I’m told that showing up each day full of passion for making real, lasting change in the world inspires my teams and colleagues.
Why do you believe honoring achievement is important?
Achievement happens in tiny moments and it happens across lifetimes. It is easy in business to get caught up on the daily issues to resolve or on the monthly sales goals. If we can maintain a laser focus on the achievements of the days, weeks, months and years — particularly honoring the people whose hard work made those achievements possible — we can change the world of work inside and outside the office. By honoring and reflecting on achievements of all shapes and sizes we are creating a “virtuous cycle.” We are promoting and encouraging both those tiny moments and those lifetimes of achievements to occur in those around us.
What insights have you gained in your career that would inspire others?
Just say, “YES.” Say yes to every opportunity, even if it scares you. Actually, say yes because it scares you. Growth and change rarely occur when we are living in our comfort zone.
Over the course of my career, there have been many times when a leader has approached me and said, “Hey, I think you should try this role / project / position.” Every single time I have said yes. Have I ever regretted it? No, actually. Was it ever painfully hard to make it through the fears and doubts and not-knowing moments? Absolutely. But the career path I’ve had the chance to forge has been built on a series of “yes” answers to big opportunities. And, as a leader I strive daily to create those same opportunities for my team to leap out of their comfort zones and into the thrill of success.
What can we do — now — to make a difference for young people/women in Arizona?
The quality of education provided to youth and the investments made in teachers must change if we want to see future generations have any hope of thriving. Walking into most classrooms in Arizona, we see students being taught the basics just to score well on state tests. Those same classrooms are led by teachers who are statistically likely to leave their profession within the first three years of teaching due to barely living wages and overcrowded classrooms.
What if, instead, we saw students practicing robust critical thinking skills required to solve the problems of the world? And those students were being taught by appropriately paid teachers passionately engaging students in the subjects they love so much they decided to make a career of helping students master them. Investing our resources in true reform of the way we deliver education will change the world today and for generations to come.
In A Few Words
- What was the last course, certification or training you took to improve yourself professionally? Change Leadership & Building a Theory of Change
- What would you say is a single characteristic OTHERS might attribute to you that defines your success? Passion
- What is the one thing you feel you could work on professionally to be a greater success? Patience
- What is the one professional skill you have that has gotten you where you are today? Communication
- What is the single greatest issue facing Arizona today? Affordable housing inventory shortfall at every price point!
About Me
Katrina Thurman is a social impact leader with more than 25 years of experience implementing human services programs across the United States. She has led organizations in both small rural communities and in large urban centers. She focuses on identifying unique tools and practices that break the cycle of poverty and help recapture the vast amount of human potential that poverty and inequity leave behind. Thurman’s expertise spans housing, education, workforce development, behavioral health care and more.
Thurman earned an M.A.A. in applied cultural anthropology from the University of Maryland, and a B.A. in organizational communication and Russian from Arizona State University.
Katrina Thurman is Head of Social Impact Strategy at Thrive Services Group.
