Philly’s People Managers
Are Set Up to Burn Out
In Philly's civic and public sectors, it is common to throw new people managers straight into the fire. The job demands exceptional productivity and elite management skills but offers minimal training, pay, and mentorship.
The challenge of managing people is only getting more complex as:
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Public service budgets swing in and out of limbo
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Remote work makes trust-building harder
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New generations and demographics enter the workforce
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Residents demand higher standards of care and ethics in public services
Why It Matters
This phenomenon is actively deteriorating our public services and creating a situation where Philadelphia’s most vulnerable populations—children, minorities, and low-income families—continue to be failed by the system.
This isn't just inconvenient - it's a serious risk to our city's essential infrastructure as we brace for more extreme times - another pandemic, climate disaster, recession, or major event like the FIFA World Cup.
Train Managers to Thrive,
Not Just Survive
It's time to upgrade how we train managers on the hardest part: managing people and change.
What's Missing
1. Tailor Curriculum to People Managers in Civic Orgs
These are the people that need it most - those delivering the services Philly residents rely on every day.
Current professional development programs need a critical upgrade:
2. Help Managers Apply the Skills with Coaching
People managers need someone outside their organization - a coach - who can be an honest, persistent mentor helping them apply the skills they learn in trainings.
3. Teach Humor, Vulnerability, Curiosity as Core Competencies
These skills are hard to teach, but worth the squeeze. They help managers overcome insecurity and conflict, transforming them into more confident, grounded managers that people love working with.
A New Fellowship
We're building an eight-month fellowship to grow exceptional people managers for Philly's civic organizations and public agencies.
Our vision is to prepare leaders who:
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Feel confident and secure in their ability to lead other people
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Stay sharp, resilient, grounded through tough situations
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Build lasting relationships with their coaches and peers
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Defy the odds and stay committed to public service
Elevate People Management Skills
Fellows will experience group training and 1-on-1 coaching on these 9 core competencies:
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Hiring, restructuring jobs to fit the moment
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Addressing conflict proactively
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Thinking critically in high-pressure situations
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Listening actively to yourself and others
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Incorporating frequent feedback into regular routines
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Motivating people that don’t think or look like you
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Building trust through humor, vulnerability, curiosity
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Influencing change without being in charge
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Executing when budget, resources are tight
Harness Comedy to Enhance Skills
Leslie Knope and other characters can help us see the truths about ourselves and our coworkers that are hard to see in the heat of our day-to-day jobs.
Local comedians will help us use familiar TV characters to practice realistic scenarios that we will encounter as people managers.
Fellowship Structure
The inaugural fellowship will span eight (8) months and will require 10-15 hours per month alongside your current job. It includes:
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Monthly cohort-based skill trainings (12-15 other Fellows)
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Weekly 1-on-1s with your coach to apply these skills in your current job
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Two formal observations and skill evaluations
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Informal peer exchanges and hangouts
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Occasional weeknight or Saturday trainings or events
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Independent reading time
It’s not designed to be easy - it’s designed to work.
Time, Cost, Accessibility
Tentative Dates
Fall 2026 - Spring 2027
Locations
Trainings will be a mix of remote and in-person, with on-site sessions held in Center City Philadelphia, accessible via SEPTA regional rail.
Fees
Free. Covered by local donors and foundations.
You may use professional development funds from your employer to off-set the costs, but it is not required.
Eligibility Criteria
We are looking for candidates who:
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Currently manage 2+ people directly
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Indirectly supervise 4+ people on a daily (via contracts or org structure)
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Work for a non-profit, government agency, contractor, or B Corp focused on improving quality of life in Greater Philadelphia
Our Philosophy
To experience genuine professional growth and camaraderie,
Fellows must commit to these principles:
About Us
We're a collective of Philly-based non-profit managers and executives who believe that people managers are a critical link to improving our city's public services. In our past jobs, we have witnessed the squeeze on these managers and actively established training and mentoring systems to invest in these future leaders.
At a time when there is an abundance of literature, training programs, MBA courses, professional development stipends, we are asking: how much of it reaches public servants who need it most? We question whether existing programs are practical or effective in the high-pressure, ethically complex world of public service.
Our goal is to experiment - to take risks with training and application techniques so that the local civic sector can learn how to support these leaders thoughtfully, not just pay lip-service to professional development.
Coaches & Facilitators Bios
Coming Soon
Nominate a Fellow
Help us find the future leaders who could thrive with this type of support.
Open a new door for their growth.
We'll contact nominees, walk them through the structure and interview process, and keep you updated on selections.
Round 2 Deadline: Friday, March 13
Take the Survey
Tell us about your experience! What's the environment like where you work? How equipped, supported to you feel in managing your staff?
We are taking an honest pulse from leaders like you about what it is like to manage people in civic organizations in Greater Philadelphia.
Your honesty here will help us design better training programs to support people managers in tough times.
Your responses are anonymous. They will not be traced back to you.
This survey will take approximately 5 minutes.