Playground Perspective: January 2014

Playground Perspective: January 2014

Over the holidays, I found myself thinking about friendship, and about how friends shape our possibilities.

Some suggest that our drive as humans, in large measure, is to complete ourselves, to self-actualize. One way that we accomplish this as we move through life is through relationships with others. At their best, our family and friends become mirrors that reflect our self back toward us, and windows that allow us to see new ways of being.

And so it was that I found myself walking around the lakes at Byrd Park with one of my oldest, closest friends, and our families. Matt and I became roommates just after college, and I have relied on his easy humor, deep counsel and level-headed perspectives on everything from dating to politics. We've walked the streets of New York, Washington, Cairo and Beirut together. He's been a sound mirror, and a provocative window. A short walk closer to home with Matt, his wife Kristen, his son Lucas and my own family reinforced the value of our friendship.

Thoughts on the Manager Development Program

Manager Development Program Planning
“This might be the most comprehensive offering we’ve created in Floricane’s six years.”

To say I’m excited about our new Manager Development Program would be an understatement. The six-day event – which runs over three months – is a direct response to something we’re seeing every day in our client organizations.

For a variety of reasons – the economy and a generational shift top the list – we’re seeing more managers who haven't had an opportunity to develop core management skills. In some cases, it is because the managers are young, and haven’t had time to build skills. In other cases, it is the result of an underinvestment by employers.

Whatever the cause, the result is the same – less organizational alignment, decreased team effectiveness, lower employee engagement.

Recently, our team sat down to work through a framework to help managers better identify what sits squarely in the intersection of their organization and their team. Here’s a hint – managers do.

From this vantage point, managers are uniquely qualified to build the relationships, provide the clarity, develop the talent and coordinate the solutions that help good teams become great teams – and that achieve tangible business results.

In our first two days on the Manager Development Program, we’ll spend a lot of time exploring the skills of effective managers. We’ll also help participants better understand why each skill matters, and how each skill drives results. As the program continues, participants will be introduced to a set of management fundamentals – self-awareness, effective communication, giving and receiving feedback, strategic thinking, decision making and the like. We’ll wrap up with individual action plans.

This might be the most comprehensive offering we’ve created in Floricane’s six years. I’m excited to see it come to fruition – and to learn with an amazing mix of people from a broad range of businesses and nonprofits.

click here for program details.

Best Blog Posts of 2014

It's 2015! and although we're not big advocates of living in the past, we's still like to pay homage to 2014 by sharing our favorite blog posts of the past year. In case you missed them:

Core Values With Kick (by John)
Global news site reported.ly is breaking all the rules with their company values, and it's awesome.

Don't Ask About My Halloween Costume (by Shamoniki)
Shamoniki describes the stresses of Halloween and the holiday season.

Capital One serves up a dose of our own medicine (by John)
We participated in ScopeAthon and got some candid, invaluable feedback.

#OneVCU (by Theran)
See photos by VCU Development staff from their Instagram scavenger hunt.

Taking Wing with Virginia Audubon (by John)
When state chapters of national organizations have "middle child syndrome."

Leadership is Hard (by Debra)
Takeaways from the first session of The Leadership Circle.

We need more better managers, not just better leaders (by John)
Leadership training is important, but we can't forget the importance of good 'ol management skills.

How to Make More Time for Creativity (by Caroline)
Some advice for getting out of your old routine.

Developing People for Tomorrow's Workplace (by John)
'What if we train them and they leave?' What if you don't train them and they stay?

The First Five Weeks (by Shamoniki)
Reflecting on the first five weeks of a new job.

Learning on Your Feet (by John)
Life lessons from a tap dancer.

Insights in Austin, TX (by Theran)
Theran recounts his week-long trip to Texas for Insights® accreditation.

Chasing the Nile Valley Sunbird

Chasing the Nile Valley Sunbird

Like the rest of you, I’m always working on being more in balance with my life. 

It sounds so simple – like a five-year-old balancing on a garden wall. But balance in the 21st century is a bit like discerning the call of Nile Valley Sunbird in the heart of Cairo (one of the most intense urban environments I’ve ever encountered). It requires focus, and you have to know what you’re listening for.

I was recently inspired by yet another “10 Things” post, this one by J.T. O’Donnell at Careerealism. Her approach to getting things done? A balanced, daily to-do list of 10 things.

Get to Know The Team: Theran!

To kick off 2015, we'll be featuring one member of the Floricane team on our blog each week, using a questionnaire that really asks the tough questions.

Today: Theran Fisher! One of our consultants, Theran (pronounced THAIR-in, if you didn't already know) joined the Floricane team in Spring 2013 and has been livening up the office with his great music selections and brightly colored pants ever since. Let's dive right in:

1. Do you want to rock n’ roll all night or party every day?
Party every day.

2. Which President would you most like to have a drink with, past or present?
Teddy Roosevelt

theran headshot

3. If you were not doing this job you’re doing now, what job would you be working?
Working my way around the world crewing sailboats.

4. Pie or Cake or Neither?
Neither

5. Do you have a favorite Sharpie color?
Neon Pink

6. Your favorite place for dinner?
The Blue Talon

9. Who are your favorite writers?
Edward Abbey

10. What is your motto?
Fake it ‘til you make it.

11. The natural talent that you’d like to be gifted with
The ability to fly.

13. What is your go-to book, relative to the work you do with Floricane, and why?
NOLS Leadership Educator Notebook

Want to chat with Theran, or question him on his apparent distaste for both cake and pie? Email him at theran@floricane.com.

Place Your Strategic Bets

“Strategy is about placing bets, and increasing the odds around those bets.
”

That little gem came out of the mouth of a client last week, and I quickly jotted it down. It’s not a new concept, but I liked the way she phrased it – and it hit my consciousness at the right moment.

One of the hardest tasks we have as strategic consultants is guiding our clients to important intersections, and helping them choose a path forward. Too often, clients become mesmerized – or paralyzed – by all of the items they need for a successful journey. Not only do they lose sight of a bigger vision, they fail to take advantage of the unique vistas they’ll pass along the way.

In our extremely competitive world, where the playing field has been leveled by technology, transparency and risk aversion, the vistas are where the game changes.

If everyone can visualize the same destination or dream – “No child will go to bed hungry” or “A cultural destination of choice” (Yawn, right? But real!) – and everyone has the same tools in their toolbox – marketing, board development, fund development, and so forth – where’s the gap?

The gap is in the journey. It’s the choices organizations make, or fail to make, to get off the beaten path. Not to choose a road less traveled, but to choose a strategic road that puts their enterprise at risk and forces the board and staff to play smartly and aggressively.

We sometimes ask our clients to wrestle with questions of transformation. We invite them to identify revolutionary ideas. We challenge them to break the mold.

Sometimes they respond.

Those are the clients who leave the strategic casino smiling.

Core Values With Kick

Typically, an organization will work hard to narrow their values down – both in number and in complexity. Usually, this is a well-intended effort to make the values easily remembered, and to tell the world that the leadership has prioritized. Posters, values cards and training sessions all follow...

So, back to reported.ly: They sort of break the rules. And I love it.