Trium
Featured Team Member
Learn more about Trium team member John Dixon.
John Dixon
Chief of Staff,
Development Practice,
San Francisco
Biography»
How does your work at Trium fit into your own personal goals and aspirations?
A:I have had the luxury of wearing several hats during my time at Trium. With each new role I've been able to grow, stretch and be challenged in ways that have truly enriched me. If I had to pick a phrase to sum up my the main aspiration of my life it would be: do everything you do with humor and grace. Trium embraces my aspirations and as such, I feel blessed to be here.
I jokingly refer to my title as "Director of Levity" and in a sense, I really believe that it's a fitting title. I feel that one of the reasons I was "brought" to Trium was to help folks take themselves a little less seriously and approach their lives with a bit of reverent irreverence. There needs to be an element of joy in all that we do and I think our clients feel that.
How does Trium fit into your professional and personal goals?
A:When I describe Trium's culture to my friends, many of them are very surprised. A lot of my friends work in rather caustic environments where they have no voice, no power and no connection to the leaders of their companies. When I explain to them the uniqueness of Trium's honest and respect-based culture, they often ask me: "Are they hiring?? I would LOVE to work in a place like that."
It's often hard for people to wrap their heads around the fact that at Trium, my days are filled with positive interactions and amazing conversations based around healthy exchanges of dialogue and trust-based connections.
At the risk of sounding too gushy, I should point out that every work environment has bumps in the road and conflicts do occur, and Trium is no exception to that. But what makes conflicts at Trium unique is that they are dealt with quickly, calmly and with the utmost respect for those involved. These methods of resolution have filtered their way into my personal life and have helped me become a better man, and I have Trium to thank for that.
A professional goal of mine has been to use my theater training to help folks become better people, not just better speakers or better facilitators, but better PEOPLE. Trium has given me a place where I can do that. Not just in the one-on-one sessions I've done with our clients, but also in day-to-day actions with our team.
How has your previous work experience helped you in your role at Trium?
A:I came to Trium from the theater where I had been an acting teacher and stage director, so I had been used to working in really chaotic environments. At times, actors can be difficult and my years of "wrangling" them taught me a great deal about how to be an effective force of calm and focus. In the day-to-day workings of Trium, there isn't much need for "wrangling", but in those moments when we're facing a deadline or in the throes of a difficult conversation at an offsite, my experience from the theater has come in handy.
My work as a director has taught me so much about reading people and having a sense of what they are feeling and thinking. I have spend the better part of 15 years watching people and observing the ways they do or don't take up space in the world, and it has been so wonderful being able to help both our team and our clients approach the lives with fearlessness and live in a way where they really do take up space in the world.it doesn't get better than that.
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"'John' is a common name, but he's anything but common. I'm amazed by his warmth, generosity, and, above all, his sense of humor. During a significant Operations change, he stepped up, tackled the issues and faced every challenge with humor and total commitment. John has great things to teach us all."
— Penny Chew