Brad Lancaster, Superintendent of Lake Travis Independent School District, joins us again to talk about using Thoughtexchange to give new employees an immediate sense of engagement and belonging.

What value did you get from your exchange?

We had 302 staff members participate in this exchange. This group shared 246 thoughts and those thoughts resulted in 8,494 stars or ratings. I asked this question of our current staff a week before our annual back-to-school Convocation event. During the event, I asked all staff members who were new to our district this year to stand and be recognized. I then shared the “top 10” pieces of advice from their LT colleagues. Although this was just a fun event for the group, the feedback was exceptional and fun. Our new staff members felt genuinely welcomed to the district!

What advice do you have for other people asking this question?

This was a good way to introduce Thoughtexchange to all of our staff. We wanted our staff to know that we will be utilizing this new software this year and this question was a good way to introduce the process as well as welcome our new staff to Lake Travis ISD. Rather than starting with a more serious topic, my advice would be to start with something fun to show how Thoughtexchange works.