New Fruit: Designing A Roadmap for ChildFund

On the heels of an amazing week in February with the global Sponsorship Division of ChildFund International, we're back in the mix – and this time we've brought the design talent of our friend and partner Ben Dacus of Zeigler|Dacus Marketing to bear.

Over the next several weeks, we'll be supporting the sponsorship team with two initiatives. This Friday, Floricane will facilitate a strategic retreat for the division's management team as they work to build alignment and energy around their three-year plan to strengthen the relationship between ChildFund, its sponsors and the children they all serve. And over the coming weeks, I'll be working with Ben to design a Sponsorship Roadmap poster that graphically delivers a set of key messages to the global team's members.

The Leadership Journey: Decisions

Throughout our life we have millions of decisions to make. In fact each day we have 8,746 decisions. * So, which ones are we being intentional about?  Thiswas the beginning of day three of my RVALeadership Lab experience - a joint venture of Floricane, The Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce and Luckstone.  We have been gathering for several months to work through our leadership skills and abilities and develop adaptation tools. 

This session featured feedback examination and some coaching exercises, but ended with John Fernandez, a local business leader as the guest speaker.  Read more about him here (http://www.linkedin.com/pub/john-fernandez/5/9a1/9b8)  John lead us through several stories to drive home the point that we are in charge of our own success.  The part that resonated with me most strongly was all about decisions. 

"Time, talent, treasure. These are the assets that everyone has. Leadership comes in how you make decisions and choices that define who you are and define whether you are going to be happy or unhappy in your life." said Fernandez. 

That sounded like a pretty lofty ideal.  But of course, he had a tool to share.  Fernandez suggested we complete a time inventory.  Here are the steps:

1. Inventory your time for one week.

2. Write down everything you do and how long it takes to do it. 

3. Once it is done, review the list and label everything as I, C, E, or U.

    Incompetence - hate doing, suck at it

    competence - kinda okay at doing it

    Excellent - things I am great at

    Unique ability - You are excellent at this and you would do this tirelessly, you would even do it if you weren't getting paid.

His suggestion - spend 70-80 % of your time in your unique ability. Ignore and or delegate your incompetence and competence space.

I haven't done this inventory yet, but I've been thinking about it constantly over the past few days and looking at what I was doing and asking myself - is this my unique ability?  I have already started making decisions.

Guest Blogger: Simply Changing a Complex World (by Jim Johns)

It is easy for me to get caught up in the complexity of the world. There are schedules to juggle, shifting priorities and unexpected deadlines. And then there are peopleto deal with, all of whom are always different than me. (What’s up with that?)

Getting caught up in that complexity has always been a trap for me. It’s alluring to think that I can somehow control what happens at work, or in my house. But at the end of the day, all I can do infl uence those by actively participating in them. So my biggest opportunity to influence those complex situations and relationships is to simply work on me. Everything else -- especially other people -- is completely out of my control. 

One way that I have been able to better understand this complex world, and my complex co-habitants of this world, is a tool called Insights Discovery. By using it I am more aware of my personality, my strengths and weaknesses, and with that simple awareness I can make choices that allow me to be more effective at participating in and influencing my world.

In the past decade, I have seen role changes, several supervisors, multiple team strategies and visions, teammates coming and going, not to mention changing economic conditions, and the elimination of two corporate jobs.

The only thing that I could control during that time was myself. With the help of friends at work, I could remain centered and manage my personality so that I could add more value than I would have otherwise been able to in the midst of all that change.

Those skills -- the ability to flex different aspects of my personality -- come from tools like Insights Discovery being used inside organizations that emphasize employee development and empowerment. As someone who has worked in that environment, I can tell you it’s a powerful combination. I know my employer received more days of my best version, and less of my worst, because of that investment.

As my Floricane colleague Debra Saneda and I facilitate Insights Discovery workshops, I see more and more organizations making this commitment. Lawyers, project managers, IT professionals, librarians, accountants and journalists are coming through the workshops. It’s exciting to see so many organizations making that investment in their people. Those organizations are preparing their people to make a difference in a complex world, simply by knowing themselves.

--

Jim Johns is a freelance training and development coach. His years of experience partner impeccably with our own Debra Saneda to create a unique and informative InSights experience.

Thoughts on Continuing Partnerships

I’ve spent a significant slice of my time at Floricane having coffee or lunch with friends, community partners, prospects, clients and former clients. Conversations range from personal to professional, from celebration to complaint. I talk. I listen. I offer perspective, or advice.

It’s all just part of what I do. One time, I’ll pick up the tab, and the next time they will. Sometimes we simply split the bill.

Lately, something new has been happening. Old clients are actively reaching out to use me, or others on the Floricane team, as problem solvers, counselors and brainstorm generators. These one-off conversations, usually lasting one or two hours, seem to provide our partners with space to think aloud with a somewhat neutral, well-informed thought partner.

Recently, in these limited engagements, we’ve explored a wide range of issues and opportunities. We’ve thought aloud about different ways to restructure an organization; armed two client leaders with tips and techniques to make their summer staff retreats meaningful and fun; explored implementation approaches for another organization’s strategic plan.

Our clients benefit from the limited, low obligation engagement. We stay involved, and add value. It’s a space that serves everyone well.

Proof that I’m no businessman came over breakfast a few weeks ago. After an intense bout of problem solving and idea generating, my client said, “You are going to bill me for this, aren’t you?” I don’t exaggerate when I say I stared a bit blankly at him for half a second.

It took another staff member to remind me that three recent conversations paid our rent for the month.

My next move? Inviting a smart businessperson out for lunch, and paying her for some perspectives on how to run an increasingly complex organization. It might be time for a taste of my own medicine.

New Fruit: Staff Retreat for Virginia Poverty Law Center

We’re delighted to be spending another day in May at the gorgeous Rosslyn Conference and Retreat Center overlooking the James River with the staff of the Virginia Poverty Law Center.

This will be the third year we’ve designed and facilitated the VPLC staff retreat, and we’re taking a new tack this time around.

Our first two retreats were decidedly strategic in nature. The first was a catalyst for VPLC’s new strategic plan, while last year’s session attempted to build on elements of that plan – which was heading to the VPLC board for adoption.

We’re dialing it down this year.

After two VPLC staff members attended one of our Insights Discovery self-awareness workshops earlier this spring, a conversation ensued about using the content for the retreat.

Rather than using the staff retreat as a teaching space – introducing everyone else to Insights, and reviewing their personal profiles – the VPLC staff is leveraging our public workshops to get everyone up-to-speed. That allows us to spend the entire day at Rosslyn using Insights to explore team dynamics, and best approaches for the whole team to function most effectively – and for each individual to best adapt their style to help the whole team be successful.

Our promise to the VPLC team – the day will be fun, interactive and illuminating!

New Fruit: Hitting the Books with Old Friends

Self-awareness. Team dynamics. Effective influencing. Adaptability.

These are a few of the lessons we explored last winter with a small group of Library of Virginia employees. Now, as the state’s official library and archives launches into the implementation of a new, bold and ambitious strategic plan, Floricane has been invited to lead 170 employees through a four-month training program around many of the same lessons.

Using Insights Discovery’s powerful self-awareness tool as a starting point, we’ll be exploring all of the ways the Library’s employees can contribute to a stronger organizational culture, and a more focused and effective future for one of Virginia’s best assets.

It’s not a surprise to us to see the leadership of the Library take such a democratic approach to developing its team and transforming its culture. The institution is, after all, intimately familiar with 200 years of American political and social culture.

Playground Perspectives: May 2012

Just last week, Thea was glued to the preschool antics of Sprout, the PBS kids channel. In the blink of an eye, she's taken the plunge to the pre-kindergarten land of Disney Junior. The developmental leap of small children as measured by the distance between Curious George and a bevy of princesses.

As hard as it is to believe our tousle-headed tot is now four years old, it isn't hard to map some of her behavior forward a decade and seriously consider boarding school. My current favorites - the eye-rolling when she thinks I'm being absurd, and the periodic tantrum anchored with a screaming, "You're not the boss of me!"

I feel more than a little chagrined when I think of my own workplace behavior in the past, and the sorts of things my past managers might have considered. But I also think back to some of those managers and think about the ways in which they helped me grow and develop, and move past my periodic employee tantrums.

Simple things. Stephanie Halloran, who hired me in the PR office at Virginia Commonwealth University as a student intern treated me like an adult. She also brought me groceries when she realized that she was employing an honest-to-God starving college student. Her own boss, who became my mentor and remains a close friend, recognized the importance of listening and connecting on a personal level.

My manager at Ukrop's for many years, John Burton, always greeted me with a smile, worked shoulder-to-shoulder with our team, and let front-line employees determine their schedules - he'd usually take the less attractive time slots for himself.

At Luck Stone, my best managers gave me opportunities to grow and develop - and held me accountable. Leveraging very different styles, Tammy Cummings and Jay Coffman gave me honest feedback, supported my success, and helped me appreciate the contributions others made in my life.

Little things, right? Respect. Friendship. Teamwork. Hard work. Choices. Ownership. Growth.

And one big thing. My best managers rarely acted like they were the boss - of me, or anyone else. My best managers have been my friends, mentors and teachers. They inspired me to do my best work. Every day.

Tom Poe, my mentor from VCU, officiated my marriage to Nikole in his Ginter Park garden seven years ago this May - and serves the important role of third grandfather to Thea. He continues to teach and influence me.

How much time are you spending on the little things - with your team, or with your family? Am I inspiring my daughter to do her best every day, am I helping her grow and learn? What lessons is she learning from me?

Letter from John: May 2012

Over almost four years, Floricane has fumbled more than one consulting engagement. None have been complete disasters, but each concluded with a sad sense of remorse -- and, in the worst of cases, a strong sense of failure on my part.

And while I've been fortunate that we've hadamazing successes to counterbalance the missteps, I can't help but regret -- and learn from -- each of these poorly concluded engagements.

Recently, a small but significant project cracked wide open at the seams - just days before we were to put the effort to bed. Over the four months of working with this client, things periodically felt clunky -- but we were truly surprised by a bolt from the blue email from a client, and its vehemence.

After limping across the finish line, some difficult-to-digest feedback from the client and a lot of internal discussion, this latest stumble reminded our team a few things about our best work. It benefits from (at least) three things:

•     Relationships. When we connect with, and genuinely like and believe in, our partners, we're more likely to do great work. 
•     Contracting. When we take the time to get -- and stay -- on the same page as our clients about the nature of the work, the outcomes to achieve and the definition of a successful project, we're more likely to do great work.
•     Communication. When we check in frequently -- to strengthen our relationship and check on our contracting -- everyone is more likely to do great work. Including our clients. 

Our team's boldest commitment, our vision for the work that we do, is to change the world. It's important to remember that a powerful vision requires "discipline and a strong will"* -- and that we'll occasionally fall short in our efforts to do excellent work for each our clients.

And so, read on! We have a lot of new opportunities ahead of us to be excellent.