Creating A Positive Team Culture - National Democratic Training Committee

Creating A Positive Team Culture

By Jan Gaetjens
30 min
Management & Leadership

What You’ll Learn

  • Establish and refer back to “norms” as a part of building a positive team culture
  • Critically reflect on authentic diversity and inclusivity
  • Identify personal self-care practices and create action steps to meet self-care goals
  • Articulate your professional needs and balance them with the needs of your team

Why This is Important

Without the right tools, the intense, fast pace of campaigns can lead to burnout. In this course, we help you build two tools to create a more sustainable work environment: team norms and individual “user manuals”. Using these tools will help you become a better team member and position you to be a supportive leader throughout the challenges that arise on your campaign and throughout your career.

Key Resources

  • Example: NDTC Norms
  • “My User Manual” Template

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Jan Gaetjens

Trainer

Jan Gaetjens is a Chicago-based educator whose career spans K-12, higher ed, and adult learning. A first generation American of Haitian and Guyanese descent, Jan has an unwavering belief in the potential of the American experiment and views education as central to the sustenance of participatory Democracy.

Since 2012, Jan has developed career exploration and social-emotional learning curricula for Chicago Public Schools, several charter school networks, DePaul University, and Rush University, supporting countless students through college and into fulfilling careers. In 2017, he was recognized as the Illinois Counseling Association’s Graduate Student of the Year for his work on Chicago’s West side.

Jan holds a BA in Sociology from Georgetown University and an MA in School Counseling from DePaul University, where he is currently pursuing a PhD in Curriculum Studies. His research and writing focuses on the intersections of democracy, education, and racial justice.