Investing in Our People: Kirkwood Leadership Academy Part 1
What if your job invested in your growth—and meant it?
At Clickstop, we don’t just talk about growth and opportunity, we build it with you.
Leadership is a critical skill that grows our business and our people. Whether someone formally leads team members or informally leads their peers, we invest in growing current and future leaders.
This spring, three of Clickstoppers seized the opportunity to be a part of the Kirkwood Leadership Development Academy. Below is part one of our three-part story series about their experiences. First, meet Cooper Smith…
Seizing Opportunity, From Day One
Cooper’s journey shows what happens when someone seeks growth and follows through. His career started with us when he was in high school and worked on our Manufacturing team. A few years later, he saw an opportunity to join our Technology team and went for it.
“You have to seek opportunities; they won’t fall into your lap,” said Cooper. “I have lived that out here by seeking an opportunity to move to the Technology team while I was on the Manufacturing team with no college experience.”
Today, Cooper is a systems administrator on our Technology team. Every day requires him to collaborate across our entire business to provide scalable solutions for our teams. Because of his need to be an informal leader in that work, Cooper mentioned his interest in leadership development to his manager. When the opportunity to join Kirkwood’s Academy came, he and his manager knew he wanted to raise his hand.
A Different Definition of Leadership
Cooper didn’t walk into the Academy thinking of himself as a traditional leader, especially since he didn’t have any direct reports.
But one instructor flipped that thinking.
“In one of the classes, the instructor talked about how everyone is a leader, because we all influence somebody,” Cooper shared. “I hadn’t thought about it like that before.”
That simple statement sparked a mindset shift that stayed with him after the program.
Putting Growth into Practice
After each class, Cooper returned to work with a fresh set of insights and a growing awareness of how his actions shaped the people and environment around him. He reflected on how he gave feedback and advocated for the best solutions for teams and the business.
According to his manager, Kara, that shift was noticeable.
“Cooper has been able to take what he learned and apply it to how he works,” she said. “He’s shared parts of his journey with the team and used the experience to reflect on how he wants to move forward.”
His growth has gone beyond personal development. The skills he’s built, like giving effective feedback and developing emotional intelligence, help him build stronger relationships, support teammates, and contribute to an accountability-focused culture.
The investment in Cooper isn’t a one-time transaction. It’s an investment in his transformation as a person and employee-owner.
At Clickstop, growth isn’t just encouraged, it’s supported, talked about, and celebrated. Investing in employees’ development isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s something we’re committed to.
As Kara put it: “It’s important to talk about what the employee is seeking to grow in skills and then look for opportunities to give them that space. That means having ongoing conversations, making sure they know there’s room to grow in different areas, and supporting them through both the milestones and the hurdles.”
What Could Your Story Look Like?
Investing in our people has a direct impact on our ability to achieve our mission: to create a business that is sustainable, enjoyable, and provides opportunity for those who seek it.
This is what growth and opportunity can look like—if you’re ready to pursue it.
Feeling inspired to start your next chapter?
View our open roles or tell us what you’re seeking through our Opportunistic posting.