Last winter, Floricane took Christmas week off. The following week, we kept the calendar free of clients and spent the week working on the business. We dove into 2014 much better prepared, as a result -- and on the same page as a team.
We're in the midst of a repeat right now. Our offices were closed for the Fourth of July week, and
this week we've been client-free and focused on the next 18 months. I think our "Work On Floricane Week" will become a permanent fixture.
We started the week with an outside facilitator helping our team explore our shared vision for the future. (Physician, heal thyself. I know, right?) Another large chunk of time was spent on business development, and we mapped out strategies for our growing social media presence and for our Insights Discovery® work. And we're pretty excited about our 18 month calendar of events, which we'll unveil later this summer.
We've had fun, too. Team breakfasts, downtown walking meetings, a team date with our friends at the Greater Richmond Chamber...
On a slightly tangential note, we recently were stoked to bring some of our favorite clients and community friends together for a summer party. Our Summer Shindig was made possible in large part by Rick Jarvis and our friends at One South Realty -- and by the deft planning skills of our own Caroline Moyer. It was a great party, and a fantastic, low-key way to reconnect with many of the people who have helped Floricane thrive.
Taking a vacation week away made for a nice breathing space for all of us on the personal front. Taking time to connect with old friends and work partners was fun and joyful. Investing a week to plan together as a team, well, that may be the best medicine we could have taken this summer.
Vacation, Work On Floricane Week and our Summer Shindig all hit at a perfect time for me personally. A handful of curveballs hit on the home front in June, and having some planned opportunities to recalibrate may have saved me from a complete early summer meltdown! No, seriously.
Taking time to create a shared vision, to connect with our community, to rest and to plan our best work -- these are cornerstones of our continued success. It's good for me personally, for the Floricane team and for our clients and partners.
Sometimes it pays to take our own medicine. How are you recharging as we move into the second half of 2014? I'd love to hear your secrets to staying focused, energized and motivated about your own work...