Blog – Events
Insights Discovery: New insights into team effectiveness By John Sarvay | November 27, 2012
More than 700 of our friends and clients have utilized the Insights Discovery® self-awareness tool to explore their personal effectiveness at work, and we continue to introduce the instrument to organizations throughout Richmond. Recently, we've started digging into Insights' Team Effectiveness model. Color us impressed.
Built around the Insights color wheel, the cornerstone to the personal discovery work, the team effectiveness model suggests that effective teams leverage four sets of core competencies to do great work. The Insights Team Effectiveness model includes targeted activities to help teams identify and prioritize their own unique behavioral norms -- and opportunities for growth.
FOCUS: A focused team has a clear, shared sense of direction -- and they understand their vision and goals. Keeping their attention focused on specific deliverables, the team is eager to take action, move forward in concrete ways, and hold themselves accountable for their commitments.
FLOW: A team in flow is solutions-focused, creative and collaborative -- and always prone toward collective problem solving. The team learns together, as a team, and regularly engages in discussion and dialogue. Teams in flow are agile, responding quickly to external input and quick to change direction as circumstances evolve.
CLIMATE: In a positive climate, teams demonstrate a high level of trust, and a genuine sense of caring and support for one another. Such teams have a high degree of engagement and motivation, maintain cohesion under pressure, and are able and willing to dive into challenging discussions that can strengthen the team's performance and sense of connection.
PROCESS: Teams that demonstrate a capacity for effective processes have clear roles for each team member, and roles that are linked and interdependent. These teams have a clear decision-making process in place, and established measurements that help monitor progress and provide the team with relevant information.
In a full-day, highly interactive workshop, we take teams through a thorough exploration of their dynamics and begin the serious work of identifying the ways in which the team can leverage each set of team effectiveness competencies. Individual team members create a personal game plan to improve their engagement on the team, and strengthen their contributions.
Join us on December 6 for our last public Insights workshop of the year, and discover ways to engage your team.
What’s the Big Idea? By Tina Pearlman | November 21, 2011
Calling all lovers of language, of competition, of mysteries: this Spring #RVA turns into a three dimensional fund-raising puzzle.
This puzzle - named The Big Idea Challenge and benefiting the Community Idea Stations - pits teams of smart, provocative or just plain curious people against one another in five challenges: brain teasers, riddles and mysteries related to Arts and Culture, History and Heritage, Science and Discovery, Children’s Education, and News and Public Affairs.
During the Big Idea Challenge, teams will earn points for solving puzzles while fund-raising for the Community Idea Stations. The challenges won’t be easy, but you’ll get clues to help you solve the puzzles. You might find clues online–or discover them within the menu of a local restaurant, in the window of a favorite Carytown shop or even while watching or listening to your favorite shows.
The Big Idea Challenge will take place over five weeks, starting April 29 and concluding on June 2, 2012, when the top teams will vie for the Big Idea Challenge Cup.
It’s exactly the right time to consider sponsoring a clue AND recruiting your smartest and best-connected friends for your own Team DaVinci. Or Team Nancy Drew.
Teaching Nonprofits to Fundraise By John Sarvay | November 14, 2011
I really enjoy speaking engagements and teaching. When Urmila Oberoi, Development Director at Virginia Poverty Law Center and a client of ours, asked that I give a presentation on Fundraising for Legal Aids across Virginia, I jumped at the chance. The Annual conference hosted by VPLC is offered free for legal aid attorneys and serves as their primary educational event for the year.
During introductions I learned that we had a moderately experienced fundraiser in the room but everyone else had only the very basic fundraising program in place. So I focused my talk on the basics – Asking, Thanking, Staffing, Evaluating.
I told the group that when setting up a development office it is important to focus not on events or grants but on individual fundraising. It is the most economical way to raise money. If you believe in your mission, just ask someone to fall in love with it too – they will want to give money.
At the end of the day, nonprofits must not let any opportunities to authentically and genuinely ask for money go by uncaptured. Even more important, they must say thank you, more than once and in more than one way. If nonprofits ask and thank – they are guaranteed to raise money.
Keep checking the Floricane newsletter for information on where you can hear a Floricane staffer speak next.
Getting our hands dirty By John Sarvay | November 11, 2011
It’s 39 degrees and raining on a Saturday morning.
Tired from a very busy week, I contemplated rolling over when I heard my alarm go off. Instead of going back to sleep, I got dressed in my warmest clothes, and added a waterproof layer. It was October 29, 2011 -- the Fourth Annual HandsOn Day in Richmond and I was headed to meet the Floricane team to volunteer in an outdoor project!
While I really wanted to climb back into bed, I had signed up to volunteer for the Chimbarazo Secret Garden Clean-up. One of only two outdoor projects that day, it was a very cold bonding experience for the Floricane team members who were not sidelined by pregnancy and sickness. We pulled weeds, laid cardboard, and improved the overall health of the garden.
The thing that kept me going was knowing that I was part of a much bigger movement that day. A movement through Richmond to catapult the region into a volunteer friendly town.
It felt amazing to be part of a community of more than 970 people around Richmond, all of who were giving up a Saturday morning to make our town a better place. From the HandonRVA blog - “What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.” – Albert Pike
Find out more about the volunteer opportunities with HandsOnRVA, including their planned activities for this January's Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service.
Innovation Planning Showcases Unique Talent By John Sarvay | June 14, 2011
With the clock ticking down on the June 23 i.e. innovation showcase event -- organized by the Greater Richmond Chamber and a dozen other organizations, including Floricane -- it was fascinating to gather with most of the 30+ presenters and organizers this week on the top floor of Prophet's Richmond offices in Shockoe Slip.
Facinating for lots of reasons -- seeing everyone in the same place, hearing the stories and (taking a cue from Floricane's marketing guru) checking out the shoes.
Juliet's right. Shoes do offer a glimpse into the personality and diversity of the room.
The Monday night huddle was a chance for all of the presenters -- or provocateurs, as i.e. frames them -- to meet, and better understand how they will engage more than 200 people in a three-floor warehouse space next Thursday, June 23. Over the course of the event, participants and provocateurs alike will be encouraged to connect -- the dots, the stories, the relationships -- and to create -- ideas, connections, next steps.
The i.e. website continues to trickle out snapshots of the provocateur speakers. Names revealed this week include Scoot's Chelsea Lahmers with her demand to "quit sucking!" and writer Anoa Monsho.
Organizers see the June 23 event as the launch -- the Chamber and other project partners have committee to a three-year engagement to identify, encourage and celebrate creativity and innovation around the Richmond Region.
You can check out the details at the i.e. website.
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