By Lily, LIFT (Leader-In-Field-Training)
Now that we are in week five of the CYES program, the Energy Specialists (ES’s) have definitely bonded with each other and their managers. If you walked into the Dublin site right now, you would see our ES’s playing cards during break, sharing stories and laughing all of the time. However, this was not the case a couple weeks ago. One of our main challenges at the Dublin site has been making the ES’s feel comfortable with each other, with me as their LIFT, and with learning from their managers. Despite the countless ice breakers we played and the personal stories shared during training week, I could sense that the Energy Specialists were still not completely comfortable with us or each other. So, how did we go from complete strangers to friends who ice skate together after work?
I knew the Energy Specialists were more intimidated by the managers. So, I began initiating conversations when the managers were not there. With me, the ES’s felt free to express themselves and share deeper, personal stories. I found that the ES’s only felt comfortable with me after I opened up to each of them individually. Soon enough, we all warmed up to each other, and they eventually began to grow closer to the managers as well. Now that we are all friends and we even hang out after work together. With the awkwardness gone, the Energy Specialists, managers and I all enjoy going to work every day!
