Stand UP

💪🏾 Building a Strengths-Based Culture: The Colorado Trust is Doing the Work

One of the most powerful choices an organization can make is to invest in its people—not just once, but continuously. The Colorado Trust is doing exactly that.

Over the last few years, we’ve partnered with their staff and their Board (pictured!) to go deeper into CliftonStrengths development. And not because it’s trendy…

But because the research is clear:

--> Strengths-based organizations have more engaged employees.

--> Engaged employees perform better, stay longer, and create stronger relationships.

--> And engagement directly impacts the bottom line—in every sector, including philanthropy.

But here’s what really stands out:

Their commitment isn’t only to their internal teams. It’s to the communities they serve.

When an organization takes the time to invest in the growth, self-awareness, and emotional intelligence of every level of the organization, it reveals something important about their character and priorities. The Colorado Trust is sending a message—loud and clear:

“We cannot commit to community transformation without committing to our own.”

And that makes our work with them even more meaningful.

They show up ready.
They lean into the tough conversations.
They embrace the joy and the stretch of learning who they are and how they work best.

Grateful for the ongoing partnership and excited for everything this next phase of strengths work will unlock.

Celebrating a Special Partnership: Emily Griffith Technical College

There is something truly unique about Emily Griffith Technical College. In a world that often pushes a one-size-fits-all approach to education, Emily Griffith stands as a bright light—offering students a non-traditional pathway that leads directly to opportunity, skilled trades, and meaningful work.

While many schools focus on the traditional four-year university route, Emily Griffith focuses on access, practicality, community, and real-world readiness. And the heartbeat behind that mission?

**The faculty and staff who show up every day with purpose and passion.**

We want to personally thank the senior leadership team: Tisha Chapman, Erin Pepper, Linda Van Doren, Ed.D. and Randy Johnson (CEO), who have been instrumental in bringing StandUP to Emily Griffith year after year.

Every year, it’s a new conversation, a new place to stretch, and a new opportunity for reflection and growth.

And every year… they lean in.
They do the work.
They model what it means to show up at their best so they can give their best to their students.

This year Lana Hailemariam delivered an impactful keynote and workshop centered around Cultivating Self-Empathy, a topic that’s often overlooked in community-focused environments.

Who knew that self-empathy could be an empowering, energizing approach to community work?! Emily Griffith knows. And they embraced it beautifully.

We are so grateful for this continued partnership and inspired by the ways this community invests in its people so they can invest in others.

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Proud to Partner With a Powerhouse: GEA North America

Over the last few months, our team at StandUP had the privilege of taking our Reimagining Implicit Bias and Rethinking Your Leadership Power workshops on the road with GEA North America, a true powerhouse in their industry.

From Quebec, Canada to Texas, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Illinois, Maryland (and a few others in between!), we met with leaders across multiple divisions who are committed to doing the deep work that drives real organizational change.

What impresses us most about GEA isn’t just the scale of their impact globally… It’s their willingness to invest in the human side of leadership.
Because here’s the truth:

➡️ When you shift your leaders, you shift your culture.
➡️ When leaders grow, teams grow.
➡️ And when teams grow, organizations transform.

GEA is doing it right.

They’re not just able, they’re willing. And that willingness is where true change begins. I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve done together so far… and even more excited about what’s ahead.

Thank you, GEA North America, for your partnership, your openness, and your investment in courageous, emotionally intelligent leadership.

Including some photos of the magic!

Tired of meetings that feel like they could have been an email? Or conversations that swirl and swirl?

Try this: End every meeting or conversation with these two questions.

Let us know what shifts!

Not a lot of photos, just a lot of presence.

We had the honor of introducing a part of Delta Dental of Colorado's Ops team to CliftonStrengths for the very first time and they came ready to grow.

This group dove into reflection, curiosity, and conversation and the StandUP team brought the tools to make it stick!

When teams lean in, we help them rise.

Not a lot of photos, just a lot of presence.

We had the honor of introducing a part of Delta Dental of Colorado's Ops team to CliftonStrengths for the very first time and they came ready to grow.

This group dove into reflection, curiosity, and conversation and the StandUP team brought the tools to make it stick!

When teams lean in, we help them rise.

Not a lot of photos, just a lot of presence.

We had the honor of introducing some of the Delta Dental of Colorado Ops Team to CliftonStrengths for the very first time and they came ready to grow.

This group dove into reflection, curiosity, and conversation and the StandUP team brought the tools to make it stick!

When teams lean in, we help them rise.

InsideOutLeadership CliftonStrengths DeltaDentalCO StandUPTeam LeadershipDevelopment EmotionalIntelligence

Not a lot of photos, just a lot of presence.

We had the honor of introducing some of the Delta Dental of Colorado Ops Team to CliftonStrengths for the very first time and they came ready to grow.

This group dove into reflection, curiosity, and conversation and the StandUP team brought the tools to make it stick!

When teams lean in, we help them rise.

Meet a core part of our StandUP team: Lana (CEO), Shannon (Coach, Facilitator & Operations Maven), and Eric (Coach and Master Facilitator Extraordinaire). This group helps us deliver supreme service and outstanding experiences for our clients—and we’re not even showing the whole team! At StandUP, it’s always about the people. Who inspires greatness on your team?

Our time with Gary Community Ventures is coming to a close and normally this would be a sad time but sometimes it's nice to see the client fly without us! Being a part of the last panel Piton Early Career Fellowship at Gary, was so engaging that we forgot to take a single picture during the event. So these are the only two memories we've got! Ready for new connections, and growth.