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APRIL 2011  

FEATURING:

Launching Pergula 

2010 Constant Contact All Star

Floricane was named one of Constant Contact's 2010 All Stars for our overall approach to electronic communications and to customer engagement!

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Dear ,

Never mind March.

The whole beginning of the year blew in like a lion, and it hasn't slowed a whit.

It's appropriate as the seasons begin to turn that our attention at 110 East Cary is thinking about turning the soil and planting new crops.

Already this year, we've seen exciting projects come to life -- our partnership with the Richmond Symphony was a fantastic success; we launched our new community news site; and we have a powerful self-awareness program on tap for April 26. You can learn more about these initiatives below.

Change is in the air.

I'm getting messages -- loud, clear ones -- that change starts with me. (Some of our clients may be wondering where they've heard that before...)

I sat down with a seasoned entrepreneur last month. He helped me look at Floricane's future -- and my own -- in different ways.

He suggested a simple task: Keep a detailed journal of my activities for a week, and then notate them as tasks/areas in which I am incompetent/hate doing, competent, excellent or have a unique ability (excellent + passion + I'd do it for free).

The hard part was being honest -- surprisingly, I'm not excellent at everything I do! The other hard part was accepting that I should be spending the bulk of my time in the areas of excellence and my unique abilities.

Those conversations coincided with discussions within the Floricane team about how our core group -- myself, Tina, Cara, Sarah and Juliet -- could grow the business and clarify our roles. How -- yes, you see where this is going -- we can each best contribute in the areas of our own excellence and uniqueness.

Suffice it to say, there's a lot of realignment in the works.

Floricane's spring cleaning project is going to be good for all of us -- and we think our clients and partners will see a difference in the coming months.

How are you focusing on discovering and harnessing your areas of excellence and uniqueness? Why not join us on April 26 and start the journey?
                                                        John Sarvay
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Launching Pergula

There are many constants in our work - whether we're at the table with a nonprofit board, engaged in visioning process with a neighborhood, or supporting a team of employees in transition. One constant is the power of stories. A second constant is that Richmond is rich with nuance and surprise. Our new community news site, Pergula, sits at the intersection of stories and surprise. � learn more 

 

eventsTWO COOL EVENTS: One recap. One invitation. 
slide show: The Music Paradigm
More than 70 Richmonders met the Richmond Symphony at the intersection of business and creativity.  �  see what happened
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INSIGHTS Apr. 2011

Join us for a one-day workshop focused on the relationship between self-awareness, personal effectiveness and leadership. � register online 

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playgroundPLAYGROUND PERSPECTIVES: Relationship

Playground PerspectivesWhat's harder than being a parent? Parenting.

As Thea becomes increasingly independent, Nikole and I are quickly discovering how hard it is to keep pace. We're also reminded daily of the importance of being aligned and intentional in our parenting.

For me, the heart of parenting is relationship.

Parenting is about my relationship with Thea. It's also about my relationship with Nikole, and our shared relationship with Thea. The small changes in Thea's world become big events when our parenting is out of alignment.

A few weeks ago, Thea discovered how to climb out of her crib. Yes, we know how fortunate we are that it took three years! She also started consistently waking up at 4:00 in the morning and resisting naps.

Initially, we simply reacted. We were hoping it was just a phase, but it was also easier to just deal with the changes event-by-event. At first.

I've worked with dozens of managers over the years who have approached their employees and teams the same way. As circumstances change, they react. As lots of circumstances change, they react faster -- and jettison relationships, perspective and a vision along the way.

We convince ourselves that it is easier to deal with changes one-by-one. It's not. It's also not effective.

Last month, I took three days off work -- a valued, and valuable, time for our family. Nikole, Thea and I played at the park. Thea and I worked in the yard and explored curious corners of the city together. Nikole and I had a brunch date.

We also talked about parenting -- about our vision for how we wanted Thea's day-to-day experiences with us to give shape to her life. Taking the time to talk about our relationship with our daughter helped us breath, regain perspective and realize that we're much more effective when we have a shared vision about our future.

Even when we find that future curled asleep on the couch with the dog in the middle of the night.
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