Has potential but has significant leadership challenges - Avis employé Director Catalyst

I had the privilege of working at Catalyst for 16 months, and it was a very rewarding experience. The small team I had the privilege of being a part of was incredibly supportive, fostering collaboration and a true sense of camaraderie. Though the organization, and my department specifically, went through a lot of change over my 16 months at the company, I felt the changes made sense strategically for the organization and were necessary for long term success of the org. My department had recently joined the larger marketing team and it was a shift I was excited about. I was very impressed with the leadership from the new Chief Marketing Officer as he genuinely cared about the team's culture and dynamic, in addition to its overall success. I think there are so many exciting things to come under his leadership. Another highlight of my time was contributing to the company's mission, which is both meaningful and important. The work we did at Catalyst truly made a difference, and it was inspiring to be a part of an organization dedicated to such impactful initiatives. There are so many kind and hard working people at this company, all driven by a shared commitment to a purposeful mission. It was wonderful to be a part of that. Additionally, as a working mom, I was grateful Catalyst offered a very flexible work schedule, allowing for a healthy work-life balance, and the flexibility I needed. The 35 hour work week was also a fantastic perk!

Opportunities for improvement within the org: I was looking for more career path opportunities and opportunities for longer term growth. I also think continuing to hone in on the best way to solicit employee feedback as well as communicate out updates and other important information out to the broader team, will be helpful. There are also some overly complex processes that hinder being able to move quickly or get decisions made.

The positive aspects of this company are gone, after a descent into toxicity.

Myopic self-interest. Gross ineptitude. Whole teams running on fumes. Layoffs year after year, with seemingly no coherent strategy to continue building, growing, or evolving the organization. I got the sense that leadership did not realize the huge losses of institutional knowledge happening with these layoffs. Often, there was no one left to run vital functions. Employees did as much as they could to fill the gaps, and some leaders even tried to ask smart questions and share new ideas (these leaders have since been laid off). But there were just too many gaping holes created by the organizational strategy. I had panic attacks weekly, and sometimes daily, from working here. As an employee I felt bullied, expendable and devalued. It's a very confusing shift in the organization's environment, given that the research is focused on creating positive and productive work cultures, and for a many years Catalyst was a good place to work. No longer. This is my experience. I would not recommend anyone work here.