When I reflect on the work we are doing in Denver South, it is very apparent that our work is a team effort, involving many different voices and points of view. Our work is best summed up in our “Six C”s:
- Convene – we bring the community together
- Curate – we make sure that the right partners are working together
- Connect – we make sure that groups are linked together and talking
- Collaborate – when groups are connected, they find ways to work together toward solutions and common goals
- Catalyze – we accelerate the work of our partners and community
- Compromise – we work to provide a way forward that is in the interest of all parties
The “C”s form the pillars of our work. They describe the lens through which we work with the community, our Partner Jurisdictions, and area businesses we interact with on a daily basis. Denver South is a resource and convener, bringing all points of view into a regional focus; in doing this, our team can facilitate opportunities individual partners and jurisdictions may not be able to on their own. It’s part of my role at Denver South to help the team think and work from this framework.
A case study of how we leverage the Six Cs to improve our community can be seen through our work helping businesses and organizations navigate the return to the office following Covid. Denver South employers need talented and skilled employees, which are key to maintaining the vital and vibrant community we already enjoy. In the wake of the pandemic, many employers are now offering more flexible work options, to attract and retain this vital talent.
At the same time, Denver South was not immune from the loss of connection that comes from in-person work, which is more difficult to replicate digitally. We have learned the value of connecting in person and have seen that creativity and collaboration are closely tied to, and are fostered by, in-person relationships and interaction. Seeing this, many employers have sought to bring their workforce back to the office, while seeking to provide the flexibility many employees today seek.
As we convened and collaborated with our partners and the Denver South community, we recognized the difficulties many organizations were having in navigating the thorny questions that arose from Return-to-Office policies. Employers struggled with identifying who would be required to return to the office, how company data could be secured with employees working remotely—and perhaps most importantly, how these policies could be implemented legally, ethically, and fairly across an organization.
Seeing this need, and prompted by the Six Cs, our team jumped into action to provide a path forward for the community to follow. Our Transportation team did extensive research to identify the benefits of flexible work from an efficiency, environmental, and personnel perspective and—by connecting with our community—identified the parameters that needed to be set for flexible work options. The end result was the introduction of WRK Denver South, which we have made available as a free resource for our community to leverage as more people return to the office. Through this initiative, we have been able to provide tools and free resources for our community to flourish in spite of the uncertainty we are all still navigating.
We are unsure what the “new normal” will look like following Covid but–as we go about our work together – we know we will be guided by the Six Cs as we work to collaborate with our regional stakeholders to maintain the quality of life we all experience in Denver South. We are confident that, regardless of the final outcome, area companies can find what they need here – choices, for our community, for our workforce and for our businesses.
Tom Brook is President & CEO of Denver South. Tom became President and CEO of Denver South in the spring of 2019 after joining in 2018 to assist with financial reorganization. Since the early 2000’s, Tom has worked in the scale-up and start-up space in Denver in a variety of roles for approximately 20 companies. Outside of work Tom enjoys spending time with his wife and adult children traveling and enjoying the Colorado lifestyle.
