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This email came in from Malcolm Fast, CA, CFP of Jackson Fast Anderson Chartered Accountants, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (Editor's Note: Malcolm has presented literally hundreds of Family Virtues Guides as gifts to his clients over the last several years.)
"The Family Virtues Guide continues to be actively used as a cornerstone for defining and communicating conduct at senior levels within the Edmonton business community. Some recent stories follow.
When I was on a recent run, my companion, who was the managing partner of a major professional firm, was expressing anger and frustration. His plan was to call a staff meeting for that afternoon, communicate his feelings and then leave. We added several miles to our planned run as I described the syntax of the Language of Virtues and the bounty to leadership offered by the use of such language. We spent time on the trail going over concepts such as "naming, not shaming", "using virtues, not labels" and empowering people by identifying the gifts of the virtues and describing what they would look like in practice.
My first action upon returning to the Athletic Club was to phone my office and have a copy of The Family Virtues Guide sent by immediate courier to his office. We then showered, grabbed a quick lunch and headed back to our respective offices. His staff meeting was in an hour and a half. His copy of the book, which I had told him I would send over to him, was already on his chair.
Everyone in our firm has been given a copy of the book. It is gifted to each new team member as part of the formal welcoming ceremony.
One of our firm's 'hero-makers' (the ladies in the front who make my partners and me look like heroes) recently came to me for help. She had been carrying with her for 16 years a beautiful sympathy card. It had been intended for the father of a classmate who died tragically. She had never found the words she felt fitting to write in the card. Thus the card had never been mailed. We took a copy of The Family Virtues Guide, a Kleenex box, and a block of time. The card has now been mailed, and a 16-year burden lifted from her shoulders."
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