A Flourishing Workplace Starts with the Same Skills We Teach Our Students
At Positive Education Program, or PEP, in Cleveland Ohio, where I am the CEO, social-emotional learning is as critical in its five Therapeutic Schools as academics. The nonprofit, which has been serving children with behavioral challenges for over 50 years, lives by its mission of supporting young people to overcome and thrive. Its founder and subsequent leaders, including myself, have carefully cultivated a culture, both in the classroom and among staff members, that prioritizes social-emotional skills. It is this culture that allows the entire ecosystem — students and staff alike — to thrive.
Many of our students are learning to manage difficult mental health diagnoses or process traumatic experiences, so the need for SEL among them is obvious. What is perhaps less obvious to some is the absolute necessity of nurturing social-emotional skills in our staff, and the need to cultivate a culture that allows those skills to flourish.
When I took the helm at PEP in July of 2025, I was impressed with the existing strategic framework. Its three core objectives were the right things to prioritize: 1. Optimize existing programs and services, 2. Innovate new programs and services, and 3. Establish a flourishing workplace. The third one, establish a flourishing workplace, is notable because it signifies that a full one-third of the strategy at PEP is directed towards its staff. This objective makes clear that for PEP to meet its mission, it must support its workforce. I also believe that for PEP staff members to leverage the social-emotional skills we have so carefully cultivated, the workplace itself must be stable, reliable and psychologically safe.
Creating this environment is not my work alone and it is not accomplished overnight. It rests with all the leaders of the organization and in the little things we do day in and day out. That said, there are three tactics I've been very intentional about since starting at PEP to nurture this culture.
Being Present
I've deliberately spent purposeful time being visible, being engaged and listening to the people who do the work. In my first six months, I made 37 visits to our programs and another 59 visits to team meetings. That kind of presence is really an exercise in social awareness. You can't respond to what people need if you haven't taken the time to notice it.
Nancy Gecking, the principal at one of our Therapeutic Schools, says this kind of engagement is making a difference.
"I've seen the culture at our school begin to shift," she says. "The work is still really, really hard but staff feel more appreciated and more seen — not just from Eric but from all the staff at Central Office. There is less of an 'us versus them' mentality."
Activating Aspiration
As I mentioned, when I came to PEP there was already a strong strategic framework; however, the work to activate that framework was in its infancy. I saw it as my role to lead that activation, and to articulate how we were going to do it. One of PEP's five values is aspiration, but for staff to have that aspiration, they need to know what we're aiming for.
Too often, a strategic plan is published and celebrated but then it is quickly shelved. It collects dust on a bookshelf. At PEP, I began regularly sharing the strategies and ideas that would move the agency forward and asking for feedback. At one series of meetings, I invited every staff person to share their ideas on notecards and return them to me. I received more than 700 responses. Building that kind of two-way channel is its own social-emotional skill and takes real collaboration, not just top-down direction.
When staff members can see that forward motion and commitment to the framework, and when they know their feedback matters, they become committed to that forward motion. They tap into their aspirations. Denise Milner, principal at another of our Therapeutic Schools, put it this way to me: "You are bringing forward a culture of, 'We're not just talking about it; we're doing it.'"
Recently, Denise was selected to participate in an agency-wide group exploring PEP's core competencies and how they line up with the agency's values. "To be part of this core competency group after having talked about our values in past meetings was gratifying," she said. "There is action. There is a plan. There is follow-up."
Communicating My Observations
The leadership team and I could work tirelessly toward our aspirations, but if we aren't sharing that work with everyone at the agency, we're missing a tremendous opportunity. It’s not just about doing the work; it’s about sharing the details.
Years ago, when I was superintendent of a large metropolitan school district during the COVID-19 pandemic, I read an article that still shapes how I think about my leadership today. The key message was that in difficult times, leaders must lead with bounded optimism and deliberate calm. It's a phrase I've never forgotten, in part because it's really a description of self-management and the importance of being grounded and honest at the same time. I've maintained that mindset at PEP, staying deliberate about giving staff regular updates, celebrating wins openly, and naming challenges just as openly.
Eric Gordon is the CEO of Positive Education Program in Cleveland, Ohio. Previously he served as the CEO of Cleveland Metropolitan Schools from 2011 to 2023. Eric serves on the Board of CREATE.
CREATE for Education is an expert provider of evidence-based programs to help educators cultivate resilience and well-being to support student success.We have expertise in Adult SEL, Empowering Youth, Restorative Practices and Systems Transformation. Contact us to learn more about how we can help you reduce teacher stress, improve teacher wellness, and create healthier and more caring schools for all.