Awana Reviews

1. You won’t be valued, but you are expendable. 2. Be comfortable with a lack of clarity and extreme ambiguity in your role. They hired a title, not a qualified person. 3. White males drive the organization. If you’re a woman or a minority ... good luck or just run! 4. You were hired to execute the vision of the CEO. Good luck figuring that one out. 5. You will spend countless hours in pointless and directionless meetings. Bring snacks and have a texting buddy. 6. Leadership believes that dictated obedience is the same as true followership. They think your loyalty is the milk they get for free. Make them earn it. 7. You will encounter so much “mansplaining”. So much! 8. You are not allowed to ask questions. Asking questions is simply a direct assault on the position of the divine appointment of these leaders. Don’t question, just do! 9. Your leaders want you to be their best friend. It’s what you’re really paid to be ... if you want to survive and keep your job. 10. Keep your CV fresh ... this is not a successful place to work. Your job is never a sure thing. They hired you, probably a younger you, and had to let two older and more experienced people go to do it. Enjoy it while it lasts, but start looking for that next assignment on your first day.

The culture at Awana is toxic despite management attempts to turn it around. Layoffs are a regular event and they never seem to affect the executives. If the board wants to implement true change, wouldn't it make sense to start at the top? Several years ago, The Best Christian Workplace Institute labeled Awana as a toxic workplace and the founder of the Institute came out to consult with management about all the issues. Many of the executives who were around at that time are still at Awana. Self-awareness is a critical management skill in any organization but the executives here seem to live in their own bubble and create an us vs. them culture, demeaning those who may have different opinions or perspectives. There are some people who drink the koolaid here and are "all in" with management's approach but there are many of us who recognize the damage that management has done and continues to do.