We are pleased to announce the release of the impact report on our inaugural 2020 Silicon Valley Next program. The report documented the powerful gains our Fellows made in their personal calling, management capability, and external social capital. The report, conducted by the leading impact measurement firm Public Profit, especially affirms the key role that Silicon Valley Next had in supporting the Fellows through the incredible challenges of 2020.
You can download the report here. Below are some sample quotes from the Fellows.
“I honestly cannot imagine 2020 without Silicon Valley Next. It’s truly been my rock during these difficult times and a breath of fresh air. It’s been one of the main sources of positivity and hope in my life.”
“This fellowship and the Silicon Valley Next program was a primary and significant support. Honestly, I served as a stronger leader in my organization because of the support and guidance of Silicon Valley Next.”
“Prior to becoming a Silicon Valley Next Fellow, I had ambition, personal and professional goals, and passions that directed and served as a guide to my development. Silicon Valley Next helped me make sense of these things, casting it all into perspective, and through the various exercises, peer/executive coaching sessions, and assignments, enabled me to see that my personal calling existed long ago. In essence, Silicon Valley Next helped me realize that the well within is deep and then they built up my confidence to go beyond the shallow to the deepest parts to see the motivation and origins of my personal calling.”
“I’ve done significant work on finding my personal calling through career coaching when I moved from the for-profit to non-profit sector before Silicon Valley Next. I felt that I understood my personal calling pretty well before Silicon Valley Next. I was
wrong. Perhaps I had a strong sense of self and a good idea of what my calling was, but Silicon Valley Next really helped me activate my powerful self and leverage my gifts in a way that fit my calling and personal destiny. Through this program, I have
better understood my purpose in this world and the path towards having the most fulfilling impact.”
“I never really thought about my personal calling before starting Silicon Valley Next. I just thought doing this work was important and crucial and if someone should do it – why not me?! However, I learned that how I was raised and taught to treat others
really affected my longings for the world. I’ve been taught to treat everyone with respect, compassion, and courteousness while also sticking to my personal boundaries. This is what I want most for the world, especially as we all navigate working, living, and thriving together. I understand this has affected the way I lead and understand this consistently develops my most powerful self to strive to be a courageous, powerful, benevolent, and strong leader.”
“Silicon Valley Next has helped me, for maybe the first time, understand the connections between my personal story and the work that I do. It has helped me see the ways in which my hopes for the world are connected to the way I was raised and the values I have been taught since I was young. I used to believe that my story was not worth sharing, now I understand that it is essential to share it, and by not sharing it and not owning it I am not bringing my authentic self to my work. I have been empowered as a teller of my own story.”
“I had no idea what made a great manager prior to Silicon Valley Next. Now, I have practical strategies to becoming a great manager and a framework on which I can build my skillset for managing others. I see the importance of having the capacity to use different strategies for managing different people on my team and the overall importance of delivering on what I told my team that I would do, which helps me to see the importance of being realistic in all that I take on, while modeling that for my staff.”
“I have realized how my personal experiences have shaped the way I manage people. Before Silicon Valley Next, I was not aware how much the two connected. While at first I thought of it as a weakness now I know how to use it as a strength.”
“I thought a manager was someone who only focused on the work and, by any means, needs to ensure the work is completed by your team. However, this can lead to frustration, burnout, and resentment. Through this program, I learned that it is important to lead with clarity, to provide consistent feedback, and to also hold people accountable. So much of being a leader means managing the feelings and emotions of your team so they are able to effectively do the work. Actively listening, providing praise, developing a cycle of feedback, and setting goals were all tools I’ve learned in this program.”