Inflating Virginia Commonwealth University

It was old home week during a recent engagement with Virginia Commonwealth University's Division of University Advancement – I had worked in the division's public relations team both as a student and as an alumn.

Seeing some old, familiar faces was almost as fun as watching more than 60 university professionals inflate more than 500 balloons and construct a massive balloon tower in the middle of the room at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. Contrary to the chaos pictured in the photos we took, there was a method to the madness.

VCU's advancement team – the folks who communicate, raise money and engage alumni for the university – held their annual retreat at Lewis Ginter, and their associate vice president, Samantha Marrs, wanted to create a lively space in the afternoon focused on teams.

The assignment was simple: We formed seven teams, and gave each a roll of masking tape and 72 balloons. Their objective was to build the tallest, free-standing tower possible using only balloons and tape. They had 20 minutes, and we changed the rules along the way. Several times.

Everyone finished in the middle of the room, surrounded by a teetering, colorful tower of balloons.

We debriefed individually, in small groups and as a large group in a way that led to a very basic set of messages:

At a system level (represented by me, my microphone, my directions and my ever-changing rules), we all work in environments where someone else sets the objectives, controls resources and makes decisions that can either enhance or handicap our work.

At a team level, disruption is... well, disruptive. We have new people floating in and out of our teams constantly, and we rarely slow the process down enough to bring them on board in a smooth, effective way.

Finally, at the end of the day (or the beginning of the day), the only thing we have any control over is ourselves. Asking ourselves with some frequency how we're doing at supporting our organization, our team, our coworkers – that's important work. We don't do it often enough.

An hour and fifteen minutes after we started, the balloons were (mostly) gone, and the retreat was winding down. Hopefully, we brought more than hot air into the room with us.

Interested in engaging your team in new ways? Let us know.

Greater Fulton: A Community Rising

The best part of my job happens when other people talk. Last week's session with about 50 residents of the Greater Fulton community is a good example – a diverse group representing as many as 50 years of residency and six weeks came armed with passion and ideas for the three Richmond neighborhoods. Giving voice to an often-forgotten community in Richmond is inspiring.

Our work with Fulton is a partnership between Virginia LISC and Fulton's home-grown Neighborhood Resource Center. Our goal over the next 60 days is to engage the 5,100 residents of Fulton, Fulton Hill and Montrose Heights in a community visioning process. Along the way, we'll work to connect the vision to residents and local officials who can make it happen, train community organizers and put a local communication and PR process in place.

The session on October 9 was just the start – we have additional sessions planned for regional community and business leaders, as well as more sessions just for residents. In November, we turn the ideas into a picture-perfect document – a community vision and strategic plan that paints a vivid picture of Fulton Rising.

Our visioning work in Greater Fulton is a collaborative – and fun – effort. NRC is leading the organizing component under the leadership of Annette Cousins and Jason Sawyer. Designer Peter Fraser and I are leading the visioning process with huge support from Beth Coakley, Lauren Stewart and Tina Pearlman.

Building A Business Out Of Clay

Everything I learned in September about running a business, I learned from a lump of clay.

Seriously.

On September 16, I joined a dozen other participants in the first of three sessions that make up the Visual Art Center of Richmond's new "Creativity at Work" program. Having participated in the original design team for the program last fall, I thought I knew what to expect. Of course, the difference between intellectually designing a program and sitting through it in t he flesh with 11 other human beings is not minor.

Things were going along rather swimmingly until we headed downstairs to the clay studio, where artists Richard McCord and Chip Jones waited for us – aforementioned lumps of clay sitting patiently on a table. As Richard talked about clay and how to work with it – one part artist, one part avuncular uncle (same difference, right?) – I did what I am most famous for doing in learning environments.

Right. I ignored him, and began to slowly shape my lump of clay into a bowl. While the rest of the group – following instructions, mind you – individually crafted bowls of similar size, shape and form, I wandered off into some other dimension where clay bowls flare out around the edges. Before I realized it, I was staring at a slightly mishapen tulip bowl – and at everyone else's sturdily crafted urns.

My first instinct – self-criticism, of course. This, my inner voice reminded me, is exactly why you always get feedback about being an avant-garde freelancer.

The problem, of course, was that my bowl was not like everyone else's bowl. Well, it was a problem until I stopped to reflect on the business issue I brought into the Creativity at Work program – namely, insight into ways I could continue to creatively grow and expand my business.

It was Chip Jones who pulled it all together for me. Standing over my shoulder, he commented on the individual nature of the bowl I had crafted. "It's not a problem if the structure is sound," he said. "That's what creatity is all about. It gives you a chance to ignore the rules, stretch the boundaries and discover new approaches."

A bit like my approach to Floricane.

I wonder what I'll learn when class reconvenes on October 14...

Put the Pedal to the Metal

Once designer Peter Fraser and I were formally invited to work with Richmond's Greater Fulton community in the design of a grassroots vision for one of the city's more diverse, and often invisible, neighborhoods, we knew we'd need to spend some time exploring. The arrival of a late summer break in the weather combined with Peter's passion for cycling made the notion of biking through the hillside community a no brainer.

One of us – the one who doesn't exercise enough (read: at all) – forgot about the hills.

That aside, what a great way to explore and see the neighborhood up close. Peter and I were joined by Floricane's project coordinator Beth Coakley, and by our partners from the Fulton Neighborhood Resource Center, Annette Cousins and Jason Sawyer. We meandered through two of Greater Fulton's three neighborhoods – Fulton Hill and Fulton Bottom – which meant one nice downhill coast and a long haul up the gently sloping Government Road.

What we saw was a close up version of what we'd intellectually known.

Fulton is geographically isolated. It may well be one of the most architecturally diverse communities in Richmond. It has relatively large, intact green spaces – largely the result of the topography. It has a strong, stree-level sense of community and has several places – the Neighborhood Resource Center and the Powhatan Community Center, for instance – that pull large swaths of the community together.

But it's also a community that could benefit from a stronger commercial district that emphasizes the unique character of the community, that connects more naturally to its neighbors – Rockett's Landing and Church Hill and Henrico County, for starters – and that protects the sense of identity that is visible from almost every street corner.

Quite the balancing act.

We'll spend the next three weeks gathering data, meeting residents and getting deeper bearings. In October, we begin the public visioning process. That's when we really start pedaling.

The Corner of Design and Strategy

I spent the morning with a group of 20 interior design students at Virginia Commonwealth University, whose semester is focused to a large degree on consulting around built spaces. We spent most of ourtime discussing the challenges of navigating a client space – especially when you come to the table with your own ideas, passions and designs.

I wasn't quite sure walking into the room how to start the conversation, or what from my world of strategy and facilitation might be most relev ant to their design-centered aspirations.

I quickly discovered – thanks to their excellent questions – that what our work had in common was a passion for the work and a focus on the client.

We began in earnest with a focus on the importance of listening, but I also suggested – strongly – that the best consultants (business, strategy, design or otherwise) are those who can understand deeply what the client truly wants, and then give them that plus something unexpected. Something that takes them even closer to their dreams – for their home, their workplace, their organization.

It's an outcome I work hard to achieve for my clients, and I still have so much to learn when it comes to tapping into unspoken aspirations and delivering something powerfully better than either of us – client or consultant – could have individually imagined.

Continuing to learn how to do that better is part of the work. Seeing it as an investment, not an expense, is another part.

A member of my team remarked recently that she was surprised and impressed with what she described as my patience. "You just let the group continue to talk and work toward the right answer," she said, while pointing out that she'd run out of patience with what felt like wheel-spinning much earlier in the meeting.

"The answer is already in the room," one of my mentors told me long ago when I asked how they facilitated so effectively. "If you start with the belief that you alone have the answers, you're not doing the right work. If you deeply believe that the client already has the answers, and that your job is primarily to help them discover and deepen their commitment to their best answers, it's powerfully different work."

I wasn't surprised that the VCU students wanted to have a long discussion about this, because I believe it is at the heart of effective consulting. And it is at once so obvious and so difficult that it demands our constant attention.

Team Huddle

Floricane had its first official team meeting last month.

The primary goal was to take some time to build relationships, but it is increasingly important for our clients that our team of strategic planning, project management and marketing gurus work off of the same sheet of music.

Even as we work ourselves out of work with great clients like Children, Incorporated, we are welcoming new clients to the mix. In recent weeks, we’ve started work with U-TURN Sports Perf ormance Academy, One South Realty and the 4,500 person organization known as the Greater Fulton community in Richmond’s East End. We’ve also launched a new workshop series designed to help organizations increase their employee engagement and effectiveness, and began a new partnership with the Richmond Symphony.

Each new opportunity is exciting news for a consulting firm launched in the early month’s of the deepest recession in our lifetime.

I can’t help but think that there is a correlation between Floricane’s emerging team and our business success:

    * Sarah Milston runs her own consulting firm – and chases after her daughter Lily James – when she’s not partnering with us on strategic planning work.

    * Juliet Brown works hard to keep our messaging strong, and to maximize our use of a host of marketing tools – from print to social media.

    * Cara McDaniel and Beth Coakley work as project coordinators for both one-time events and long-term strategic engagements.

    * HR consultant and coach Debra Saneda and planner/designer Peter Fraser also have their own businesses. Debra and I are developing a body of work together around organizational effectiveness, while Peter is the visionary (and artist) in the room with our visioning work in the Greater Fulton community.

Floricane began in November of 2008 when I left Luck Stone Corporation. As I look ahead to the second anniversary of the launch of the business, it’s gratifying to know that I am surrounded by a great team of friends, partners and clients.

Building A New Playbook

U-TURN is a nonprofit at the intersection of faith, sports and kids. We’re helping build their long-term strategy.

If you drive around the Willow Lawn area regularly, you might know U-TURN Sports Performance Academy as the owner/occupant of the old Circuit City store on Tahlbro Street. Within the 150,000-squar e-foot building is a hidden secret – and another of Richmond’s hidden nonprofit gems.

I’ve known about U-TURN for several years. The organization was created 18 years ago around its founder’s passion for tennis and God.

In a nutshell, U-TURN is committed to helping kids from all walks of life build character through athletic training and spiritual growth. It has a strong outreach component, and a deep commitment to serving Richmond-area students who might not have access to year-round sports programming or state-of-the-art equipment.

When founder Paul Manning left U-TURN last year, I was pleased to hear that the nonprofit had landed Robert L. Dortch Jr. as its new president.

I met Robert several years ago through a Greater Richmond Chamber community initiative, and connected with his passion, his thinking and his ability to preach powerfully from any pulpit – religious or secular.

Robert and I reconnected earlier this year, and after a series of conversations he invited Floricane to support U-TURN in the development of its new strategic plan. Sarah Milston, Cara McDaniel and I will be working closely with the staff and board of U-TURN into the winter to craft a plan that can help U-TURN continue to grow and thrive.

We started work recently, and have already seen huge opportunity for U-TURN to live more powerfully into its mission and to strategically maximize its use of its 150,000-square-foot training facility. More than 3,000 kids pass through U-TURN’s athletic programs every year – kids from private and public schools, from the city and from the counties, kids with a passion for tennis, volleyball, football and more.

It’s likely I’ll exhaust my limited supply of sports metaphors quickly in the strategic planning process, but I’m confident that the staff and board will be quick to fill any gaps.

Fulton Rising

One of Richmond’s oldest neighborhoods wants to create a community-centered vision for its future. The Greater Fulton community asked Floricane to help.

History suggests that in 1607 Captain John Smith met with Powhatan’s son at the foot of Fulton Hill. More than 400 years later, Richmond’s Greater Fulton community – Fulton, Fulton Hill and Montrose Heights – is ready to move past its history and define a new future.

With funding from LISC Virginia, Fulton’s Neighborhood Resource Center (NRC) invited area planners to help the community build a grassroots vision and strategic plan. Floricane stepped to the table, combining our facilitation and planning expertise with strong visioning and design support from our new partner, Peter Fraser.

Last week, Peter and I had our first formal meeting with the newest Floricane client – the 4,500 residents of Fulton. Well, three of their representatives.

In the coming weeks, we’ll be exploring the Fulton community on foot and by bike. We’ll also sit on a few front porches. Along with co-director of the NRC, Annette Cousins, and her team, our goal will be to connect with the community, more deeply understand Fulton’s geography and architecture, and begin building awareness of the visioning process among local residents.

In October, plans are to hold a series of visioning sessions with residents and other community stakeholders. Peter and I will then go to work on both written and visual planning documents that seek to capture the community’s passion, its story and its dreams for the future.

November will bring a two-day open design studio – residents can review our work and provide in-the-moment feedback – as well as a presentation at LISC Virginia’s 20th anniversary celebration and a final community-wide session.

Peter and I are lucky to have Beth Coakley, a masters student in VCU’s Public Administration program, working with us as project coordinator.

We believe that our three-month engagement with the Greater Fulton community is going to be an amazing experience for everyone involved. We can’t wait to see what dreams emerge from the community in the weeks ahead.