My happiest moments at work all have one thing in common: seeing the light in someone’s eyes when they finally realize their unique strengths that I’ve seen all along. We spend so much time at work focusing on what we need to improve. What if we felt empowered by what we do well instead? This is the philosophy that guides my training and staff development practices. In practice, this looks like:1) Building relationships through listening and mutual respect. 2) Writing training curriculum based on best practices of adult learning. 3) Recognizing different kinds of leadership and purpose at work.I’ll always remember during one training session when an employee was skeptical of a method my co-facilitator was teaching about. While she brushed off the employee’s concerns, I noted them and checked in with the employee afterwards. I validated their concerns, offered my perspective, and together we came to a new understanding that allowed them to feel good about applying the strategy at work. Instead of shutting down, that employee felt empowered to offer their valuable perspective, even when it differed from the status-quo. And I was able to incorporate their vewpoints in future trainings – I mean hey, if one employee felt that way, others probably did, too.You don’t have to take it from me – check out these comments from a recent evaluation: “Emma has written the most fun trainings I have had the opportunity to attend. They are participant-focused, detailed while being open, and just plain fantastic -- just like her, honestly!”“She is very flexible and understanding of employees’ needs. Beyond that, I havealways experienced her to be approachable, kind, funny, and someone I trust when I have any concerns about work.”