Two months of actively considering the power of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony at the elbow of Steven Smith, music director for the Richmond Symphony, can really stretch your mind.
And then there's the experience of standing on stage with Steven -- along with 60 professional musicians and 80 hospital leaders from HCA's CJW Medical Center. 140 people experiencing music as a metaphor for change and leadership is a whole new level of stretching your mind.
During our exploration of Beethoven and his Fifth Symphony, Steven talked often about the power of bringing new, and different, voices to a vision. Steven is talking about instruments and musicians, and a musical vision, of course. But that hardly matters once you understand, and experience, the depth and complexity of Beethoven's Fifth.
This month's newsletter is an interesting departure for me -- and for Floricane. It reflects a multitude of voices that aren't mine. Our editorial coordinator, Sabrina Barekzai, reflects on her vantage point at the recent Symphony/HCA mash up, while our new project manager, Josh Epperson, deconstructs our new collaborative creativity series. On the business front, two of our lead consultants -- Sarah Milston and Debra Saneda -- chime in on their recent projects.
Increasingly, the individuals who have joined our team are tuning their own voices and contributing to the symphony of change we're committed to performing in Richmond. (In fact, Sarah, Debra and Cara will be performing as a trio with the staff of The Daily Planet later this month!) It's part of our evolution as a business, and it ebbs and flows as we move from idea to event, from client to initiative.
Striking a balance between strategic and organic is hard for any business, and particularly hard for individuals in leadership roles within organizations. I'm fortunate to have an exceptionally self-aware group to keep me in check and hold me increasingly accountable. (Sharing my Insights profile with my team = wise + challenging!)
I hope you enjoy the symphony of voices captured in this month's newsletter. Let us know how you're making music, and giving others a chance to experience the power of a shared performance.