We recently connected with Kelly Greene and have shared our conversation below.
Kelly, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?
The term successful varies from individual to individual and company to company, but overall I believe it takes perseverance. Over the course of my life, I have learned more from failures and explored new opportunities when change occurred. Make it happen is part of our company motto for the Chief Science Officers Program and I am a firm believer that success is yours when you are determined to continue seeking opportunities.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
SciTech Institute is a nonprofit dedicated to enhancing and promoting STEM education and awareness in Arizona and beyond. It works to achieve this through some of the strongest STEM initiatives in Arizona, including the Arizona SciTech Festival, the Chief Science Officers program, the RAIN grant, the Arizona STEM School Community of Practice, Science For All and more.
As a veteran of the US Army and having been a teacher for many years, getting into the nonprofit sector seemed to fit with finding meaningful experiences as a leader. As an NCO in the military, leading Soldiers and completing the mission were the highlight of my day to day operations. Not only was I able to coach, train and mentor individuals in specific skills as warfighters, I had the opportunity to encourage Soldiers to better themselves through education and outreach opportunities in their community. Creating lessons and projects along with coaching and advising student council members at a K-8 school as a teacher provided the opportunity to encourage much younger learners. My classroom management style and high expectations were well reviewed at the Title 1 school, but the best part of being a classroom teacher was providing opportunities that students had not even dreamt about in their lives.
Advancing my career to Chief Operating Officer at SciTech Institute maximized the audience. Not only do we focus on K-12 outreach, but we also engage in the community. In Arizona, the veteran population is high due to the 7+ military installations across the state. Bridging the gaps in education with community partnerships and exciting STEM events has dramatically increased the awareness of science, technology, engineering and math careers. Students are seeking opportunities and asking about pathways to the careers they hope to have in the future.
Through programs like Chief Science Officers, AZHACS and Digital STEM Career Days our team has been able to inspire a variety of learners to seek new opportunities.
Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
While operations success is based on completed tasks, managing a team and maintaining high morale can be tricky if not done with compassion and honesty. SciTech Institute has adopted EOS – Entrepreneurial Operating System – to streamline productivity and organize the team in more manageable project timelines. We set SMART goals, meet regularly and celebrate success every week. The best way to maintain high morale, in my opinion, is to ask what they need. Every team member has a 1:1 touch base meeting with me during the month and they set their own agenda. If they don’t have any questions or concerns, the meeting is focused on celebrating them as a team member! It has been a game changer for me as a leader.
Three key components to my success in team management:
1. Listen more. You must listen… and sometimes, not even provide feedback.
2. Stay focused. If they ask for solutions or suggestions, provide only 1 or 2 for them to try on their own. Then, check back. Trust them to try!
3. Keep it simple. Clarify as much as possible in advance, organize tasks and set clear deadlines. Ask is it complete and if not, how can we get it completed.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
Relationship building has been a key to growing our STEM Learning Ecosystem and CSO participant list. It must be meaningful engagement at all levels for all stakeholders.
Be passionate about making an impact!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://scitechinstitute.org/
- Instagram: scitechinstitute
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SciTechInstituteAZ
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/scitech-institute
- Twitter: @SciTechInst
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9ACmMCGS7zYpLBP4MXx-yw