How Nugget is Creating an Environment Where Team Members Can Grow and Thrive
“The relationship that employees have with their managers at work is one of the most important contributors to overall job satisfaction and retention, and by investing in our managers and helping them grow and learn, our entire company will benefit long-term.”
Caroline DeConto, Director of Talent and Culture
Nugget is a kids furniture company with a mission of making furniture for growing imaginations. Their team is made up of more than 100 people in 40 different roles, and two locations. From product designers to production coordinators, each team member contributes to a larger-than-life goal that’s about as playful and fun as it gets: bringing imagination and wonder into daily life, for kids, parents, and even ourselves.
Nugget was named America’s No. 1 Fastest-Growing Manufacturing Company by Inc 500 in 2020 and 2021. As Nugget began to reach this critical moment in their growth, leaders wanted to keep the momentum going by investing in manager development, which led them to 15Five.
We spoke to Caroline DeConto, Director of Talent and Culture at Nugget, about the decision to choose 15Five.
What was the primary reason for choosing 15Five?
At Nugget, we put a lot of time and thought into our decision-making process when determining what software tools, training, or resources we invest in! We did a lot of research and explored several other options before deciding on 15Five, but in the end, it was a fairly easy decision for us.
There were a lot of reasons that we decided to go with 15Five, but the one that stands out the most is that our team felt super aligned with 15Five’s Best Self Philosophy and science-based, data-driven approach to employee development and performance. We are really passionate about creating an environment at Nugget where our team members can grow and thrive — both personally and professionally! I’m personally not a big fan of the term “work-life balance”, because it implies that the two can be separated, which couldn’t be more untrue (if you’re not convinced – go binge Severance on Apple TV+).
15Five’s approach to helping managers facilitate ongoing, meaningful conversations with their team that address the employee as a whole person really resonated with us — not only because the research shows that it’s the right thing to do to increase employee job performance (which it does, of course), but also because we believe that treating each other well and investing in people is the right thing to do, period!
Additionally, we really liked that with 15Five we were able to utilize the Transform / Manager Training AND the software platform together, providing a more holistic, consistent, and integrated approach to helping our managers gain the skills and the tools they need to support their teams well.
We also really like all of the resources that 15Five’s Support team provides! They really give you a lot of tools (videos, PDFs, guides) that I can share with my team to get them trained on using the software tools and platform… but it also goes beyond that to Best Practices and really awesome tips and tricks.
So far, what has been the best part about working with 15Five? What kind of improvements, if any, have you seen?
I think that even in the short amount of time that we’ve been participating in the Live Manager Training (Skills Intensives and Group Coaching), we’ve already seen our management team grow closer as a group! We decided to have all levels of managers, from our Executive team to managers-in-training, go through the Transform program together. It’s been awesome for our team to be able to connect with leaders in other departments and have open, honest conversations about our individual strengths and areas of opportunity!
I’ve had several managers share how they were surprised and excited to learn that other managers are facing similar challenges, and to see them helping each other learn, grow, and develop leadership skills together. The 15Five coaches are really great facilitators, and the way they engage the whole team, create a safe space for everyone to participate, and are helping us create shared context across the organization is making us stronger as a team.
Why is manager training and coaching important to you and your team?
It’s really important to us that each employee at Nugget has a consistent experience when it comes to ongoing development, 1:1’s, and performance reviews. By having our whole leadership team participate in the Transform program together, we are creating that consistent, shared context and foundation for what it means to support employees at Nugget. The relationship that employees have with their managers at work is one of the most important contributors to overall job satisfaction and retention, and by investing in our managers and helping them grow and learn, our entire company will benefit long-term.
What would you say to someone looking into buying manager training and coaching for their organization?
A company’s greatest resource is its people. Every team is composed of individuals whose skills, knowledge, creativity, energy, and motivation to drive results will determine whether or not your company will be successful. Do you want to experience company growth or increase sales? Overcome unexpected challenges and setbacks? Innovate and become a leader in your industry? Invest in your people! And there’s really no better way to invest in your people than by investing in developing your management team. Paying competitive salaries and offering great benefits are important, of course, but an employee’s job satisfaction and performance are directly linked to the quality of the manager-employee relationship. If you want your team to be able to grow, develop, and thrive — investing in your managers is the best way to do that.
15Five specifically will partner with you to understand your company’s core values, what challenges you are currently facing, and customize your Manager Training plan to meet your specific team’s needs. We decided to go with the Live version, and I would highly recommend it. We were initially on the fence about whether or not to do the Hybrid model, but after a coaching session we had the other day, our Chief Business Officer, Molly, literally came up to me and said, “I am SO GLAD we decided to go with Live”, and I totally agreed. Being able to have facilitated conversations among managers across the organization has been invaluable.
Develop high-performing managers with Transform from 15Five
With 15Five, you can simultaneously upskill your managers, increase employee engagement, and drive business results. Managers can learn how to leverage their strengths, set objectives, motivate their teams, drive performance, and provide coaching and feedback that fosters growth.
