Adanta Ahanonu is the Chief Program Officer at COOP, and she is the rare leader who has both the heart and the how. She cares enormously about her team AND she has built the structures that make that care show up on an ordinary Tuesday, in a hard week, through a reorg. When we asked what she’d send over if we were sitting in a coffee shop together, these are the three things she reached for. They’re the actual working versions — the same ones her team uses.
From the Helia Library — based on the article Structure Is How You Love Your Team, from a coffee chat with Adanta Ahanonu.
What’s Inside
Two resources, meant to be used in sequence. Start with the life scan — the starter kit is most useful once you know what you’re handing off.
01 — Adanta’s 1:1 Agenda
Her ongoing 1:1 template, with the human check-in built into the top of the page. Use this when you want your 1:1s to hold connection and accountability in the same 30 minutes, every time.
02 — Adanta’s 30-Day Onboarding Plan
The Monday.com board she builds for every new hire — grouped by week and by category, with owners, priority levels, and the actual files attached. Use this when someone’s starting and you want them oriented, connected, and set up in their first month.
03 — Adanta’s RAPID + MOCHA Explainer
The one-pager she wrote when she introduced both frameworks at COOP, explaining which one does what and why the order matters. Use this when projects keep stalling on “wait, whose call is this?”
When Resources and Templates Aren’t Enough
Templates hand you the structure. They can’t tell you which one your team actually needs first, how to introduce something new to a team that’s tired of new things, or what to do when the culture question is really a role question. That’s a conversation.
If You Want Help With Your Culture
Adanta has her hands full at COOP but fear not: Helia Collective Member Leah Peters is amazing at building and repairing culture.
If you’re reading this and thinking “I want to build this foundation but I’m not sure we’re starting from a great place,” or if you already know your team dynamics are off and you need to reset before you can build, Leah is extraordinary at exactly that. She’s spent nearly two decades leading and resetting teams, and she will tell you straight: the leader is always the primary contributing factor. (Ouch. Also: good news, because it means you can do something about it!)
She’s a good fit if:
- You want to intentionally set up structures to drive human connection
- Something is clearly off on your team and you’re not sure where to start
- You’ve been through organizational change and trust needs rebuilding
- You keep having the same conversations over and over and nothing is shifting
- You want someone who will help you own your part and then give you a real path forward
Connect with Leah!
About Adanta
Adanta Ahanonu is a nonprofit executive leader with expertise in program management at the intersection of workforce development and higher education, passionate about creating pathways for underrepresented young adults to access the careers they deserve. She currently serves as the first Chief Program Officer at COOP Careers, a national nonprofit focused on overcoming underemployment for first-generation and low-income college graduates by helping them build the skills, networks, and confidence they need to land their first high quality job.
She grew up in Arizona as the oldest of four, the daughter of immigrants from East and West Africa, and she’ll tell you that the mentors who showed up for her is exactly why building teams where people feel seen and valued isn’t just a leadership approach for her. It’s a through line that runs from kindergarten (yes, she once offered to watch her class while the teacher stepped out — she was five) all the way to the work she does today.
