated and placed hundreds of high school students with paid in-person internships with local employers each year since 2016. When the global pandemic hit and it looked like the internship was about to be canceled, I knew we had to evolve fast. As someone who’s worked from home for nearly 2 decades, I knew plenty of work experience could be gleaned without sharing a physical space, especially in this age of technology and global collaboration. So I got creative and hired 8 DUSD high school students to co-design an internship program youth could participate in remotely.
In just 8 weeks, using design thinking from Stanford d.school, we co-created an entirely new virtual internship program, the design and implementation of which was recognized by Fast Company as a finalist for Innovation by Design in Learning in 2020. I named this new virtual internship program WorkWonder, which stems from my belief that work is a journey; it’s your life’s work, while wonder is about curiosity, joy, and embracing what is possible.
“Someone believed in me at a time when I didn’t believe in myself since everything that kept me busy and brought me joy was canceled due to COVID-19.” – WorkWonder Intern
With WorkWonder, it’s not only the virtual aspect of the internship that is new. Unlike the previous model, which had interns all over town doing everything from filing papers to making coffee, WorkWonder is student-centered, giving interns the opportunity to be the captains of their own career journey. Even more exciting, WorkWonder allows me to ensure each and every intern has the same curated high-quality experience for what is likely their first job ever and to gain and practice Workplace Intelligence (WQ). More about WQ in my next article coming soon.
Amidst the uncertainty of 2020, to see WorkWonder make a positive impact on youth is especially rewarding. We took advantage of the changes that have come with COVID-19 to demonstrate what can be achieved by determined young people when they are given the chance to apply their skills and entrepreneurial spirit.
