Podcasts as an Team Development Tool

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Podcasts are ubiquitous nowadays. From politics, to food, to music, to social impact issues, they cover every subject under the sun. When once folks had to pay for scheduled lectures or take classes, podcasts have opened the door to getting expert advice and insights any time, anywhere.

You just need a pair of headphones.

Here at Vertical Harvest, our leadership team has incorporated podcasts into our Grow Well employee development program. It all started with a podcast series on management style. Each week, team members listened to the series independently and then shared their thoughts during weekly team meetings. “We talked about management styles and tactics and decided whether we agreed with what was shared on the podcast — or not,” says Kyra Foley, Vertical Harvest Marketing Coordinator. “As a group we picked out the best insights and discussed how to add these tools and tips to our repertoire of training resources.”

“I think it was so important to get different perspectives from the managers and also (as someone who is not a manager) to voice my opinion on which management styles work best for me in my experiences,” she says. “It was very empowering.”

Sharing and discussing podcasts

The team continues to listen to management podcasts, but the floodgates have opened and Vertical Harvest employees are sharing and discussing podcasts of all sorts now — particularly those focusing on equity, diversity, and other social impact issues. “it’s kind of like a high-level book club,” Kyra says.

Employees of the corporate or greenhouse teams offer relevant and interesting podcast suggestions and Caroline Croft Estay, Co-Founder and Director of Diversity and Inclusion, keeps an ongoing list and schedules them appropriately. Recent podcasts shared and discussed among the Vertical Harvest team include ADA now, Johnnie Lacy, and Yonder lies indigenous past. “We’re trying to expand our podcast vision even larger and listen to things from all across the spectrum,” Caroline says. “It’s also my dream  that Vertical Harvest have its own podcast one day.”

Has a podcast opened your eyes on a certain subject? Have you heard one recently that made you think differently about a social impact issue? We’d love to hear about it! Just email us at info@verticalharvestfarms.com with the subject line “Pod recommendation.”

Photo by Soundtrap on Unsplash