Letter from John: September 2011

In preparation for a five-month leadership program we're designing and facilitating for a diverse group of 35 leaders, managers and influencers at the Library of Virginia, I've been re-reading a slim, yellow book -- "The Art of Possibility".

Written by husband-wife team Benjamin and Rosamund Zander, it is an affirming read that inevitably triggers debates between the optimists and pessimists in any given room. Ben Zander is the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic, and his perspectives are deeply rooted in the world of music. They resonate with me. They're also deeply optimistic.

Among his lessons: Leading from any chair. Being a contribution. Giving yourself an A.

The notion of giving yourself an A is what has triggered the most debate among previous groups I've facilitated. The idea is simple -- as you begin an effort, step into the future and imagine "giving yourself an A" at the end of the project or activity. Then map out what you did (will do) to earn it; write yourself a letter from the future describing it. Take it a step further and give an A to people around you -- assume the best, set aside your judgments, ask deeper questions about what might really be going on, provide encouragement and direction.

One of the hardest things to do over the past three years of running my own business has been to give myself an A. There have been big moments in my Floricane life where an A just seemed too hard to achieve. Moments when my confidence flagged, when I wasn't hitting on all cylinders, when money was not just tight but the meter was running in reverse, fast.

Fortunately, I'm surrounded by a lot of people who are willing to give me an A -- my wife, the Floricane team, friends, clients, and a plethora of smart mentors. In moments of self-doubt, nothing beats having a handful of good graders surrounding you. Finding ways to give yourself an A, and looking for opportunities to give others a solid grade, can have a huge impact.

It's powerful stuff, and its surprisingly simple. Aren't most things that make a difference?

Current Work: August 2011

Our team is pretty excited about our current mix of clients, as well as some of the recent work we've completed.  Here's a sampling of some of the activity that has kept the Floricane team on our toes this summer:

• Strategic planning for Virginia Clean Cities
• Staff strategic retreat for the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement    
• Board strategic retreat for the Virginia Oral Health Coalition    
• Leadership and team development for the Library of Virginia    
• Leadership and team development for the Richmond Association of Realtors    
• Team development for Bon Secours Watkins Center    
• Insights self-awareness training for Mentor Richmond    
• Insights self-awareness training for the Software Consortium    
• Board development for The James House

Letter from John: August 2011

The problem with ideas? Sometimes they just keep coming...

An example: In July, my friend John Bryan from CultureWorks headed out to Powhatan County for a little tour. He met a local farmer who started talking about the importance of floricanes in the cultivation of blackberry bushes.John immediately told her about Floricane, the business, and suggested that she and I meet.

The minute John mentioned it to me, my mind took a plunge: 24 of my favorite clients on a walking tour of a Powhatan farm, getting schooled on floricanes and raricanes and the art of cultivation. Lun ch on a plank table in a barn, where we connect the dots to the cultivation of people and cultures within our organizations. Everyone leaves with their own blackberry cutting, and a new perspective on leadership.

These things literally write themselves.

Ideas are a dime a dozen, of course, especially when you're an entrepreneur. When I worked for someone else, the ideas came just as easily. Sometimes more frequently. But they had to navigate bureaucracy and politics. They were often subsumed by or integrated with other people's smarter ideas. They simply took more time.

In any world, ideas should add value. And the best ideas still come from collaboration; the different perspectives of other people clarify and strengthen even the best ideas.

When the June launch event for i.e.* was finished, I found myself in conversation with brand architect Peter Fraser and designer Ansel Olson about collaborating on a follow-on event. Within two weeks, we had a six-week workshop series designed and 10 talented #RVA creatives lined up to engage 240 people in hands-on creative experiences.

The idea we're cultivating in Powhatan and the SHOP CLASS workshops that launched in early August won't add a nickel to Floricane's bottom line, but they'll change the way people connect and create, and learn and lead.

We know that when ideas strengthen our community, they also serve our small company's brand.

We also know that while ideas still have to add value, the bottom line doesn't have to drive our creativity and passion.

Playground Perspectives: Just You and Me (August 2011)

"I want a special Daddy and Thea day," my three-year-old said to me several weeks ago. This heart-warming request came on the heels of a heart-breaking week -- hysterical mornings complete with meltdowns, tears and plaintive pleas that I not go to work.

And so we have carved out some blocks of time during the weekend where Thea and I hit the mean streets of #RVA to run errands and explore together.

There's something special about being alone with her for a block of time; during exceptionally busy weeks, I might see her for an hour at each end of the day -- and we're usually very focused on getting dressed, eating or wrapping up the day.

We don't do anything exceptional during these Daddy and Thea jaunts. Generally we hit the coffee shop, maybe a farmers market. We'll visit her Omie (my mom) for a spell. The library, the playground, the grocery store -- these are a few of our typical excursions. This past weekend, we made fresh grape juice and tomato sauce together. She had a blast!

We both value this time. Certainly, she seems to enjoy herself when we're together. It eases a bit of the jealousy I sometimes feel during the week when Nikole updates her Instagram photo stream with gorgeous photos of Thea at the beach or playing in the house. It reminds me just how important it is to create individual time with people -- those we love, those we influence, those we value, those we lead.

We like to pretend that we're too busy to create connections and nurture relationships, that those things will take care of themselves. Wrong answer.

When I worked at Luck Stone Corporation, Charles Luck demonstrated the value of relationships constantly. Way back in the day, he and his dad used to hop in the car and drive to quarries in western Virginia. They'd have lunch together overlooking the quarry operation, then meander down and spend the afternoon talking to the employees who made their business run.

When I arrived at Luck Stone in 1996, Charles was ceding his own leadership to his son, Charlie -- and passing along the same lessons he learned with his dad: People matter. Let them know.

Charles would drop by my office every month or so, or stop in the parking lot to chat. He knew Nikole's name, and later Thea's, and asked after them. We'd compare notes on #RVA restaurants -- he and his wife, True, were fans of some great downtown spots. The day before I left Luck Stone, Charles spent an hour in my office just catching up, reminiscing, reminding me that I was appreciated -- during the toughest month of his business life, he was still making time to connect with others.

That visit meant so much to me. I hope my weekend escapes with Thea also have a lasting impact.

The Amazing Floricane Makeover

For the past several years, Floricane has happily shared space in a Federal-style walk-down on East Cary Street with our friends at Zeigler | Dacus Marketing. Happily, in the sense that I had a distinct office in which to work, periodically meet with my growing team or individual clients, and a physical address. Also, I really enjoyed the company of my office mates.

I was a bit surprised to discover that the rest of the team didn’t [heart] the space like I did.

Tina, who handles client and brand management for the business, recently volunteered to apply her magic touch to the space – to spruce it up and balance our feng shui.

And so it came to pass that one day I returned to a very different office environment – a  more open and inviting space, conducive to more collaborative interactions with my team, as well as the client interactions that are increasingly important for our small group.

I spent a large slice of a recent day working in the office. Throughout the day, members of the team dropped by to chat, touch base on projects, write thank you notes to clients and do their work. My office has been transformed into our office.

It’s pretty wonderful.

Making Richmond the American Destination of the 21st Century

When you think about it, there are few cities in this country who have played a substantial role in virtually every American moment – colonization and revolution; slavery and civil war and emancipation; industrialization and suburbanization. Richmond’s been in the mix, every time.

When you combine that deep, rich historical foundation with the churning natural backdrop of the James River, you have the main ingredients for a quintessential American destination. Add strong dashes of outdoor recreation, more than 1,000 restaurants, a powerful and eclectic arts community and easy access to the wider world by road, rail and air.

What you have is the recipe for the American destination of the 21st century.

That’s what the tourism vision plan we delivered to the Richmond Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau (RMCVB) said.

Working with Peter Fraser – a design and brand strategist and frequent Floricane collaborator – we interviewed more than 150 key tourism stakeholders, dug into tourism best practices from other cities, and applied our own knowledge of Richmond and the surrounding region. Our final document provided RMCVB with a high-level roadmap – it is a visionplan, after all – toward a dramatic North Star for the region.

Changing the way our region considers its place in America’s future is as important as the work that remains in coming to terms with some of the darker chapters of our past. We’re excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for #RVA.

photo: ©Fraser Design on Flickr

Bridging Cultures

photo: via http://www.vcusocialmedia.com

One of the best parts of my job – which as best I can tell is to be a community-minded, entrepreneurial busybody – is when I’m invited into the room to share what passes for accumulated knowledge.

Early in June, Sarah Milston and I shared the stage with 50 college student s engaged in what may well be one of the most amazing educational experiences available in #RVA.

Now in its second year, VCU’s participation in the Department of State’s Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program (IYLEP) has matured and found focus. Two groups – 25 Iraqi students and 25 American students – are spending the summer learning about journalism, social media and the nonprofit landscape. The Iraqi students are learning about America, and all of the students are learning about each other.

The students form into teams and are assigned a local nonprofit. Their assignment? To develop and implement a strategic social media campaign for their nonprofit. The challenges? Too many to describe.

Sarah and I were among several dozen experts invited to speak to the students during their month-long program. We shared our expertise in nonprofit consulting. This is my second year with the program; in 2010, I worked with students to address social media and project management issues.

We walked away thoroughly impressed with the IYLEP students. They asked good questions and wrestled big consulting challenges -- some teams worked with organizations that were unfamiliar with social media platforms; other groups experienced uncomfortable disconnects among individuals within the client organizations.

In the end, I’m confident that these students will deliver some valuable new tools and strategies to the organizations they’re supporting. The teams will present their final projects to the Social Media Club of Richmond later this month.

As a former student of Middle Eastern culture and politics with several extended trips to the region under my belt, I’m less concerned about the quality of their work. I’m far more interested in the quality of their interactions with the people and cultures they’re experiencing here in the United States.

Last year’s IYLEP experience was a major paradigm shift for the Iraqi participants, several of whom still periodically check in with me on Facebook. The State Department and VCU should be applauded for this amazing program, and the American and Iraqi students participating should be proud to represent their countries and cultures during this rare experience together.

A Round of Applause

I’ll admit, when I’m at the end of what feels like an awesome, spot-on day of facilitation, nothing beats a spontaneous round of applause.

Last week, Sarah, Cara and I spent the day with the board of the Virginia Oral Health Coalition, a relatively new nonprofit dedicated to providing access to dental and oral health to all Virginians.

Sarah and I spent a chunk of time with VHOC’s executive director and board president clarifying their desired outcomes. With their help, we mapped out an organized, action-oriented agenda in advance of our broader meeting. Everyone came ready to play, and to have meaningful conversations about how the board could best support the organization’s mission.

We left them with a six-month game plan focused on their internal operations, their upcoming legislative agenda and their commitment to initiating a long-term development strategy.

As we wrapped up, the board gave us a standing ovation. And before we could even drop our thank you notes into the mail, a board member sent us a thank you note of her own.

All of which is evidence for us that preparation, alignment and readiness are among the most important elements of our work.

Gratitude is another.