Get to know Electives teacher Rachel Pacheco, who teaches Team Dynamics and Decision-Making, Supporting Long Term Development, Managing for Performance, Effective Feedback Conversations, just to name a few. Enjoy our conversation with Rachel below!

Q: How did you get to where you are in your career focusing on team development and manager training? 
Rachel: I started my career in management consulting. And over the course of 5-6 years working on a number of projects and working abroad, I decided to go back to school - first, getting an MBA and doing a bit of work after that. Then, I realized that I loved going deeper into problems and issues that organizations face and individuals face when working in such organizations.

So I went back to Wharton and did a PhD; my PhD focused on power and conflict in large teams and understanding things like diversity as well as differences in communications and trust can impact power and conflict. 

Today, my primary role is on the faculty of Wharton and soon to be Georgetown. My real passion lies in helping managers build skills and capabilities to manage their day to day better. I spend time in my teaching and workshops to give managers tactical tools to perform better in their day to day and to make their teams’ lives better.

Q: How did manager training and team development become areas of interest for you? 

Rachel: I would say it’s two-fold. 

One was an excellent manager while I was the Chief of Staff for a CEO at a startup. I found her commitment to development and hard conversations and effective feedback to be powerful. That opened my eyes to the ways that managers can shape not only individual behavior but also team dynamics.

Second, I'm sure this has shaped many people and that is the experience of having a horrible manager - another person I worked closely with did not prioritize being a good manager. I saw how the team and organization suffered as a result of his poor management.

There is this common trope that people quit culture, not organizations, but I think people quit managers. Managers have such an impact on individuals’ happiness and engagement. And if managers are not doing great, people will leave – it’s not just culture. People are no longer willing to put up with poor management.

Q: What inspired you to become an Electives teacher focusing on manager training and team development?

Rachel: I love bringing specific and tactical tools to organizations: having ways for employees, managers, and leaders to immediately change what they are doing after a class. I really feel that this is where I can make a difference in the world. So, with Electives, I found an amazing team who works closely with organizations; my scale is greater with Electives. I can reach more people and more organizations and share with them my knowledge so they can be better at work.

Q: What do you hope employees gain from attending your Electives classes on manager training and team development? 
Rachel: I hope every attendee can leave with the knowledge of how they can change what they are doing immediately. What can you start doing this afternoon or tomorrow based on what we just learned today? I hope people leave with a great experience, deeper understanding, a greater sense of self, but also practical tools that they can immediately practice during their day to day. 

Q: What advice do you give to leaders who want to invest in manager training? 

Rachel: I would say the number one thing we can do is to listen more so we can have better conversations. We think we know what our team members want and we think we know what our managers need but we don’t actively listen to them. The second thing is to understand that great management skills can be built from the first day of your very first job. 

Management skills like having effective feedback conversations, managing conflict, understanding people’s motivations are so critical and these are skills that can be learned without having a direct report. Leaders can start to build management skills early on in someone’s career so that when they become a first time people manager, skills are already there instead of learning on the fly.

Get to know Electives teacher Rachel Pacheco, who teaches Team Dynamics and Decision-Making, Supporting Long Term Development, Managing for Performance, Effective Feedback Conversations, just to name a few. Enjoy our conversation with Rachel below!

Q: How did you get to where you are in your career focusing on team development and manager training? 
Rachel: I started my career in management consulting. And over the course of 5-6 years working on a number of projects and working abroad, I decided to go back to school - first, getting an MBA and doing a bit of work after that. Then, I realized that I loved going deeper into problems and issues that organizations face and individuals face when working in such organizations.

So I went back to Wharton and did a PhD; my PhD focused on power and conflict in large teams and understanding things like diversity as well as differences in communications and trust can impact power and conflict. 

Today, my primary role is on the faculty of Wharton and soon to be Georgetown. My real passion lies in helping managers build skills and capabilities to manage their day to day better. I spend time in my teaching and workshops to give managers tactical tools to perform better in their day to day and to make their teams’ lives better.

Q: How did manager training and team development become areas of interest for you? 
Rachel: I would say it’s two-fold. 

One was an excellent manager while I was the Chief of Staff for a CEO at a startup. I found her commitment to development and hard conversations and effective feedback to be powerful. That opened my eyes to the ways that managers can shape not only individual behavior but also team dynamics.
Second, I'm sure this has shaped many people and that is the experience of having a horrible manager - another person I worked closely with did not prioritize being a good manager. I saw how the team and organization suffered as a result of his poor management.
There is this common trope that people quit culture, not organizations, but I think people quit managers. Managers have such an impact on individuals’ happiness and engagement. And if managers are not doing great, people will leave – it’s not just culture. People are no longer willing to put up with poor management.

Q: What inspired you to become an Electives teacher focusing on manager training and team development?
Rachel: I love bringing specific and tactical tools to organizations: having ways for employees, managers, and leaders to immediately change what they are doing after a class. I really feel that this is where I can make a difference in the world. So, with Electives, I found an amazing team who works closely with organizations; my scale is greater with Electives. I can reach more people and more organizations and share with them my knowledge so they can be better at work.

Q: What do you hope employees gain from attending your Electives classes on manager training and team development? 
Rachel: I hope every attendee can leave with the knowledge of how they can change what they are doing immediately. What can you start doing this afternoon or tomorrow based on what we just learned today? I hope people leave with a great experience, deeper understanding, a greater sense of self, but also practical tools that they can immediately practice during their day to day. 

Q: What advice do you give to leaders who want to invest in manager training? 
Rachel: I would say the number one thing we can do is to listen more so we can have better conversations. We think we know what our team members want and we think we know what our managers need but we don’t actively listen to them. The second thing is to understand that great management skills can be built from the first day of your very first job. 

Management skills like having effective feedback conversations, managing conflict, understanding people’s motivations are so critical and these are skills that can be learned without having a direct report. Leaders can start to build management skills early on in someone’s career so that when they become a first time people manager, skills are already there instead of learning on the fly.

CHECK OUT RACHEL'S ELECTIVES

Electives teacher Rachel Pacheco focuses on manager training and team development. Learn how these became areas of interest for her.

Meet Electives Teacher Rachel Pacheco: Expert on Manager Training and Team Development

Mon Jul 18 2022

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