Work Wisdom Case Study No. 6 - Traci Gallagher of JPL

JPL is a full-service marketing and communications agency with offices in Harrisburg, Philadelphia, and New York City. They create solutions that drive business growth and inspire organizational evolution for a wide range of leading regional, national and global organizations. Founded in 1989, JPL has grown to become one of the most comprehensive and resource-rich independent agencies in the country. On Pennsylvania's Best Places to Work list for over 21 years, this group of "creative problem solvers" is always looking for new ways to support the growth and success of their employees. So when Traci Gallagher, Talent Experience Manager at JPL, told her team leader about Work Wisdom Academy, they supported her professional development and enrolled Traci in Work Wisdom's 2022 Class.??

The Work Wisdom Academy allows leaders to build critical strategic, interpersonal, and professional skills while they learn alongside their peers. Traci joined the JPL team 12 years ago as an event producer and managed a team of producers for several years. In her current role as Talent Experience Manager, she handles everything related to talent development and organizes all cultural events, internal communications, and professional development projects. Traci discussed how attending Work Wisdom Academy directly impacted her role as she supports her team's success at JPL.?

Work Wisdom: How did you find out about Work Wisdom?

Traci Gallagher: It was the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, and we were looking for someone to help us with burnout and fatigue, so we had Kedren come and do an hour-long session on well-being. That's where the connection began.?

When I got the email about the Work Wisdom Academy and looked at the topics, I brought information to my leader and said, "Check this out. These topics are spot on." In my role, I support our management team, leading many manager meetings and facilitating the onboarding, training, and coaching process for managers. So I said, "This would be great if someone could attend it and bring the learnings back to the management team. And she was like, "Okay, well, you can do it!" [Laughs]. So I was a part of the 2022 class, And we also worked with Laura, who did a mental health workshop for us in December. So we utilize all the resources that Work Wisdom shares.?

WW: What are you enjoying most about your experience in working with Work Wisdom?

TG: The biggest takeaway for me is how directly and immediately I'm able to take the learnings, especially some of those tangible action items from each session and put them into practice. It was surprising. At the end of each session, I'd race into my manager's office. And say, "We just talked about this! And it applies directly to our policies! I've been able to implement them immediately, and it's been serendipitous how the topics align perfectly with what's happening in our company. The information in the Academy is not just big-picture thinking; they provide tangible tools you can use through documents, activities, and workbooks. Attending has had an immediate impact on my role.

WW: How could Work Wisdom Academy benefit individuals and companies in your field of Work??

TG: Advertising, entertainment, and marketing are high-stress, deadline-driven industries known for turnover challenges. The companies that will be successful moving forward are the ones that are building a healthy workplace culture. It's a tough market right now for talent in general. So training managers on these topics (equitable culture shaping, workplace wellbeing) is critical.?

WW: What changes have you seen in your own company because of implementing what you learned in academy sessions??

TG: The first example of change was the feedback we received from our hybrid work policy. I took some great principles from the change management session because it was right when we were rolling everything out. The transition went so smoothly because we used many tactics I learned in the session, and we paid attention to our employees' thought processes and feelings at the different stages.?

Another example is from our manager summit. I had to lead our management team and said, "Here are all the things I learned from the Work Wisdom Academy that I feel we should implement." And the President empowered me to do it. We talked a lot about creating relationships and watched the TED talk on having great conversations. We did the affinity questions. I've seen change and received feedback about the content I shared and some of its direct impact on our team.?

WW: What changes have you seen in your work life since attending Work Wisdom Academy??

TG: One of the things that surprised me is a lot of the content that I got, especially some of the personal coaching, and the more introspective pieces of the Academy applied a lot to my personal life as well. I remember one of the earlier sessions was on burnout, and Kedren was taking us through different things you could do to prevent it. One of them was to be okay with the B. This concept was so funny to me because I am a type A personality. This principle was helpful in my work, but I applied that as a mom as well. I realized my kids don't necessarily care about things like the level of detail I put into the theme of their birthday party. It's okay to take the B in that scenario, and it was empowering to me.?

WW: What would you say to encourage others to invest in attending Work Wisdom Academy??

TG: The faculty at Work Wisdom Academy did a great job of keeping the topics relevant and timely, so it was very current. And that is key to great leadership: You must be willing to learn and be continuously open to new ideas. Otherwise, you're going to get stuck in a rut. In the world that we live in, everything's changing so fast and so quickly. Trying to have all the answers isn't realistic, so continuous learning is vital to your success.

To learn more about the ways we are revolutionizing achievement to help you, your team, and your organization flourish, visit our?website. If you have worked with us in the past and want to be featured in our next case study,?contact us?so we can share your story!