Meet Sarah Nicole, the human behind Optimal Affect
As we near the close of an incredible year, we are thrilled to share some exciting news with you! We've curated a special treat for our Q4 call, and it involves an incredible speaker who is a catalyst for transformation and positive change.
Meet Our Guest Speaker: Sarah Nicole, Founder and CEO of Optimal Affect!
Sarah's journey, passion, and commitment to fostering positive cultures within organizations have made her a trailblazer in the realm of human resources and organizational development. Her story is one of inspiration, dedication, and a relentless pursuit of creating impactful change.
“I started Optimal Affect on the firm belief that when organizations thrive, individuals find fulfillment and purpose, leading to health and well-being that extends to our communities. By prioritizing workplace culture, employee engagement, and productivity, we unlock the immense potential within organizations, fostering a ripple effect of positive change.”
We had an exclusive interview where Sarah Nicole opened up about her experiences, the driving force behind Optimal Affect, and the impact she envisions for the future.
1. Can you share a bit about you and your journey and what led you to find Optimal Affect?
People have always been my passion and the core of my work. I went to school for social work before focusing my career in human resources and organizational development. Early in my career, I was compelled to understand everything I could about the dynamics between people in organizations, great cultures, and the conditions that enable their success or failure.
I’ve spent time listening to leaders and team members in social services, healthcare, finance, business, arts, mining and trades. I have found that even in the best organizations with the most thriving cultures, there is a pattern of challenges.
Meetings that accomplish little
Change processes that erode trust
Interpersonal conflict or bad feelings
Lost passion and untapped strengths
It doesn’t have to be like this! That’s why I founded Optimal Affect. So that I can use my experiences, knowledge and strengths to help with transformational change. Why “Optimal Affect” and not “Effect”? Because “Affect” represents the active ability we have to create impact. Rather than passively just taking what’s thrown our way.
2. What sparked your passion for working with people and fostering culture change?
It’s the ripple effect of good that’s so important to me. I started Optimal Affect on the firm belief that when organizations thrive, individuals find fulfilment and purpose, leading to health and well-being that extends to our communities. By prioritizing workplace culture, employee engagement, and productivity, we unlock the immense potential within organizations, fostering a ripple effect of positive change.
Successful facilitation takes a great deal of presence to see and hear underlying needs and then take intentional action. These are the tools I bring to my facilitation practice. I have learned to create the conditions that enable groups and organizations to thrive.
I think a big part of the challenge that exists in groups is building alignment. Moving from competing priorities to a place of understanding our common interests and being able to chart the path forward. So my work becomes a lot about how I can make collaboration easy—a positive, fun and energizing experience. I really believe “no one knows everything, but together we know a lot”, so my goal is always to help groups unlock their collective intelligence and potential.
3. What does a human-centred approach to culture change entail, and how does it differ from other methods?
A human-centred approach acknowledges that systems and organizations are made up of individuals. We can’t create change without that change starting on individual levels. It means putting the people most impacted by a problem or challenge at the centre of the solution finding.
When a leader hires me because they have a toxic culture and it’s impacting productivity or causing a host of other issues, I start by talking to the people. We have to build a shared understanding of the real experiences and needs of the people. We have to make sure they’ve felt heard and understood, and then we can engage them in coming up with solutions. When people are part of the solution-finding, we build commitment and support for the work of transformation. When we impose solutions on people, they almost always fall flat.
4. Can you highlight the importance of building trust and leveraging people's strengths in culture change?
To my point above, I would make the bold claim that no positive transformation is even remotely possible without trust and leveraging people's strengths.
5. What will you be covering/speaking about in the FC Q4 call? What can we expect?
Femina represents a push for radical change. Transformation in the mining sector. I’ll talk about the value of critical reflection in accelerating growth and change. Then guide the group in leveraging your collective intelligence as you reflect on the past year and imagine all the good that is to come.
This is your invitation to a journey of reflection, empowerment, and collective intelligence. Be part of this transformative experience as we navigate the past year and envision the positive change that lies ahead.
