The Power of Positive Visibility

Good consultants spend a lot of time… well, consulting. But they also spend a fair bit of time developing relationships, and connecting with new faces.

The Floricane team is big on relationships. In fact, we think a large measure of our success is tied to the depth of the relationships we create with our clients.

As a team that tilts heavily introverted, however, we don’t generally jump up and down with joy when we’re gearing up for conferences or other big public events.

So, for me, it’s been refreshing to have had significant, and fun, opportunities to be out and about in new environments this fall. The environments have run the gamut – from two days of facilitation with a group of association CEO’s in Williamsburg to a major Greater Richmond Chamber meet-and-greet to a packed crowd at the Richmond Society of HR Managers strategic leadership conference. The next month gets even more varied – two full days with entrepreneurs and business owners under the umbrella of the Henrico Economic Development Authority, and a sit down conversation with the Richmond chapter of the International Coaching Federation.

Bumping elbows and making eye contact with hundreds of people is not a recipe for deep, meaningful relationships. But from each event, I walk away with personal connections to five or ten people. And time has shown that most of the connections continue and deepen over time.

The funny thing I’ve discovered? Whether I’m presenting, chatting with someone at the Floricane marketing booth, or connecting at a reception, I’m consulting. And that makes the networking much more meaningful.

We need more better managers, not just better leaders

Leadership sits at the heart of so much of our work at Floricane. Whether we’re working on strategic planning, organizational change or coaching, a focus on leadership is front-and-center.

I’ve said for years that we believe two things about leadership:

• Good leadership is a powerful, and positive, force in organizations.
• Leadership lives at every level of an organization.

I’d like to add two more beliefs to my list:

• Good leadership does not equal good management.
• Great organizations grow and develop good leaders and good managers.

After six years of working with thousands of people in hundreds of organizations, I’ve seen consistent evidence that leadership and management skills are at the heart of the most good and engaged organizations.

We need more better managers. You need more better managers.

In January, we’re launching a new management series focused on front-line managers and supervisors – and young, high-potential employees who yearn for solid skill development.

During the multi-month program, we’ll talk about the difference between leadership and management, and emphasize that everyone in the room has opportunities to lead and influence within their organizations. But we’ll emphasize basic management skills – effective communication, meeting management, providing in-the-moment (and job specific) feedback, strategic thinking and building results-focused teams. If you’re interested in learning more about the program, email me or stay tuned to your email in-box.)

Maybe I can sum all of our thinking up with one simple belief:

Effective leadership and management skills are at the non-negotiable heart of any organization interested in thriving in the 21st century.

As we move forward with our work at Floricane, we will be increasing our emphasis on developing and supporting good managers – and understanding the value of core management skills. 

Dropping the ball

Sometimes, I drop the ball and under-deliver. It’s one of the most awkward and embarrassing aspects of my work – as a consultant, as a boss, as a parent, as a spouse.

When it happens, my impulse is to procrastinate. There’s usually a conversation that needs to happen that feels like it is going to be difficult, and so I put it off. Which only compounds the situation.

In August and September, life on the home front accelerated ten-fold as Nikole and I tried to wrangle the challenges of her last month of pregnancy, Jack’s arrival home and all of the associated juggling that a first-grader and a newborn require.

Sleep evaporated, as did the number of hours available for work. Several Floricane projects went from boil to simmer to cold.

Getting each of those projects back on the rails required action – reaching out to a client, apologizing, explaining the circumstances, and asking what I could do to set things right.

Not surprisingly – as has almost always been the case in the past – every conversation ended on a positive note. And each of the derailed projects is moving forward.

There’s a simple lesson here, isn’t there?

Best Feedback Ever

We launched a new workshop series last month. Our $10 Toolkit workshops are designed to be a low cost, high value experience for anyone interested in learning a new skill quickly. For the low investment of one hour and ten dollars, participants are introduced to a simple management tool or concept. Our goal is to help people be more effective in their work.

Our first $10 Toolkit was focused on Situational Leadership – matching your management approach to the developmental level of your employee around each task. We had a half dozen participants.

Last week, I happened to run into one of those participants, a small business owner, on the street.

“Everything about the way I work with my employees has changed as a result of that workshop,” he said.

We didn’t have time to talk at length – he was busy running his business. But we didn’t need to. In one sentence, he told me everything I needed to know.

(Our next $10 Toolkit is focused on a tool designed to help you understand how we move through change – as individuals, and as teams and organizations. It’s not too late to join us.) 

Leadership is Hard

Leadership is hard.

This is the central theme that emerged from our first Leadership Circle session last Friday morning. The phrase coined by one of the members resonated with the group. It is hard. That's why there are thousands of leadership books written every year! There is not any one magic way to be a good leader, as evidenced by the broad range of topics our first group generated. Their interests ranged from "use of self as a means of inspiration" to "the balance of confidence and humility" to modeling work-life balance. This is only a snippet of what we discussed -- we are headed for great dialogue this year!

During the group check-out, we found out this group does not want to wait. They were looking for ways to "get started now". Guess that's not surprising from a group of stellar leaders!

Luckily, we get to start with our second group this Friday when another group of leaders from diverse backgrounds and workplaces will begin their journey with each other. I have no doubt that the dialogue will be just as rich.  

The Leadership Circle is a unique offering from Floricane. It is a facilitated monthly dialogue that will occur on the same day and time each month with a small group of leaders -- no more than 8 per group -- who have committed to come together for nine months. It is designed to attract a diverse blend of leaders from corporate, non-profit and governmental entities. It is a confidential space in which to explore the issues, opportunities and ideas that are central to effectively leading an organization or department/division. 

We're expecting to start a few new waves of the Leadership Circle next year. Drop me a line if you want to learn more about it!

October is here (and so is our newsletter)!

Our monthly newsletter is back, with some updates, some storytelling, and plenty of opportunities for personal and professional development.

Click here to read it, and click here to put yourself on the mailing list for future newsletters. Happy Fall!

7 Reasons to Sign Up for Sales Effectiveness

Perhaps you’re wondering if you should attend our upcoming Sales Effectiveness workshop series. Or maybe you want to attend, but don’t know how to convince your boss to pay for it. Well, let us help by laying out the top 7 reasons you should register today.

1. You get an Insights® Discovery personality profile.

Insights® Discovery is an incredibly useful tool for increasing self-awareness and awareness of others – both of which are key to effective selling. Profiles are about 30 pages in length and include 3 chapters: Foundation, Management, and Effective Selling.

2. You’ll learn to quickly assess your clients’ needs.

We’ll show you how to rapidly determine what drives your clients and what barriers may be standing in their way. Moreover, you’ll learn what you can do to meet your client where they are, not where you want them to be.

3. Time to put learning into action.

Since our workshop is a four-part series, you will have the opportunity to put your learning into action in between sessions.

4. A room full of awesome people (like you).

You will have the opportunity to learn, share and interact with other awesome professionals from across Richmond.

5. We’ll make it personal.

We’ll help you identify and refine your personal selling approach. Your clients are all different and unique, so why not approach them in your own unique way?

6. It’s a Floricane workshop!

If you’ve ever been to one of our workshops, then you know what we’re talking about. In addition to giving you meaningful and useful content, our workshops are relaxed and fun.  
7. Donuts.

Need I say more?

Click here for registration info!