A Unique Training Experience at Granted

By: Stephanie Sang, CEO of Granted
Many of you have leveraged the BC Jobs Grant  to up-skill your staff over the past year, and of course, at Granted, we also took advantage of this program to train our own team in 2017.  We were looking for training to increase our team’s focus, awareness, and productivity in the workplace. Through our training provider network , we were introduced to Scott Orth from Mindful Wisdom who provided our team with mindfulness training. We were grateful in that we were approved by the BC Jobs Grant to cover two-thirds of the cost. I will say that as a result of this training, our team dynamic has grown positively in both a  unique and special way.
The Why
In an age of non-stop digital usage and for a company like ours, which is heavily knowledge-based, feeling burnt out at the end of the day or week is highly probable. For myself,  there are days when I  feel exhausted sooner than I would like, and drained of the mental energy required to build grant strategies, execute grant applications, and engage in grant discussions with our community, all the while managing the team and the day-to-day operations of the office.
The Learning
Through Mindful Wisdom, we have learned how to be more aware of our own thought processes and our surroundings, how to be more conscious in our decision-making, and how to choose our actions as opposed to simply reacting in different situations. Our team has learned methods to maintain focus by staying present and mindful in the moment, which can do wonders for operational efficiency.  We now collaborate and communicate better as a team — we even have a daily, group-based, staff-driven mindfulness session every morning to focus the team for the day. Based on positive results at the office, I have even taught a few simple mindfulness exercises to my two young children at home, and immediately saw a difference in how they were able to better notice and regulate their emotions. I feel that the tools and concepts learned should be taught in schools so that young children are better equipped to manage their energy, anxiety, and mindset. Not only was this training beneficial to me in my work life, my personal life was also able to benefit as well.
The Results
Without a doubt, the outcomes of the training directly impact how we work, but they also extend to relationships within the Granted community. Rather than being purely reactive, we are pushed towards proactivity and being intentional and purposeful in our communication. Training as a group has enabled our entire team to be equipped with the same knowledge and the valuable takeaways — in turn strengthening our company both operationally and culturally as we continue to grow.
 
Without the help of the BC Jobs Grant, we would not have been able to provide this and other training to the Granted staff. We have benefited positively from this grant and like to see our clients benefit as well! If you would like to know what other types of training may be eligible for grant funding, check out our training provider partners.
 
Connect with us today to get started on your training grant application!