In summer 2015, I picked up Tattoos on the Heart, by Father Greg Boyle. It tells the story of Homeboy Industries, the largest gang intervention, rehab, and re-entry program in the world. Father Boyle writes about the struggles of re-entry and the challenges of running an employment social enterprise (ESE) — but above all, about forgiveness and unconditional love.

At the time, I needed to hear that message. It stuck with me, along with Homeboy’s model and its ability to change lives through hope, training, and support.

Fast forward ten years, and I was in Los Angeles as a REDF Farber Fellow attending Homeboy’s daily morning meeting. Sitting there, I saw forgiveness and unconditional love in action.

This time, I had the opportunity to go deeper.

Over ten weeks with REDF, I partnered with over 50 ESEs in REDF’s Employer Partnerships Affinity Group, immersed in the world of employer engagement — the work of building relationships with permanent employers so ESE graduates can move into quality jobs. Along the way, I rediscovered a sense of purpose for my own career and learned three lessons that will shape how I approach any future role.

1. Scrap your assumptions and get curious.

It’s natural to walk into a new role with assumptions about the people you’ll work with and how you’ll contribute. But stepping into the world of ESEs, entirely new to me, I quickly learned that the best thing I could do was listen and learn. I was encouraged to approach my project with curiosity — exploring the problem, asking questions, and understanding employer engagement from the ground up.

This mindset not only made me a better partner to ESE leaders, it gave me a framework I want to bring to every future role: lead with humility and take the time to really dig in.

2. Bring your humanity to the workplace.

A former boss once gave me this advice, but I didn’t fully understand it until I visited Philadelphia-based PAR-Recycle Works. I arrived far too early (first day jitters) for a meeting, and the team immediately pulled up chairs and started talking with me — not about their credentials, but about who they are, their struggles, and how PAR had transformed their lives. Their honesty and clarity of purpose struck me. They knew themselves deeply, trusted one another, and showed up fully as human beings.

That authenticity strengthened their team and the trust their participants placed in them. It was a powerful reminder that bringing your humanity to work doesn’t just build connection, it builds stronger organizations.

3. We need everyone to buy in.

Today, more than 10 million people in the U.S. are shut out of the economy because of barriers to employment. This is a big challenge, but one we can all play a role in solving. It may be in a direct way: you might work in philanthropy and give unrestricted grants to an ESE, or become an employer partner providing long-term careers for ESE graduates.

But you can also play an important role outside the traditional ESE ecosystem, like advocating within your own organization to hire people overcoming barriers to work or frequenting ESEs as a customer and spreading the word about their mission. This summer, I saw people in all kinds of roles supporting ESEs, and it inspired me to find ways throughout my career to help expand that support system so that these businesses — and the people they employ — can go further.

Employment social enterprises may be one of the best-kept secrets in the social impact world, but they shouldn’t stay that way. I feel lucky to have discovered this community and to have spent a summer learning from it. I leave the Farber Fellowship knowing that I want to pursue a career in workforce development — one where I can stay curious, bring my full self to the workplace, and continue advocating for people overcoming barriers to work. 

— Written by Anna George, Yale School of Management