Reinventing the Way We Build Homes and Communities with Matthew Marshall
May 21, 2024
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Matthew Marshall, Co-Founder of New Story, discusses their mission to end the global housing crisis through innovative sustainable housing solutions. They explore workplace culture, effective leadership, and emotional health to achieve organizational goals.
Creating sustainable housing solutions by empowering local markets over traditional charity models.
Prioritizing stakeholder benefits in housing initiatives to drive lasting change and win-win situations.
Establishing cultural practices like values calls and recognition to foster team connection and transparency.
Emphasizing authentic and specific praise tied to core values for a positive organizational culture.
Deep dives
Shift to Focus on Core Problems in Housing
The organization, New Story, shifted its approach to tackle core problems in the housing space. Instead of just working with local nonprofits, they now focus on the local marketplace to drive long-term impact. This change was driven by the realization that to truly make a difference, they needed to address root issues and create sustainable solutions, going beyond traditional charity models.
Empowering Local Markets for Sustainable Impact
New Story adopted a philosophy that empowers local markets for sustainable impact in housing. By prioritizing the role of the customer as the payer at scale and the local market as the doer at scale, they aim to create win-win situations for developers, families, and government entities. This shift aims to create lasting change by ensuring that all stakeholders benefit from their initiatives.
Cultural Practices Fostering Connection and Transparency
The organization has established cultural practices to build strong connections and transparency within the team. Weekly values calls where team members shout out colleagues for exemplifying shared values promote a culture of recognition and appreciation. Other practices like one-on-one hangouts, in-person summits, external speaker sessions, and thorough onboarding processes reinforce a sense of belonging, learning, and collaboration.
Prioritizing Praise and Recognition for Team Well-Being
New Story recognizes the importance of praise and recognition in fostering team well-being. By implementing practices that celebrate achievements, individuals' contributions, and personal connections within the team, they prioritize creating a positive organizational culture. This emphasis on appreciation and support helps cultivate a work environment where team members feel valued, motivated, and part of a cohesive community.
Importance of Authentic and Specific Praise
Authentic and specific praise is highlighted as crucial, emphasizing the need for genuine and specific feedback over generic acknowledgments. Tying praise to core values reinforces the significance of authenticity in recognition, aiming to align praise with the organization's values for enhanced meaning and impact.
Creating Personal Connections through 'Hang Tens'
The concept of 'Hang Tens' is introduced as a strategy to foster personal connections by providing opportunities for open sharing and understanding among team members. By creating a safe space for transparency and vulnerability, leaders can encourage honest dialogue and build trust within the team, bridging communication gaps and addressing individual perspectives effectively.
Benefits of Summits for Team Building
Summits, or retreats, are discussed as valuable for team building through shared experiences and intimate interactions. The podcast explores the transformative power of shared meals and moments of vulnerability, such as seeing individuals before and after sleep, which humanize relationships and strengthen bonds. Engaging in activities that break down workplace barriers, foster connection, and promote authenticity is emphasized for cultivating a positive organizational culture.
Matthew Marshall is the Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer of New Story — a nonprofit pioneering solutions to end the global housing crisis. He serves on two nonprofit boards, CNU Atlanta and Citymakers Collective — a nonprofit teaching aspiring citymakers the holistic design principles of resilient, beautiful, and prosperous places. He holds a BBA from the University of Georgia and is a Y Combinator alumni, a World Economic Forum Global Shaper alumni, and Forbes’ 30 Under 30 leader.
This week, Barrett talks with Matthew about his experiences in countries like Haiti, Belize, Ghana, and Peru, and how that led to co-founding a nonprofit focused on the global housing crisis. They discuss New Story’s mission to provide real generational change, and their innovative approach to sustainable housing. They also explore the intricacies of creating a meaningful workplace culture, effective leadership, and how emotional health and authentic connection helps achieve organizational goals.
In this episode:
[00:00] - Intro
[07:22] - The heart and “why” of New Story
[12:30] - How Matthew and his co-founders decided what mission to pursue
[17:34] - Working with purpose
[28:40] - Building a culture of innovation and impact at New Story
[50:30] - Practices and habits of a strong organizational culture
[57:07] - The power of praise in an organization
[59:53] - Defining organizational values and culture
[01:03:18] - Building community through shared experiences
[01:10:28] - Navigating difficult conversations with emotional intelligence
[01:16:52] - Growing as a leader and the importance of voice
[01:29:42] - Foundational habits for sustaining performance
[01:34:59] - The significance of roots and community in personal and professional life
