Kate Walters, Director of Career Connections at Invest Hamilton County
In the short time I’ve been in this role, I’ve had the honor of connecting with so many of our local businesses, schools, service providers, and community organizations. These conversations have revealed a range of challenges and trends shaping our community—but one theme comes up again and again: the need to grow employability skills and invest in upskilling employees.
With a background in education and workforce development, this area is especially close to my heart. I’ve always been fascinated by career paths and the ways soft skills show up across different roles. The ability to follow up, have difficult conversations, give and receive feedback, and recognize the strengths and weaknesses of a team—these are crucial leadership skills. Yet, they’re often assumed rather than intentionally cultivated.
Hearing from professionals who want to grow and connect with others in similar stages of their journey sparked an idea: what if we created space for those in new leadership roles to be supported and seen?
I often say the world operates like a 5th-grade classroom—everyone deserves respect and dignity, but you can’t assume anyone knows the expectations unless you teach them. Clear expectations, boundaries, communication, and relationship-building are essential in both classrooms and teams.
That philosophy came to life again in a professional development session I attended, which introduced a new approach to leadership. It compared past generations in the workplace to trees—rooted, resilient, and able to weather the elements. But today’s workforce? Think houseplants. Every one of us is unique, and we each thrive under different conditions. We don’t need to be “tougher”—we need to be nurtured. And we need leaders who know how to water their plants.
Our schools do an incredible job preparing students for the future, but leadership is a lifelong journey. Through reflection and community input, we saw a clear need to support those who are just beginning to supervise or are eager to grow in their leadership roles. Those who’ve taken on a high school intern have already shown a desire to mentor—and that’s exactly where we want to start.
That’s why we’re thrilled to host our first Internship Supervisor Training & Networking Event on July 23rd—a space designed to “water the plants” by pouring into new leaders and connecting them with others who are growing too.
Click here for more information and to register. We’d love to see you there!