By Kathleen Smith, Director of Marketing & Communications

This summer, I learned something that changed how I lead.

I had the opportunity to join a cohort of people from across the country for a week-long Facilitating Cultural Change (FCC) workshop. The sessions, led by facilitators Beth Zemsky, Athena Adkins and Liz Loeb, opened my eyes to the power — and the challenges — of bridging across differences.

Over the course of the week, our cohort of 30 people from different states, sectors, racial, religious, and gender identities came together to explore how we could deepen our impact to advance the change we want to see in community. Each day of the training included a mix of discussion and hands-on exercises designed to build our personal toolkits.

One exercise in particular has stayed with me.

Two participants stood on opposite sides of the room, representing groups that often make assumptions about each other: young and old, urban and rural, or people from different cultural backgrounds. The rest of the group took turns sharing stereotypes each side might hold, before stepping forward to stand in the space between the two participants.

By the end, a line of a dozen people stood between the original pair. They could no longer see each other.

The exercise was simple, but its message was profound: the assumptions we carry can block us from truly seeing and understanding one another.

This moment crystallized something for me: when we focus on perceived differences, we miss opportunities to connect, learn and collaborate. In my work in the nonprofit sector, I see how this could translate into overlooking solutions or partnerships that exist right in front of us.

And this isn't an issue unique to the nonprofit sector. Despite differences in race, religion, sectors, job titles and life experiences, all the participants in my cohort felt the weight of wanting to create positive change in our communities.

We were united in that common goal — even if the solutions for creating that change were different.

As director of marketing & communications, Kathleen Smith translates strategic vision into actionable plans. Her favorite part of the job is thinking ‘big picture’ about storytelling as a way to drive positive impact throughout Minnesota. She joined the Foundation in 2015.