Getting to Better Managers

I wrote a blog post last fall about the importance of good management in organizations. Three months later, I’m excited that we’re kicking off our new Manager Development Program with almost 30 participants from 12 very different organizations.

In fact, it is happening RIGHT NOW. Here’s evidence:

For the next two months, we’ll collectively examine the best (and the worst) practices and qualities of managers who create stronger teams and better results for their organizations. I anticipate that the Floricane team will actually learn as much, if not more, than the participants along the way.

For me, one of the more exciting aspects of this new program is that it is a collaborative effort involving all six members of the Floricane team. (Seven, actually, as we’ve put our intern Austin Collett to work on it!) I think it’s a much better product as a result.

We’ll wrap things up in March, gather feedback from participants, deconstruct the program, and offer it again in the fall. Stay tuned for updates from the classroom…

Get to Know The Team: Austin the Intern!

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.

This week: Austin Collett! Our latest intern from Randolph Macon College, Austin is working with Floricane full-time for the month of January, helping us with special projects. A psychology major, he's interested in Organizational Development and the Human Resources field. His first project of the month? Filling out this Q&A! Let's see how he answered:

Which President would you most like to have a drink with, past or present?
Barack, just so I could have the chance to meet Michelle. She's too perfect!

Pie or cake or neither?
Cake, especially of the ice cream variety. 

Do you have a favorite sharpie color?
Seafoam or turquoise. Any blue/green color really!

What do you most value in your friends?
Loyalty and their ability to make me laugh. Also if they enjoy food as much as I do, it's a huge plus.

The natural talent you'd like to be gifted with.
Language proficiency! Nothing was scarier than being in the middle of Japan with no wifi and 2 words of Japanese in my brain.

If we looked at your Facebook page, what might surprise us?
My unfortunate middle school/early high school phase. Please don't look me up!

What's next for you?
Graduating in May from Randolph-Macon, and moving back home to Baltimore. Then the infamous post grad job hunt.

And lastly, what are the things that excite you the most about Floricane, its clients, and the community in 2015?
Besides the fact that Floricane welcomed me in the first place, the small close knit of the employees here and their laid back approach to most things!

Thanks, Austin, and good luck with your last semester of college!

Happy MLK Day!

For the past 5 years, the Floricane team has mailed out postcards for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day featuring an MLK quote that we really love. This year, we decided, we wanted to share the wealth by making our "postcards" available to everybody! We've designed iPhone, iPad and desktop wallpaper in three different color ways, featuring Dr. King and a snippet from this quote:

"But today our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant and to face the challenge of change."

Please save these* and use them as a reminder to be brave and face the challenge of change.

Desktop wallpaper:

iPhone wallpaper:

iPad wallpaper:

INSTRUCTIONS

Desktop:
Right click and select "save image as..." 

Mobile devices:
Tap and hold, select "save image."
For iPhone/iPad, change your wallpaper under Settings-->Wallpaper.

Thoughts on the Manager Development Program

“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.