Biggest Challenges Faced By A Senior Curriculum Development Manager At Code.org
Amy's biggest challenge as a fully remote Senior Curriculum Development Manager at Code.org is maintaining human connection, stating that "it feels as a presenter really hard to...speak to yourself in your own house," and relying heavily on scheduling extra time for informal conversations to replicate the spontaneous interactions of an in-person office environment. This difficulty in navigating remote communication contrasts with the work-life balance benefits of remote work, highlighting the complexities of a fully remote career.
Communication, Remote Work, Teamwork, Leadership, Presentation Skills
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Amy Berkhoudt Woodman
Sr. Curriculum Development Manager
Code.org
Point Loma Nazarene University - 2009
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor - MA in Education Policy & Leadership
Creative Writing, Journalism
Technology
Product / Service / Software Development and Management
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Student Athlete, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. The challenge of remote work and maintaining human connection in a virtual environment
2. The importance of soft skills in leadership, such as reading body language and building rapport, even in remote settings
3. The use of intentional strategies to foster team cohesion and communication, such as scheduling informal chats and virtual coffee breaks
Transcript
What is your biggest challenge in your current role?
This is the first role I've ever had where I'm fully remote, which is a huge challenge for me. As I mentioned earlier, there are a lot of soft skills involved in getting people on the same page and moving towards the same vision.
I'm used to being in a room where I can read people's body language. I could gauge if they had their coffee, or if we could have some banter before a big presentation.
When working remotely, you only rely on Zoom. As a presenter, it feels very difficult to just speak to yourself in your own house, hoping that what you're saying is landing with the audience. I think that's a huge challenge, especially since I do so much pitching.
I pitch to our leadership team, our cross-functional teams, and the people working within my own team. Sometimes I'm even leading a conference session, and I'm totally on Zoom. So, there are a lot of things I have to do to ensure human connection is possible beyond just Slack.
I actually schedule time with my teammates to just chat about life. These are the in-between moments you'd normally have, like walking to get coffee with a colleague or stopping by someone's desk and noticing a picture of their child. You don't really get that in a remote environment.
I think this is a shift many people are making as they work more remotely. On the flip side, working remotely has wonderful perks. I don't have to wear hard pants anymore. I can drop my kid off at preschool and come home, and then turn my video off to eat my lunch.
Those sorts of things are nice perks. But on the other hand, the human connection has been tough to just not have.