“Namaste,” I returned.

“Namaste,” I said, holding up my prayer-shaped hands, my heart overflowing with gratitude. I continued to make my entrance through the greeting committee, two lines of brightly adorned red, blue, and pink Nepali dressed women. Several gifted additional flowers to me, repeating the same warm Namaste welcome. Some proudly carried their infant children on their hip or in their arms. Never before had I felt like such royalty; this was a most warm, most proud welcome of my friends and I to their village.

Carmina met me at the end of the entrance lines; she hadn’t taken me out of her sight. She told me she was 15, and her face appeared curious, friendly, and anxious to meet us.

When she returned less than an hour later she was dressed in a shiny black and red floral dress. Her hair appeared newly rinsed and she was eager to get my attention. “I show my house,” she said gesturing for me to accompany her through the village, pass the straw-covered barns of water buffalo and goats, to her home. I left my group and eagerly followed her lead.

She introduced me in Nepalese to her grandmother, who crouched on a two-inch high stool, stirring sun-dried corn kernels over a ground-level fire. The woman turned to me and smiled enthusiastically. “Grandmother,” Carmina explained, and then proceeded to introduce other surrounding family members using the few English nouns she had memorized at the nearby English boarding school attended by privileged youth.

Yes, privileged. The ground we stood on was dirt covered but flat, their house short but made of bricks and covered not by a thatched roof but one instead made of tin. The small manger nearby where the food was prepared housed a mother water buffalo and her calf, as well as a family of goats, to include several new kids. The sounds of baby chicks chirping filled the air, as well as the laughter of curious children eager to see the foreigner and her fancy camera.

Such ordinary experiences that remind us we are extraordinarily strong women. The generations of women from WORTH may appear quite unlike my daughters and I on the surface–different attire and material surroundings — and yet within we share a great deal. As it goes when we say, “Namaste” — I honor the light in you that is also in me. Though that visit to Chitwan lasted a matter of hours, and the capacity for English-Nepali translation nil, there are few with whom I have experienced wholeness with such immediacy and at that scale.

Is there a sight more beautiful, more divine than that of a capable, confident, strong woman? Such a gift to have met those women of WORTH, to witness their pride first-hand, and to be reminded of my own immense strength and the promise of two capable, confident, strong young girls who make my heart swell with love and hope.

Photographs provided by Jan Somers, Ralph Kelly, and Jen Hetzel Silbert

The post Strong Women appeared first on Spartina Consulting.

Among our growing list of A1 partners in social innovation (by disruption) is Neighborhood Centers Inc., a non-profit human services agency serving the 

This post examines Neighborhood Centers’ journey and the role of ‘figure it out’ leadership in taking a snowball’s chance to define communities as sources of infinite potential – not problems to be solved. Experience their story live when CEO/President Angela Blanchard takes the stage at #BIF10, Sept 17-18, 2014.

From Settlement House to Social Innovator

Jane Addams

Neighborhood Centers Inc.’s earliest work began with the settlement house movement in 1907, laying the groundwork for marginalized populations to participate more meaningfully in society in ways that nurture self-sufficiency over dependency. The agency held true to a key tenet of the settlement house philosophy: neighborhood involvement. In one of her early writings, Ms. Jane Addams, a founder of the settlement house movement, stated that she and her fellow workers learned “not to hold preconceived ideas of what the neighborhood ought to have, but to keep ourselves in readiness to modify and adapt our undertakings as we discovered those things which the neighborhood was ready to accept.” Openness and adaptability was key.

In the 1960s and 70s, the agency was considered a ‘poverty agency,’ not just because of the population it served, but because of how it operated: in ragtag buildings, poorly equipped, poorly trained, under-funded, and in many cases taken for granted. ⁱ An ‘either/or’ mindset was the norm: EITHER the agency funded its internal infrastructures OR fed its clients.

Under the leadership of Angela Blanchard, first as board member in the early 1980s, then CFO and now president/CEO, the search for ‘both/and’ solutions took over: “Far from depriving our clients, we were strengthening our capacity to help them by meeting the basic needs of our organization.” ⁱⁱ  Helping clients hold a possibility-focused abundance mindset meant Neighborhood Centers Inc. had to hold one for itself.

Angela Blanchard, CEO/President

Despite initial resistance Blanchard persisted, strengthening internal infrastructure until the results began to speak for themselves. In 1995, Neighborhood Centers Inc. was eleven times larger than it had been in 1986 with the lowest overhead among agencies of equal size. ⁱⁱⁱ

Leveraging internal talent and a strengthened operating capacity, management began securing large government grants and contracts. This enabled the expansion of financial assistance programs aimed at child care, adult employment services, job training and case management for disaster relief activities. Neighborhood Centers Inc. built on its long-standing expertise in childhood development, expanding services to include early childhood education and opened a charter school. By 2007 its reputation as a poverty agency was a distant memory as it catapulted itself into a new position as one of the largest service employers in the greater Houston area. ^iv   

From White Board to Neighborhood

Neighborhood Centers Inc. was already a success story, but it aspired to still greater heights, namely improvements to service delivery consistent with their strength-focused operational philosophy.

“Kinfolks” by Sacha Lazarre: spirited painter, advocate for immigrants

In 2005, Blanchard’s staff began experimenting with Appreciative Inquiry (AI) as applied to Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD), recognizing that individuals and organizations housed assets on which economic, political and social strengthcould be built.  AI framed service delivery around two deceptively simple premises:

1. What we look for, we find, and what we pay attention to, grows.  Positive image begets positive action.
2. People commit to what they help to create.  The more inclusive the change process, the more committed community members will be to its success and follow-through.

Neighborhood Centers’ responsibility and opportunity was to link neighbor to neighbor, asset to asset. Consistent with its settlement house roots, it did not set out to ‘help’ Houston residents, but to ask, to listen, and to empower, giving voice to people such that they might participate in the enrichment and vitality of their neighborhoods, building on strengths while transforming the lives of those who live there.

Over 120 appreciative interviews were facilitated at town hall meetings and community events, at schools and places of worship, even on front porches.  Staff published these stories of strength, resilience, and exemplary leadership in its first Voices report shortly after. Unlike traditional media sources, Voices portrayed the amazing promise of Gulfton and Sharpstown, printed in both English and Spanish, and was distributed widely across the community.

The impact was astounding; conversations began to shift from the downward spiral thinking residents were used to (poverty, struggle), to that of adversity and opportunity. Community members began to change the stories they told about themselves.

Gatherings small and large, these community inquiries helped the agency turn a critical corner. By inviting residents to come together to tap into their well of strengths and assets, and envision still greater possibilities for themselves and their neighborhoods, improvements occurred more swiftly, efficiently and purposefully. The change was grounded in principles of self-empowerment and cooperation.

Among the countless social innovations that have since spawned:

• A community newsletter titled “Gulfton Neighbors” to communicate and highlight the many rich assets already at play in the neighborhood, while also shedding light on opportunities for further strengthening social connections critical to economic and community development.
• 

  The Magic Bus

  The Magic Bus, which circulates between the neighborhood’s many apartment complexes, grocery stores, and social service providers – key locations that the city’s public transportation alone does not serve.

• New partnerships, particularly among service providers who were inspired to work together more collaboratively around complementary strengths and shared areas of interest.
• 
  

  “Voices to Vision” Appreciative Inquiry Summit

  The Voices to Vision summit, a three-day gathering in August 2008 of over 400 staff, residents, educators, business owners, donors, volunteers, students, and elected officials for a collaborative learning and strategic planning journey. More then empowering staff to ask great questions, Neighborhood Centers wanted to empower and inspire its richly diverse community to also be the change they wanted to see in Houston.

• 

  Baker-Ripley Neighborhood Center

  Cutting through the partisan rhetoric, Blanchard wooed Democrats and Republicans, raising $25 million to build the Baker-Ripley Neighborhood Center which opened in 2010, a five building, four acre complex designed by community members for community members, with services ranging from tax preparation to low-cost banking, a clinic, and charter school.  Since the center opened, crime has decreased 11% in Gulfton. In Houston overall, crime is down 4%.

• In 2010 Neighborhood Centers gained national attention from the US Department of Education, which granted the agency a $500,000 Promise Neighborhood planning grant, wherein Neighborhood Centers was 1 of 21 organizations selected (out of 300 communities that applied nationwide).

The agency’s model for building vibrant communities stepped up to the national stage in 2011 at TEDxHouston, then later at the Business Innovation Factory (BIF7) summit. Fast Company magazine listed Angela among its November 2012 Generation Flux, honoring disruptors who embrace adaptability and flexibility with success.  The following year Angela was featured again in Fast Company, this time on its 2013 Top 1000 Most Creative People in Business.  Also in 2013, Neighborhood Centers was invited to the White House (for the 3rd time), where Blanchard met with 9 other community development leaders, senior white house officials, and President Barack Obama to advise the administration on the President’s Promise Zone Initiative and Ladders of Opportunity, working to ensure that all families, no matter where they live, have ladders of opportunity to the middle class.  

Figure It Out. That is the job.

Perhaps most noteworthy of the many innovations spawned and honors received was the agency’s own transformation from the outside-in, from a facilitator [of strength-based service delivery for others] to an OWNER of strength-based, possibility-seeking human capital development [for ITSELF].

In a recent interview, Blanchard talked about the most important jobs, those that she calls “FIO jobs”: “Figure it out. That is the job.”  The task may seem daunting, and the masses might call the mission impossible; real leadership figures it out, no matter.

A big fan of Simon Sinek’s ‘Golden Circle,‘ Blanchard knows how to start with the “WHY”.  It’s one thing to tell the world WHAT you do and HOW you do it so well, but it’s quite another to tell them WHY they should care. And FIO leaders “need a big WHY to get an even bigger WE.”

Blanchard lives by Teddy Roosevelt’s mantra, “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”  Her favorite day each month: every third Thursday, when she hosts her #InGoodCompany forums for aspiring leaders, which she opens up to the general public.  It’s a mixed bag of storytelling, listening, and connecting – topped off with a call to action for community members, youth, and staff to be ‘figure it out leaders’, come hell or high water.

For more on Neighborhood Centers social innovation savvy, come to #BIF10 in Providence, Rhode Island, Sept 17-18, 2014, where Angela Blanchard takes the BIF stage for the second time.

Endnotes

iBlanchard, A. (1995) Hierarchy of Needs – For Organizations: A Story of Organizational Transformation

ivChung, R. (January, 2008). ‘Financial Comparison 1997-2007: Neighborhood Centers Inc.’

vTimme, L. (January 2008). ‘Pasadena & South Houston: Unlocking the Strengths of our Communities.’ Voices: A Report onthe Strengths and Assets of a Community.

viChung, R. (January 2008). ‘Financial Comparison 1997-2007: Neighborhood Centers Inc.’

The post From Poverty to Empowered – Even with a Snowball’s Chance in Houston appeared first on Spartina Consulting.

Please meet Team Spartina.

Tony’s co-founders describe him as magnetic and authentic, someone who sees the invisible lines that connect ideas, enabling him to launch ideas “to the next level of awesome.” Beyond visionary, his lens is futuristic – he’s the first person in the room to ask “did you ever think about it this way?” or “what if?” Outgoing, fun, and friendly, Tony is fed by the energy of a room and reciprocally energizes a room with his provocative questions, positive attitude, and vision for the future.

Dave’s colleagues describe him as a “big pictures person” who forges strong relationships with clients and colleagues alike. Dave’s people-centered approach to problem solving makes him a strong connector, collaborator, and evangelical promoter of the power of people to add more value to their companies inside and out. A long time student and practitioner of the Business Model Canvas and business design, Dave’s your guy to help challenge, reinvent, or pivot your business model.

Jen’s partners look to her as force of positivity and admire her as someone who gets the job done with both grace and the highest of standards. She’s an activator – she leads by action and believes that action is the best way to learn, iterate, and dive in again.  Jen is a confident decision maker, skilled translator between innovative ideas and immediate implementation, uniquely talented facilitator, and relentless promoter of strength-based approaches, like Appreciative Inquiry, to build strong businesses.

This week and every week, we encourage you to tell your colleagues, business partners, and clients why you’re grateful for their contributions.

Happy Thanksgiving!

-Team Spartina

The post Grateful for Team Spartina appeared first on Spartina Consulting.

@shellback695

A little over two months ago, I woke up in the ICU at Stanford University Hospital in Palo Alto California.  I was completely immobilized, and trying to absorb details about my injuries that were coming from the mouth of a very serious and worried looking nurse. I tried to focus though the narcotic haze on the many faces around my bed – why are all these people here?  I am OK, right? After all, I walked in here.

The nurse held my hand and asked, “Do you know where you are?” (I start to think this might be a bad sign).  She continued, “You are in the Stanford University Hospital.  You are in the Intensive Care Unit.  I want you to remain very still: move only your eyes and we will do the rest, OK?”

Wow.

There is something both dramatic and sublime about a serious injury that can have a very clarifying effect on your thinking.  I had been thrown from a horse the previous day but I did not know that I had several fractures and a lacerated spleen.  Fortunately for me, my injuries turned out to be less serious, and after two months in recovery, I returned to my family in Virginia.  I give a great deal of credit for my speedy recovery to the awesome Nurses, Doctors and Staff at the Stanford University Hospital.

For most of my stay in the hospital, I was immobilized.  For most of the several weeks in recovery, I was instructed to “remain quiet.”  This gave me a lot of time to think.  In short: I was really bored.  So, convinced that I was going to fully recover, and being past the higher risk period, my thoughts turned to what I do: I look at how people and organizations get things done.

During my stay in the Trauma Unit, I was beyond impressed with the quality of the healthcare I was provided and how well I was treated, not just as a patient, but as a person.  It may sound a little strange to transition to the business side of such an emotionally charged event, but I was constantly amazed by the consistent quality of care, movement of information between units, the high quality staff and the “ownership” behaviors exhibited by everyone I encountered from the doctors, to the nurses, specialists, and even the people who came to clean my room: I was not just a patient- I was their customer.

What do I mean by this?  Here are some examples from my experience.

Efficiency of triage

Immediately recognizing that I had a serious injury, the ER bypassed the normal paperwork and insurance processing and processed me as a kind of “John Doe” until I was stabilized.  Sometimes it’s OK to cut to the front of the line.

Clear Communication

Each individual who came in to see me in the ER explained who they were and what they were there to do.  They explained each process and procedure with elementary clarity, without talking down to me.  They often asked me if I had questions or issues to be addressed.  I had both a social worker visit me to discuss my condition and later a “customer service” coordinator to independently assess whether or not I was “happy” with the care and treatment I received.  This same experience was repeated when I was in the ICU.  Again, they introduced themselves, explained what they were doing and asked me questions.  They were positive, humorous and engaging.  Everyone called me by my name.  After two days I was discharged to the Trauma Unit for the remainder of my stay.  Once again, I was impressed with the quality and consistency of the positive, authentic and genuine compassion that I felt during my interactions with the caregivers.  This was not just the doctors and nurses, but the IV therapy specialists, the nursing assistants and (most impressive) the services personnel who came to clean the room.  All of the people I encountered demonstrated what I would call “ownership” behaviors.  They were all equally committed to delivering the best care to me, and treating me like a person, not a patient.

Personal connection

I was impressed with the people on staff for many reasons.

Authenticity: I felt that my caregivers (nurses, doctors, attendants, etc) really cared about me as a person.

Compassion: They gave me hope for my condition with the small gestures, like holding my hand, asking me questions, and generally just being kind and encouraging.  Oh, and smile.  Never underestimate the power of a genuine smile.

Optimism: At no time did my caregivers focus on my “illness” they focused on my healing process- to them it was about “possibilities.”  This was especially true of the nurses on the staff.  They encouraged me to do what I could to help the healing process, and advocated for me for the appropriate treatment of my pain or for other therapies that would help my condition.

Follow through: Once I was released from the hospital to recover at my friend’s home, the follow up care I received was excellent.  When I called Stanford’s Trauma Center, I was connected with a nurse or nurse practitioner, who answered all of my questions, gave me advice, and most of all: listened and treated me with compassion and behaved with authenticity and encouraged me to do the things I did not think I could do, or did not want to do, to advance my condition in a positive way.

Be Positive:  The Doctors, Nurses and Staff were always friendly, upbeat and positive in all their interactions with me.  During my hospitalization, I remained positive, open and receptive.  I engaged each of the caregivers and tried to make a personal connection with each of them.  I never lost sight of, or faith in, my full recovery.  Expressing a friendly, pleasant and positive attitude invites others to do the same.  It invited more conversation, advice, and interaction- people are nice to people who are nice.  It is also equally important for me to be authentic, genuine and compassionate, and I did just that with all the people I encountered.  I was understood and empathized with how busy they were- and always expressing my (genuine) thanks and gratitude for their help.  All interactions with people are a two way street and it is always the right thing to do to treat everyone with respect.

Lessons Learned

Now, being a management consultant and working with companies on strategy and business modeling, I was first impressed with how they had turned the typical Emergency Room processes on its head and redesigned it with both the patient and customer in mind.  Second, I was impressed with how uniformly the healthcare staff, especially the nurses, seemed to treat me with compassion, and behave in an authentic manner.  The business model I observed was that Stanford University Hospital was not about being a better hospital, it was about being genuine, authentic and dong the right thing for a person- not just a patient.

I believe that all of us in the business community have something valuable to learn from the patient-centered (or customer centered?) care delivered by the Emergency Room, ICU, Trauma Center and outpatient services at Stanford University Hospital. While a customer-focused business model design is key, the real value added comes with the genuine care and compassion of the employees.

I am in contact with Stanford University Hospital now, and I hope to get more details on how they have made all this work together.  I hope to be able to write more about this in the near future.

So, as we look at organizations or companies we admire, that have excellent customer service and the highest standards for quality, lets ask ourselves: how can we infuse more authenticity and compassion into our business and your interactions with others?

It’s not something you can fake.  I believe that it starts with the heart.

The post Learning to Lead with Heart appeared first on Spartina Consulting.

1. For one, all three will take the stage at this year’s #BIF9 Summit hosted by the Business Innovation Factory (BIF) in Providence, RI September 18-19^th. (Talk about a package tour for innovation junkies.)
2. Second, these women each played a significant role in personally ushering me (and countless others) to find my story and make the pivot, an unexpected call to action when I might have otherwise stuck my head in the ground.

If Obe-Wan Kenobe was casted a woman, these ladies would make Lucas proud. Allow me to introduce them to you:

Meet Carmina, Rebel at Work

I first met Carmen Medina in 2000 while working as a contractor in the Intelligence Community. Those were my career ladder rungs where “butts in seats” (profit) came before personal fulfillment (passion), landing me a project where, though grateful to be employed, I cared little for the work. I didn’t “fit” in, and this lack of congruence minimized my self worth, which was already in the dumps, magnified by the divorce I was going through at the time.

Carmen hovered close, not as a supervisor/superior, but as a mentor and friend who not only listened to my somewhat “radical” ideas but fearlessly went against the grain of group think whenever she suspected there a better way, however foreign to government norms. Carmen put my ideas and input on a level playing field with the others—which was huge, considering my subordinate rank and the hierarchical nature of the community wherein we worked. She gave me the time of day where others did not. Most significantly, Carmen encouraged me to keep the faith—not just in the project, or in the Intell Community at large, but in the journey I was on, however muddled and messy. My focus needn’t be about fitting in or being successful, but about learning along the way—a tough pill for this [then] corporate career ladder-climbing businesswoman to swallow.

Carmen credits her friend, Bob, for delivering this message to her. “Sometimes the ‘pivot’ isn’t a pivot, but a willingness to accept and soldier through.” We may find ourselves in a stressful life chapter, unsure or weary of the outcome. What matters is not what happens or whatever success we aim to claim at the finish, but our resolve to keep steady while walking to the other side, to learn to develop equanimity along the way.

A rebellious optimist, as her BIF6 story goes, Carmen gets it that heretics have to learn to live with discomfort, a natural consequence of their willingness to deviate from the norm and to break habits. Carmen just so happens to define innovation as “the opposite of habit,” so it’s only natural for her to be invited back to the BIF stage this year to share her insights from Rebels at Work, a community and collection of stories for “corporate rebels” to share experiences, insights and advice.

Meet Deb, Serial Mentor Extraordinaire

Deb Mills-Scofield and I first met on Twitter. Her influence and charm was magnetic, and I felt an immediate connection that was familiar and safe—like longtime friends (family, even) reunited long last.

When we met in person for the first time it was by way of a warm, lasting hug at BIF7. Deb asked questions with a curiosity that was nurturing, a “I want to understand you so I can help you” inquisitiveness, followed by the “here are the people I know that you need to know” to-do list for introductions and network expansion.

A serial mentor, Deb credits her “Other” orientation to the influence of many, but especially to her “mommy,” whom she affectionately references by this name today. (September marks five years since her mother’s passing.) A Holocaust survivor, Deb’s mother instilled an appreciation for that which cannot be taken away: knowledge, experience, and the stories that pull it all together. Material goods will come and go; learning stays.

For Deb, it’s always about nurturing others so we can learn, together.

“There’s ‘magic’ in what we learn at the BIF summit that is unique, unlike any other conference. BIF manages expectations in such a way that we arrive not to be seen, but on a level playing field. That’s the magic. And this goes back to the unique, intimate city where BIF is hosted, Providence, and the amazing staff that run BIF: no arrogance, just real down-to-Earth people.”

2013 will mark Deb’s first BIF experience on stage (versus taking her usual seat next to the bloggers). “I’m honored to share my story, and I think it’s cooler to arrive as a participant, whether you’re telling a story on stage or not,” she says, describing the summit as a humble, intimate version of TED without the hubris.

“BIF is very much about the ‘Thou’ and not the ‘I’. And—very important—the intent with which you arrive at the conference makes a difference with what you get out of it,” says Deb, who ascribes to Martin Buber’s I-Thou philosophy: we exist only in the way we encounter others.

“Is the world about me (I), where you inherently seek that which benefits you first? Or is the world about others (Thou, God)” – an outward perspective mindful of making the world better for everyone in it?

Many business leaders strive to create a legacy in the form of a lucrative company, intellectual property that lives on. Deb’s intellectual property is her network, and it’s open-source. “If I can share my network with others and inspire them to grow it for others, then I’ve lived well.”

Meet Whitney, the real-life Working Girl

I first met Whitney Johnson when she took the stage at the BIF7 Summit in the fall of 2011. Whitney shared some lessons learned from her own disruptive path, and the pain and reward that comes with the uncertainty of leaping into the unknown. “If it feels scary and lonely, you’re on the right track,” she said, assuredly, “…and you have no idea what will come next.” Then and there I thought the room went black with one spotlight shining on me alone. I felt terrified and validated all at once.

Several months after BIF, Whitney invited me to guest blog on her Dare, Dream, Do site. One brief and brilliant coaching call later, I found my story in its magnificent purity and simplicity.

Finding my story was significant, because the stories we tell about our past shape our vision of the future. And whether our (or other’s) expectation of the future is high or low, we live into it.

This is true for Whitney’s own life-changing pivots, where others believed in and cheered on her greatness – from Smith-Barney, where she ascended from “Working Girl” secretary to investment banker; to Merrill Lynch, where she learned to appreciate her innate capacity to think across disciplines – music, finance, spreadsheets, and more.

“Everyone needs a cheerleader to tell you you’re awesome… And, there’s a reputational risk when that cheerleader applauds you in a public forum. You simply have to live into—not just up to—that expectation,” she explained.

Whitney has had many cheerleaders along the way, from past bosses, to her coach, to Saul Kaplan (BIF founder), all who inspired her to take the dare—to dream and do. She is especially thankful for the encouragement she receives from her husband, whose belief in her instills a confidence to make things happen.

“When I think about my own experience on Wall Street, and then talk to other women, I’m stunned by how few of them have dreams—or worse, they do not think it their privilege to dream. It is everyone’s privilege to have a dream.”

Whitney doesn’t see her role as speaker and coach as giving back or paying it forward. Her motivating force comes from within; it’s how she connects to others and to the world.

“When I can encourage people to name themselves, to dream, then I feel connected. ‘I want you to see you as you are so I can connect with you.’ I do this because I have to.”

Carmen, Deb and Whitney will be among 30 storytellers and over 400 innovators, troublemakers, entrepreneurs, inventors and transformation artists making the pivot at the #BIF9 Summit this September 18 and 19. Now in its ninth year, the BIF Summit has earned its reputation as “one of the top 7 places to watch great minds in action” (according to Mashable). Join us in Providence for two days of unforgettable stories that connect, inspire and transform.

The post Making the Pivot: Meet Carmen, Deb & Whitney of the #BIF9 Summit appeared first on Spartina Consulting.

Spartina was originally Dave’s idea. When he proudly shared the brainstorm for the new company’s name, Jen and Tony had to laugh, almost in surprise – it was as if he read their minds. Not only is spartina grass a symbol of what matters to them most, family and community, it’s also the name of the street they live on.

Dave first encountered the name Spartina years ago when he was in school in Seattle. Everyday waiting for his bus, he would encounter The Spartina, a 1938 wooden Herreshoff sailboat being restored. A sailor himself, the name evoked beautiful but provocative imagery, as clusters of spartina grass not only knit shorelines together to prevent erosion, but serve as food and shelter to a cornucopia of marine life, incubating in a sense, before swimming on to deeper waters. Spartina is where life begins.

For Jen and Tony, who lived and worked for large corporations in Washington DC for nearly 10 years, Spartina was a homecoming. After earning their masters degrees, building their careers, and having 2 children, (and meeting Dave!), they moved to Rhode Island with the dream of raising their family and building strong community by the ocean.

Like the Spartina team, spartina grass functions because of strength in numbers. It is a catalyst and a service to the larger marine ecosystem and the strength is drawn not from one blade, but from the cluster.  For the Spartina team, this business analogy is sheer poetry – our strengths as individuals are maximized when collaborating with others and forging a strong and generous network of connectors.  The power of collaboration is our experience as individuals, our belief as business owners, and the value that we bring to the organizations that we work with.

The post Spartina: It’s All in a Name appeared first on Spartina Consulting.

Here at Spartina, business cards read “Partner and Co-founder.” But the expertise that we bring to each and every client and collaborator that we work with is so much deeper. When we’re meeting with clients we activate our experiences as parents, coaches, athletes, and even as clients – empathy is key! We encourage you to learn more about the experiences of your teammates and colleagues, perhaps the experiences not visible on CVs, to better understand each others strengths and perhaps forge some new and unlikely connections.

Dave’s hats are many! In his former lives he raced sailboats, worked as a carpenter, served in the Navy and for the State Department, and led an executive team at a Fortune 1,000.  Dave is also a proud father of 2 and happiest when he’s on his sailboat. He describes being at the helm of a boat as an infusion of inspiration and possibility because one can travel anywhere. If Dave could choose a less traditional title for his business card, he identifies strongly as a “Connector.”

Tony’s former career in global health and travel to over 80 countries dramatically informs his current client work. When traveling in foreign countries, he would arrive to a blank slate, not knowing the nuances of history, language, and culture without the guidance from locals. Curiosity and inquiry were key to launching successful, sustainable community-based programs. When Tony collaborates with a new organization, he comes with the same appreciation that every business is different and that no one knows more than the employees themselves. Tony also wears the hats of soccer dad, poker player, beach volleyball player. If Tony could choose a less traditional job title, he relates to being “Sparky” – to spark conversations and big ideas.

Jen has too many hats to count! As a nurturing mother, passionate kickboxer, nonprofit board member, and advocate for innovations in public education and civic engagement, it’s easy to address complex challenges creatively. One of the most poignant perspectives that Jen brings to her clients is her former work as a marathon coach. Working with people from ages 17-70, Jen coached people to reach goals they never imagined were possible. Who knew that an infusion of motivation and inspiration could make the impossible possible? If Jen could select a less traditional job title for her business card, it would read “Curator” – Jen is a wizard behind the curtain facilitating conversations and uncovering commonalities.

What are the hats that you wear? Which do you wear to work? It may be time to revise the dress code!

The post Bring all your hats to work with you every day appeared first on Spartina Consulting.