Celebrate the Small Wins

As we wrap-up another year, for some this is a time of reflection, other’s a time of planning. Whether it’s next year’s budget, collection planning or simply setting personal goals, we tend to focus on the big achievements and major events. Often getting lost in, or even overwhelmed by the day to day grind ofContinue reading “Celebrate the Small Wins”

Healthy Teams Engage in Productive Conflict

In fifth grade I volunteered to be a part of my school’s conflict management team. This was a group of students, whose sole purpose was to walk around the playground and look for kids in conflict and then walk them through a process for resolving their differences. When I entered zookeeping, I quickly learned thatContinue reading “Healthy Teams Engage in Productive Conflict”

Small Approximations to Create Big Change in Animal Care Work Culture: Overcoming A Toxic Environment

According to a recent study, there are five behaviors that create a toxic workplace environment.  The study found that while an organization may have a good culture overall, toxic individuals or teams of toxic individual’s aka “pockets of toxicity”; can have a profound impact on workplace culture. Knowing how to spot these behaviors in oneself and our team can help our industry transition into an industry known for valuing the welfare of the people working as much as it values the welfare of wildlife it cares for.