ADVISA Gives Back: Big Brothers Big Sisters

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Beth Claflin

We a proud to share this video, which is our entry in the Companies with a Mission (CWAM) Central Indiana Service Challenge. We invested a day with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Delaware County last week for leadership development and a fun night out bowling with Bigs and Littles involved in the program. We hope to win up to $10,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters if we are chosen as a winner in the contest.

As the video mentions, we conducted a free two-hour executive leadership development session for 26 Board members, staff, Big Brothers and Sisters, and other community volunteers. During the session, we highlighted how participants’ unique leadership and communication strengths relate to their success in their mentoring relationships, their effectiveness as community volunteers, and their business leadership as well. Each participant was given the opportunity to:

take the Predictive Index® personality assessment
gain powerful self awareness for working with others to improve team and mentoring effectiveness
learn how leadership style impacts others
gain greater understanding of conflict sources and team dynamics
learn “why people do what they do.”

Following the leadership session, we hosted free bowling and pizza for Bigs and their Littles, and raffled an iPod to one lucky Little.

Why did We Get Involved?

We believe that strong companies are made of strong leaders and that translates into our communities as well. We teamed up with Big Brothers Big Sisters because we believe modeling strong leadership, communication and team participation skills is a means to strengthening assets that all children need along the path toward becoming confident, competent and caring adults

In addition, one of our management consultants, Brian J. McKay, is an active volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters and has served as a Big Brother for eight years. He also founded a related not-for-profit agency called The Leadership Board with support and a financial contribution from ADVISA. The Leadership Board has the singular mission of: No Child Without a Mentor. The efforts of the Leadership Board have resulted in eight Big/Little matches and over 11 more in the queue to be matched.

What if We Win?

If we win the Central Indiana Service Challenge, the prize money will be used by Big Brothers Big Sisters to recruit, screen, train and support new adult volunteers as matches for children on their waiting list. The cost of the efforts required to provide one adult match for a child on the list is estimated to be $1,000.

In Praise of Aszure Grimes

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Beth Claflin

We are convinced that we have a superior team of people working at ADVISA. But in case you think we’re too close to the subject to be objective, here’s what one of our clients has to say about Management Consultant Aszure Grimes:

“Aszure led an executive team-building session at Fineline that included utilizing Predictive Index® profiles of key managers. She blew us away with her preparedness, insights, energy, and style. Even our most skeptical managers opened up and were thrilled with the outcomes. Every minute of our two-hour session was valuable.”

- Jill Wangler, Director of Marketing, Fineline Printing Group, Indianapolis

Congratulations Aszure!

P90X. Republicans. Your Company.

Posted on March 18, 2011 by BJ McKay

In The Wall Street Journal on March 16, 2011 there is a human interest article on how House Republicans have decided to lose the flab gained by overwork and intense campaigning with P90X. I have a soft spot for the P90X program because I am a P90X graduate. I lost 15 pounds on the program. I found this article fascinating, not because Republicans were taking their physical health seriously, it was because they were doing P90X together.

What is the significance of that? Well, each member of Congress likely has plenty of demands on her or his time and likely has a gym membership somewhere near the metro D.C. area, right? Why, then, would these political A-listers choose to get together at 6:30 AM every morning in a no frills basketball gym to complete a P90X workout? Two reasons:

1. Common Language

2. Results

P90X delivers a rigorous program that is built on a common language that you begin to use as you work out. You can literally connect with anyone who has completed at least a few weeks of the program and speak the same language. It’s instant bonding around a common goal, which is health.

The program also delivers results. It’s well thought out and chock full of motivation for the most unwilling of participants. It has a timeline, 90 days, to get you where you need to be. That’s a finish line for those who suffer exercise to stay in shape. If you do the program, you’ll be singing it’s praises. That is because it delivers results that matter.

When asked what I do, I should start saying I am a P90X equivalent to organizations’ management development and business development. I deliver the two core outcomes as P90X when it comes to employee productivity and performance and leadership development. A common language (Predictive Index®) and results (ROI).

By the way, Democrat’s have also joined this Congress P90X club. Interesting dynamic huh?

Reach out to me here to learn how I may be able to deliver a common language to your management team and employees and results to your business.