Sprout Social Career Growth & Development

How does your team cultivate a culture of learning, whether that’s through hackathons, lunch and learns, access to online courses or other resources?

We approach learning as a core part of who we are, not just something nice to have. Teams get real support for growth through budgets for books, courses, certifications and conferences, plus subscriptions to educational content. We also run internal workshops, bring in guest speakers and hold regular lunch and learns. When you work with your manager on career development, learning opportunities are a key component of mapping your path forward. Your growth plan will identify specific skills and knowledge areas you need to advance in, backed by resources to get there. 

Valuable learning also happens through collaboration. Remote teams gather at our headquarters twice a year for focused time together, and our Slack-heavy culture offers ongoing knowledge-sharing. You’ll find channels for projects, technology topics like #talk-ai, and interest-based communities from do-it-yourself projects to cycling to gardening. Our community resource groups, like Underrepresented Genders In Tech, host events, connect peers and present monthly companywide sessions. Learning isn’t on the side at Sprout; it’s embedded into how we work and grow.

How does this culture positively impact the work your team produces?

Our culture of learning and collaboration drives better work and faster results. When everyone’s growing and sharing knowledge, we move faster by brainstorming unique solutions and tapping into our collective experience to work smarter. Learning inspires new thinking; oftentimes, the best way to solve a hard problem is to see it through a different lens. Whether from a new framework, a conference or even an insight from a hobby channel, fresh ideas open possibilities we might not have considered.

We build on each other’s discoveries instead of reinventing the wheel, sharing breakthroughs through Slack and workshops so that they become part of our problem-solving toolkit. When a developer tries a new testing approach or someone returns from an AI conference, that knowledge spreads quickly. Biannual office gatherings and ongoing digital connections ensure we’re not in silos, pulling from a wider pool of experience. By testing and experimenting, we foster innovation and creative thinking, leading to solutions that are more effective than any one person could produce alone.

What advice would you give to other engineers or engineering leaders interested in creating a culture of learning on their own team?

Learning happens in two ways — planned and organic — and we often underestimate how powerful the organic stuff can be. Books, courses and conferences are valuable, but some of the most impactful learning is spontaneous. Think about pairing with a peer and suddenly seeing their workflow, or talking through a problem and having that “aha moment” when it clicks. Those moments stick because learning shifts from abstract ideas to practical application, becoming invaluable experience instead of just information.

My advice for engineering leaders is to be intentional about building and supporting a sense of community. Become the facilitator. Introduce people, connect teams and encourage curiosity about how others work and what problems they’re solving. Your job is to create conditions for spontaneous learning through informal pairing sessions, cross-team Slack channels or unstructured time to connect. Budgets and workshops matter, but the magic happens when casual conversations spark new ideas. You’re not teaching directly; you’re creating the space for people to teach each other.