Letter from John: Lip Service Kills the Future

He may not realize it, but community builder Peter Block is one of my mentors.

I spent two days with Peter in a small workshop on the Jerseyshore in 1997. That brief experience - and Block's writing - was a much-needed push for me to lead with my values and live out my passion at work and at home.

"What kills the future isn't opposition, it's lip service," Peter told me, and with those words he gave me permission to care - t o keep the cynicism, the detachment, the nonchalance at bay, and to invite relationship, curiosity and caring into my work. And into my life.

Deepening your self-awareness is, as Tom Epperson illuminates below, hard work. It takes attention to explore your fears and ego, to truly listen to the ways in which others experience you. And it takes effort to stay the course, and gradually become a more authentic version of yourself.

Much of the effort is spent remembering that change is a journey, not a destination. It's a marathon, not a sprint. Even as you feel yourself making progress - developing a deeper understanding, changing unproductive behaviors - your emotional shoelaces come untied. You trip, stumble, lose ground.

It's important to remember something else Peter told me - "Creating a new possibility takes time."

Self-awareness and personal growth are not passive acts. Nor is possibility, which is a declaration, full of power.

Helping individuals - at work, on our teams, in our communities - discover their possibility, and to declare it, is the most important leadership task there is.

Two years ago, Peter asked me, "What are you the possibility of?"

I am - Floricane is - the possibility that honest dialogue, curiosity and planning lie at the heart of growth, change and transformation for individuals, organizations and communities.

What are you the possibility of?

Emotional Intelligence & Leadership

As we emerge from recession, survey the landscape and plan for the future, it is important to recognize the demandsthat have been placed on leaders and managers in our organizations. Managing through two-plus years of economic whitewater is just part of the equation – the long-term implications of the ongoing social and economic transformation have yet to be fully revealed.

The Hay Group, the global leader in organizational and leadership assessments, reports, “intelligence and experience are not enough” for managers and leaders during this time.

“Leaders need to make full use of their emotional and social intelligence competencies if they are to implement the changes required to deliver organizational survival and keep key employees onboard and engaged.

It starts at the top. But ensuring that strategic change is embedded throughout an organization requires consistency in leadership behavior at all levels."

For more than 40 years, the Hay Group has worked with companies around the world to assess leaders and support leadership development. The Hay Group partners with Fortune Magazine to identify the “World’s Most Admired Companies” and with Business Week to determine which companies develop the best leaders – and how they do it.

The secret, in most cases, is simple: The best companies in the world hire and groom people with strong social and emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence is what distinguishes highly effective leaders and average ones. It helps managers and professionals get a clear view of how their behaviors influences those around them, and how to strengthen their behaviors to increase their effectiveness in the workplace. It helps organizations by creating a shared language and method of evaluating leadership performance, and to build a platform to improve performance, innovation and collaboration across the business.

Corporations, nonprofits and government agencies use the Hay Group’s emotional and social competency inventory (ESCI) to:

• Measure emotional intelligence in leaders and professionals
• Raise awareness through powerful feedback
• Focus coaching and development on crucial capabilities
• Bring out the best in individuals and teams

Drawing on the work of Richard Boyatzis and Daniel Goleman, and research at Hay Group, the ESCI is a 360º tool, avoiding the distortion of self-assessment questionnaires. It describes 12 competencies that differentiate outstanding from average performers.

Floricane is certified to deliver ESCI and a variety of other organizational assessments, and to provide training and coaching to individuals and teams. Contact us to find out more about how increasing leadership effectiveness in your organization can make a difference.

Five Minutes on Self-Awareness with Tom Epperson

For almost a decade, the leadership at Luck Stone Corporation has held fast to the belief that developing self-awareness is a critical skill for every employee. As the organization’s training and development manager, Tom Epperson is a passionate believer in the connection between self-awareness, emotional intelligence and business success.

“I believe that the level of self-awareness you bring to an organization, to your family, to the world around you has a direct impact on the results you get in your life,” Tom says. “You might still get results without being consciously self-aware, but I believe if you make conscious choices and are intentional about what you do, you get much better results.”

As part of a team at Luck Stone that has worked with hundreds of employees on self-awareness, leadership development and team effectiveness, Tom has experienced as much personal and professional growth as he’s helped to deliver to others.

“This has been one of the most important things I’ve ever done – as a father, as a husband, as a worker and as a person,” he says. “It’s not for the faint of heart, it’s not easy. Looking into the mirror honestly is not something to go into lightly.”

That said, Tom notes that there is no single path that will lead people to greater awareness of how they engage the world and impact others.

“There are so many different ways to increase your awareness,” he says. “Part of it is reflection, part of it is action, part of it requires conversation with and feedback from others.”

One of the hardest steps in helping an individual move forward on their journey is getting past superficial impressions of what self-awareness means – and its role in effective leadership and engagement.

“At the heart of it, self-awareness is understanding what you value,” Tom says. “It is about truly understanding your ego needs and your fears, and how all of it plays into your behavior. For example, if it’s important for me to be liked, it is going to drive so much of how I show up everyday at work and at home.”

Because he sees the value in self-awareness as the first step in a serious journey of personal or professional growth, Tom also cautions individuals and organizations to treat it seriously.

“It starts with some serious self-diagnosis, with questions,”he says. "Are you or is your business getting the results you desire? If you are, maybe you don’t need to change. But if you aren’t, you might begin by asking what kind of culture are you trying to create. And then exploring whether that culture lines up with the outcomes you want to achieve. A big part of this work for a business is organizing itself around its desired culture – and building a process that supports that.

“Organizations need to get honest feedback from their employees and their stakeholders,” he continues. “Just asking the questions and paying attention to the answers starts the journey.”

And while results can often be seen quickly in his work with individuals and teams , Tom says self-awareness and personal development is no quick fix. And it requires real commitment – from the top.

“At Luck Stone, the commitment of senior leadership has made all of the difference,” he concludes. “They led the charge, and did hard work on their own self-awareness as leaders first. And the company’s owner passionately believes that our values and our culture truly matter.”

Community Profile: Bounce

Emotional intelligence (EI) – having the ability to identify and manage your emotions, and the emotionsof other individuals and groups – has been a critical tool for many businesses looking to improve leadership, team effectiveness and organizational culture.

A relatively new company in Richmond believes that emotional intelligence can be of value outside of the business world, as we ll.

In middle schools, for instance.

Kelly Lewis, a former business leader at Capital One, founded Bounce with the belief that helping young people on the cusp of adolescence develop a stronger understanding of their self and tools to better manage their emotional responses could be transformational – for the kids, for their schools and for their communities.

Last year, working with 6th and 7th graders at Richmond’s Moody Middle School, she saw amazing changes in her young learners.

In September, Bounce jumps to a new level entirely with two expanded programs – one engaging mid-level business executives and Moody's entire 6th grade, and the second targeting the entire 7th grade at Moody (both students and teachers)

“Leaders and Learners is going to bring business and community leaders together in a powerful learning environment with students with a focus on raising everyone’s awareness, creating space for action and holding everyone accountable,” Kelly says. "When we thought about providing EI training to leaders in our community, our minds immediately went back to our middle school experience at Moody – can you think of a more authentic and honest and challenging population than a bunch of middle school kids?

“Through “Leaders and Learners”, 24 business and community leaders will go through a nine-month experience with eight days of self-awareness and EI workshops, leading 6th graders through an 18-week awareness program, and six one-on-one coaching sessions," she continues. The classroom portion of the program will happen at Moody Middle School.

Meanwhile, Bounce is excited to be partnering with a program called Courage to Teach to deliver a similiar experience to Moody's 7th grade.

“In this case, all of the 7th-grade teachers will go through workshops and coaching sessions together,” Kelly explains. “As they learn about self-awareness and emotional intelligence, the teachers will work together to guide the entire 7th-grade student body through a 12-week awareness program.”

Individuals in the community interested in applying for the Leaders and Learners program have until early August to apply. As a graduate of the public school system in Richmond, Kelly is excited about the opportunity to make a difference.

“Helping to create a community of citizens in our schools with every student being in better relationship with him- or herself and with others is truly an amazing opportunity,” she says.

Learn more about Bounce, or email kelly@wecanbounce.com for details.

SPOTLIGHT ON: Strategic Planning with the Valentine Richmond History Center

Bill Martin and Lesley Howson Bruno talk strategy..

With Floricane's vision, expertise and confidence, the History Center was able to successfully invert our traditional strategic planning process. We developed accountability and endorsement at all levels by integrating our board and staff members throughout the process, combining team members from different areas of the organization, and considering new and specific ideas prior to analysis.

We fully expect, based on this experience, that our entire organization will be enthusiastically engaged in the implementation of this plan and the future of our organization.

» download a PDF of the Valentine Richmond History Center case study

» download a PDF of the 2010 Strategic Plan

You Get the Board You Recruit

There’s a saying in nonprofit consulting, “You get the board you deserve.” I’m a firm believer in a different adage – good organizations get the boards they recruit.

The James House, which supports people impacted by sexual and domestic violence in the Tri-Cities’ communities south of Richmond, is a case in point.

Last year, as The James House began crafting its long-term strategic plan, it became clear that its existing board – which had been instrumental in helping the Tri-Cities nonprofit grow over the previous decade – was in a state of transition. Once the plan was approved in November, CEO Chana Ramsey and Board President Gay Cutchin started the hard work of rebuilding a larger board of directors that would help The James House grow.

Floricane has been working closely with The James House through this process, and it’s exciting to see the organization move into its new fiscal year (July 1) with a full board, intentionally diverse in gender, ethnicity, geography and profession.

The James House staff has had its share of transition as well. In July we’ll be partnering with Debra Saneda of Herr HR to deliver a full-day of training around individual work styles and team dynamics. In September we’ll spend a full day with the new board, working with fellow consultants Randy Howard and Sarah Milston, to build the strategic, financial and fundraising competencies of the board.

Speaking of recruiting, if you or someone you know has a passion for numbers, a commitment to serving, and a vision to end domestic violence, The James House is interviewing prospective board members with a background in accounting or business financials. Contact Chana Ramsey at chana@thejameshouse.org for more information.

Planning for the Next 50 Years

The list of accomplishments is visible to anyone driving through the city of Richmond – the Fan District, Shockoe Bottom, Church Hill, the National Theater, Old City Hall and Monumental Church. Since Mary Wingfield Scott formed the Historic Richmond Foundation in 1956, the organization has led the charge to preserve, reclaim and celebrate Richmond’s historic architecture.

As with any organization with a strong portfolio of past successes, HRF sees an opportunity to take a step back and reflect on how its mission – and supporting strategies – might need to evolve in order to thrive for another 50 years.

Floricane is excited to partner with another one of Richmond’s premier organizations in a concentrated strategic planning process. Over the next four months, Floricane will interview several dozen of HRF’s key stakeholders; research global best practices in historic and architectural preservation; and facilitate a series of strategic discussions with the organization’s board and staff. A final strategic plan is expected to go before HRF’s board later this fall.

Our first interview was with Mrs. Elise Wright, who has been actively involved with HRF and the Valentine Richmond History Center, for more than five decades; Mrs. Wright currently sits on the board of both organizations. The depth of her experience, the richness of her personal recollections, and the candor of her observations raise the bar significantly for the rest of the board, staff and community leaders Floricane will interview!

Getting Focused: Virginia Poverty Law Center

Even organizations not in the throes of long-term strategic planning need to take a deep breath and reassess from time to time.

That’s what the staff of the Virginia Poverty Law Center (VPLC) did this spring – gathering at the gorgeous Rosslyn Retreat Center overlooking the James River – to map out its core competencies and short-term stra tegic opportunities.

The VPLC is staffed largely by lawyers, each working in a functional area – like housing – to provide education, support and representation to lower income Virginians who need legal assistance. VPLC also trains attorneys throughout Virginia, and partners with local Legal Aid organizations.

In addition to working through the basic block-and-tackle conversations about staff changes, organizational finances and day-to-day activities, the staff explored several bigger issues during this daylong session with Floricane.

There was some spirited brainstorming and discussion about the best ways for a small, decentralized staff to provide each other with feedback and for newer employees to have more frequent opportunities to evaluate their performance. A number of new ideas also emerged around ways for the nonprofit to creatively expand and diversify its funding model.

By the end of the day, the entire staff was aligned around a set of words that exemplified the organization they aspire to be in the eyes of those they serve. These words — characteristics — culled from dozens of colorful Post-It Notes, are:

Helpful. Knowledgeable. Caring. Troubleshooters. Leaders. Responsive. Fighters. Nonjudgmental.

That’s the sort of organization I’d like in my corner. Wouldn’t you?

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