Protecting the Soul of the Work
“Okay, Collen, we can take it from here.”~ a staff member cutting me off mid-sentence as they took over the agenda I had carefully laid out for our all-staff meeting.
Backstory:The Store has been growing fast. When I joined, there were 3.5 staff members. Today, we’re at 10 and counting, with a second and third location on the horizon.
That kind of growth brings energy and impact. But it can also stretch culture if you're not paying close attention. I’ve seen it before: good people, good mission—but somewhere along the way, the systems multiply and the soul of the work starts to thin out. Collaboration gives way to silos. The spirit gets harder to hear. We’re not immune to that. So we’ve been working—intentionally—to keep our team spirit strong and our values alive.
This month, I introduced something new at our team meeting: Core Value Shoutouts.
Anyone could lift up a colleague—but it had to be through the lens of one of our five core values: choice, community, collaboration, dignity, and love.
I wasn’t sure how it would land. So I came prepared, with one for each staff member.
Halfway through, they cut me off.
They didn’t just get the idea—they ran with it. One by one, teammates started affirming each other. The shoutouts weren’t generic or obligatory. They were detailed, specific, and deeply heartfelt. You could feel the emotion in the room.
And yes—a few turned back to recognize me, too.
It was some of the most meaningful feedback I’ve received in years—and I’ve held on to it closely ever since.
But the person who received the most shoutouts? A brand-new, part-time team member who stocks shelves and greets customers. She’s only been with us a few weeks. But everyone sees it: she lives out our values, every shift.
That moment reminded me: our team doesn’t just understand the mission of The Store—they embody it.
And that’s where the mission lives. Not in the playbook or policy doc—but in real, human moments like this one.
As a leader, I’m still learning how to make space for this kind of culture to thrive. But I know this much: protecting the spirit of the work matters just as much as scaling the systems.
How do you protect the soul of your work as you grow?
Would love to hear how others keep culture alive through seasons of change.
As The Store grows, so does our team—and with that growth comes the responsibility of protecting what matters most: our culture. In a recent all-staff meeting, something powerful happened that reminded us the mission lives not just in what we do, but how we do it—together. Read on to see how a simple moment turned into a powerful reflection on values, team spirit, and the heartbeat of our work.
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