Laura Duckett

Laura found her professional home at GCM—twice. She started at GCM early in her career and came back in 2018 knowing exactly the kind of culture she wanted to be a part of. “It’s the GCM values,” she says. As Executive Director of GCM, she works every day to embody those values for her clients and her colleagues.

One example is GCM’s “workplace happiness policy”, something Laura feels really sets the company apart. When people enjoy working together, information flows, creativity flourishes, and even the toughest challenges feel lighter. “When we apply it, work feels easier and more fulfilling.”

For Laura, that shared sense of enjoyment also depends on trust — the confidence that when people commit to something, they will follow through. “Having people do what they say they’re going to do is, to me, something I value a lot,” she explains. Reliability, for her, is a form of respect: when commitments are kept, with setbacks communicated early and openly, teams can depend on one another, and clients know they can count on you.

That trust is closely tied to transparency, another GCM cornerstone. Over the course of her career, Laura came to appreciate how vital it is for information to flow openly and for people to feel included in the conversations that shape their work. At GCM, transparency across levels and departments gives younger team members a real chance to learn. “You get brought into certain discussions—maybe you don’t always have something to contribute—but because those doors aren’t closed, you’re able to see what happens behind them, learn quickly, and be in position to take on more whenever you’re ready.” That openness, she says, builds alignment, confidence, and the sense that everyone is working toward the same goal.

That confidence and alignment is essential in the kinds of organizational changes Laura now helps steer, where conditions are always shifting — new markets opening, broad changes in the economy, or evolving strategic improvement ideas. She doesn’t see these shifts as disruptions, but as opportunities to regroup, communicate what matters, and tighten how the organization works.

“Change gives me energy,” she says. “It’s such a catalyst: for personal growth, and for strengthening an organization. Without it, we miss opportunities to grow.”