Blog
Coffee Break
Insights, stories, and thoughts that you can enjoy in under five minutes.
Preparing your workplace for election chaos—no matter the outcome
Tomorrow the United States finishes the most chaotic presidential election of our lifetimes. It’s easy to get lost in the day-to-day news cycle, but taking a step back, consider the unprecedented nature of this cycle…
AI’s Impact on Impact
Regardless of industry, artificial intelligence is one of the hottest topics on everyone’s mind. How will it affect the workforce and economy? How can we use it to upskill our teams and increase our bandwidth? And, perhaps most importantly, how can we ensure we’re using new AI tools for good?
Using GenAI to Enhance Communications: A Recap of our Social Innovation Summit Workshop
The arrival of GenAI to the tech ecosystem offers endless potential for creative problem solving and innovation in the workplace. However, as explored in the Social Innovation Summit 2024 Breakout Workshop “Using GenAI to Enhance Communications,” hosted by 18 Coffees, its enigmatic nature invites ambiguity, and with it, feelings of overwhelm for potential users. “It’s hard to apply generative AI consistently because there is no shared definition of what AI is; there are too many applications and implications,” says 18 Coffee’s Managing Partner Caleb Gardner.
Our Top Highlights from Social Innovation Summit 2024
This June, we had the honor of partnering with Landmark Ventures for our third consecutive year to lead social media and content strategy for their flagship event, Social Innovation Summit 2024 (SIS24) in our hometown Chicago. The conference was a dynamic gathering of thought leaders, philanthropists, global corporate executives, celebrity activists and social entrepreneurs dedicated to driving social impact and scaling change. We were thrilled to meet up with past 18 Coffees clients and Community Partners — it’s an event we look forward to each and every year.
Maximizing Your Enneagram at Work
I’m a millennial woman — of course I know my Enneagram type. I’m a 2 for those wondering, but much like my Zodiac sign or my Myers-Briggs archetype, I didn’t do much digging beyond the basic Type 2 traits once I discovered my particular identifier. When the 18 Coffees team recently found ourselves discussing popular professional assessments as part of our Team Member on a Page exercise, the Enneagram initially didn’t even cross my mind.
Self Care for the Employees Willing to Ask the Hard Questions
As a new Consultant at 18 Coffees, my background as a mental health clinician informs just about every aspect of how I approach client work. After years spent working in hospital settings, I know that mental health and emotional wellbeing are complex issues. Effective approaches to taking good care should honor that by being equally dynamic, thoughtful and honest.
Ahead of a stressful year, I wanted to share my take on effective self-care practices. Read more about how to take better care of yourself.
Reboot Your Network for a Better World
Join us at the Baumhart Center Baumhart Center for Social Enterprise & Responsibility on January 31 to “Reboot Your Network for A Better World”.
Pocket Change: Media, Metacognition, and Management
December’s notes on disruption from 18 Coffees co-founder Caleb Gardner exploring how current events are impacting business.
Five Purpose-Driven Takeaways from Social Innovation Summit 2023
As a community-driven organization, 18 Coffees never passes up the chance to connect with fellow changemakers, and there is no better place to do so than Landmark Ventures’ annual Social Innovation Summit. Here are our top takeaways from #SIS23.
Why Organizations Need Change Management
By embracing change management, organizations can achieve their goals and objectives, while creating a positive work environment for their employees.
Pocket Change: When inclusion is inconvenient
March’s notes on disruption from 18 Coffees co-founder Caleb Gardner exploring the inequities of layoffs within DEI.
Generating Buy-in for Your Change Initiative
18 Coffees sees change management as a must-have skill for today’s leaders. Here’s how to generate key stakeholder buy-in for your change initiative.
Pocket Change: The infrastructure problem
November’s notes on disruption from 18 Coffees co-founder Caleb Gardner digging into the fragility of social infrastructure.
Three Tools to Foster Empathy Among Your Change Team
Leading with empathy is not something that should be overvalued or overlooked, especially while undergoing a major change initiative. Here are three tools to foster empathy among your change team.
Pocket Change: When disruption gets personal
October’s notes on disruption from 18 Coffees co-founder Caleb Gardner exploring personal change and disruption.
Why You Actually Want (Some) Resistors on Your Change Team
Colleagues that are resistant to change might initially sound like a headache — in reality, these resistors can be some of your best assets.
Beyond decision fatigue: Getting started leading change
Leaders often know what needs to change, but don’t have the resources or experience to know how to get change off the ground. They are often scrappy and willing to put in the work—they just need a roadmap.
How to Use a RACI Grid to Your Advantage
A RACI grid, pronounced “racy” and also referred to as a RACI chart or matrix, can be a valuable project management tool when you’re in the early stages of your change initiative. Here’s how to use one.