When I joined Industrious nearly eight years ago, I was debating going back to school for a master’s degree. Not necessarily because I wanted (or needed) to, but because I was stuck attempting a career pivot and I felt an unspoken expectation that an MBA would get me where I needed to be professionally.
To be clear: I did not know where I needed (or wanted) to be professionally.
While I was accepted into a part-time MBA program, I didn’t do it. Why? Because I was afraid I couldn’t commit the time or money while working full-time. Do I regret it? Heck no. I saved tens of thousands of dollars and learned more in my first two years working at Industrious than I could in ten years sitting in a classroom.
I’m not debunking getting an MBA. In fact, I’m an avid supporter of formal education. I also support the idea that education, exposure, and experience should be easily accessible to working professionals. It shouldn’t be a question of, “Do I have time?” or “Can I afford it?” It should simply be something you can say “YES” to.
At Industrious, we’re doing just that. It sounds corny, but we legitimately want to rocket people’s careers forward. We’re not just giving training. We’re giving people opportunities to stretch, explore, and grow in different directions (up, laterally, in place, or even in roundabout ways).
Many people at the company joke that we’re “a little bit nerdy.” 🤓 We write limericks to celebrate each others’ work anniversaries. We’re PUMPED to play a strategy game at the annual company offsite. We play trivia in some form or fashion at least once a year.
I like to describe us as “curious.” We’re eager to learn and understand. We’re compelled to master what’s at hand and then learn the next thing. So yeah, we love learning. We hire smart, curious people. And sure, we’re a little nerdy.
It’s important to invest in that type of person, to nurture that curiosity. They do remarkable things here. They go on to do remarkable things outside of Industrious. If we can play even just a small role rocketing them forward professionally, then we’re grateful to have been part of something bigger than just their Industrious job.
It’s only fitting to our curious nature that we build most of our learning & development programs in-house. We’re really proud of them, we think they’re #SoIndustrious, and our employees get a lot of practical skillbuilding out of them. (At least, that’s what we’ve heard.) We thought we’d share about a few of our signature L&D programs here.
M-Bee-A
Cute, right? No, it’s not a real degree. But we did partner with a real business school to design it.
M-Bee-A is a bespoke, business-minded training program. It’s our version of a mini-MBA: You learn business strategy and frameworks across several disciplines that a real business leader is likely to encounter. Then you apply what you learned over the course of the program to a business scenario and pitch it to executive sponsors in-person at your graduation in NYC.
All the while, you get to network but not in a cringe way. You spend time with your project team — people in different roles who live in different cities that you otherwise never work with — and get access to both company leaders and external experts, learning from their experience and expertise.
Take it from one of our recent graduates. “The training sessions were incredibly valuable — I learned so much and took away practical information that I can apply directly to my role,” they said. “I also loved working with a group of like-minded, high-performing colleagues throughout the program. The networking opportunities were fantastic, especially during the in-person graduation days.”
And what you’re learning isn’t just Industrious speak. It’s strategy, framework, and case studies that hone your ability to make sound business decisions, understand your customer, drive performance, and influence stakeholders — at and beyond Industrious. We balance academic with practical: What you learn is a combination of actual business degree topics and real-world experience from people who have done it themselves.
The cherry on top? It’s free. It’s part of your workday, not your evening family time. If it sounds like exactly what Jacklyn from eight years ago was looking for, you bet it is.
Ops Champs
Ok, this one is very cool. Our Operations team (aka “Ops”) is the core of Industrious. They don’t just run our office spaces, they delight our members and make the Industrious experience what it is. They’re real champs.
The Ops Champs program gives those teammates a structured opportunity to be exposed to, and gain skill in, a specialized area of the business while supporting and influencing their markets in a visible, exciting way.
Our “People Champs” help build learning experiences and attract new talent so we’ve got a strong bench. They engage in talent acquisition and the candidate experience, support onboarding new Industrious teammates into our service culture, and add to the cultural touchpoints during employees’ first few months with the company.
Our “Systems Champs” flex their cross-functional muscles to help experiment and improve our products and member experience. This crew is reenvisioning our member welcome experience, ensuring every Industrious customer is empowered to have their best day at work. Internally, these Champs are helping teammates navigate new technologies to get the job done more efficiently.
The Ops Champs recently attended an offsite at our headquarters in NYC which was described by one Champ as, “Easily a top three experience for me in my years at Industrious. So meaningful, impactful, and digestible.”
While working on real Industrious projects, they’re developing skills they can take anywhere like public speaking, presenting, and critical thinking. Ops Champs also get access to coaching, leadership meetings, and facilitated training to further their professional growth.
Bee-Leaders
Managers have the hardest job because really they have two jobs: do your work and lead a team. Many managers are thrown into the role with little experience or preparation. To be fair, we’ve been guilty of that too. But last year we launched the concept of “Bee-Leaders” alongside a soft skill training for people managers.
Our managers aren’t just managers. They’re leaders. They lead the Industrious way, which is to say they lead with our values first: head (integrity), heart (team), and hands (ownership). This makes them “Bee-Leaders.”
Telling someone to lead with head, heart, and hands is a lot more abstract though than giving them a safe space to practice different communication styles, prioritizing workload, giving good feedback, and driving performance through goal setting and coaching.
That’s what we’ve done. In our Bee-Leaders training, we give managers multiple ways to solidify skills that can otherwise feel mushy. They spend time reflecting independently on tools and thought pieces. They role-play, discuss, and debate in small groups. They all leave the experience with a one-pager of actionable, leadership commitments.
Then we extended the opportunity to non-managers. Because you don’t have to lead a team to be a leader. Lots of our teammates lead projects, locations, or cross functional stakeholders. Being the person who is “herding cats” takes real leadership, especially when none of them report to you.
The best part? We’re developing a common language for how we lead. Feedback is no longer a flimsy chore to be put off. It’s a formula and tool for being clear and kind with your teammates. Communication isn’t a nebulous notion. It’s a strategy for pivoting to different styles, a method for cascading information to the right people in the right way.
One of our Bee-Leaders described it like this: “I feel like I’m entering a whole new level with my team now that they’ve completed the training. Like we’re all on a new foundation for us to further build upon.”
To date, nearly 200 teammates have completed the training. By the end of this year, we’ll be close to 300. Imagine the power of 300 coworkers speaking the same language on how to lead.