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?

»view more photos of this event on Facebook

New Team, New Clients, New Work

It has been a busy spring for the growing Floricane team.

“Busy” because we’ve recently added some new faces – Historic Richmond Foundation and the Podium Foundation and Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden – and new engagements with Bon Secours and Virginia Poverty Law Center. We’re continuing our work with The James House, Children Incorporated and the Evening at Morton’s series, as well.

“Growing” because Floricane is starting to build a staff.

Our marketing coordinator, Juliet Brown, has been quietly working behind the scenes on our website, newsletter and business collateral since last winter, and Cara McDaniel joined Floricane in late May as our project coordinator. She’s coordinating meetings and client events, and writing follow-up reports for Floricane’s larger clients. (I’m also excited that an old friend, Beth Coakley, is tackling some short-term project work for Floricane!)

We also have some cool partnerships emerging – with HR consultant Debra Saneda (my one-time colleague and boss), with Matthew Freeman and Tiffany Jana of TMI Consulting, with Richmond’s favorite development/fundraising consultant, Sarah Milston.

Look for us to continue growing, and don’t hesitate to give us a call if we can help you or your organization bear new fruit.

» view more photos on Facebook

A Fresh Perspective by Cara McDaniel

A native Richmonder, I’m still discovering that there is always something new to learn, especially when you are given the opportunity to engage with the city from a different perspective. In my first month working with Floricane, I have been given manyways to see Richmond differently.

So far, my interactions have involved working with an historic preservation organization (Historic Richmond Foundation), a non-profit law organization that helps low-income Vir ginians (Virginia Poverty Law Center) and an integrated health system (Bon Secours Virginia). While these organizations have very different missions, they share the same desire for excellence, customer service and retention of talented employees. Common themes from recent meetings include fully engaged employees, frank, open discussions about goals and action items, and seeing John’s facilitation techniques propel the groups forward.

 

At a recent staff meeting with the Historic Richmond Foundation, I met a group of highly motivated and knowledgeable individuals that are passionate about architecture, history and the community. On the heels of their 50th anniversary, the group is working with Floricane to discover new ways to remain relevant, collaborate with other local organizations, promote awareness, take on new projects, generate funding and continue to be a voice for Richmond.

 

My next adventure involved a retreat with the Virginia Poverty Law Center at the pastoral Roslyn Conference and Retreat Center in Richmond’s West End. This caring and inspiring group is working with Floricane to ensure their work continues to reflect the needs and interests of low-income Virginians. These individuals obviously care about helping others, and happen to have great energy, which made for a fun day! Throughout the day, Floricane used several facilitation techniques and exercises to help these folks learn to leverage their skills successfully, reshuffle responsibilities and accountability based on changing staff needs and improve collaboration and communication within the team. The group took a balanced approach of looking backward to acknowledge previous successes, while strategizing for the future. 

 

Another retreat, this time with the Service Excellence Directors at Bon Secours Virginia, was an opportunity for me to experience a larger group and the inspiring vistas of Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg. This motivated group is energized and eager to push Bon Secours Virginia to the next level of engagement excellence. John helped the group map out the behaviors, processes and actions that will drive a “perfect 5” score for employee, patient and physician engagement. The group also discussed ways to communicate their needs and goals to senior management and how to empower people to succeed in their roles.

 

All in all, it has been a very eventful (and scenic) first month with Floricane. I am enjoying meeting all of the people we are helping, in all types of organizations, and excited for what is coming up. Watching John facilitate these very different groups while bringing out similar themes of excellence, communication and planning has been, well, cool. (I am also creating a scorecard to keep track of how long it takes someone in a group to ask where the name “Floricane” comes from.)

 

Being a Richmonder, I have a lot of memories of the city. But I am discovering Richmond in new ways. I like meeting all of these people and finding common ground. I am excited to meet more clients and make more connections, all in the name of bearing new fruit for Richmond’s businesses and nonprofits.