Our city park district partners with the local independent movie theatre to show children’s movies in the park during several evenings each summer. Even though I am a childless adult, I have been to many of them!
This partnership is a win-win-win collaboration. The theatre sees it as good for their business — it provides great exposure and gets people hooked on their “best-popcorn-in-town” popcorn (that really does taste better than others). The city is thrilled to have family-friendly events that utilize the parks. And I see it as a positive because they serve free movie-theatre popcorn at a free movie — who wouldn’t love that?!
Not all partnerships live happily ever after like in the movies. True collaboration involves thinking together, not just cooperating and “playing nice in the sandbox”. To really work long term, there needs to be mutual understanding of the goals, and reciprocal benefit to BOTH parties, not just positives for one. Often times we dream up organizations with whom we can partner because of something we can gain vs. something we can give.
The same thing happens with intra-organizational collaborations; we want to work with another department but lament that they are less interested in working with us. Could it be that you have failed to produce (or to articulate) a true benefit to them from doing so?
Think about your next partnership like a waltz; you and your partner need to be dancing to the same music and both be enjoying yourselves, not tripping over each other’s feet.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
Month: August 2012
#70 ordinary
I was doing a load of laundry and when I went to put the clothes in the dryer, the floor was wet. Puddle wet, not a flood, but it still involved a hour of clean-up time and planted doubt about what would happen with the next load.
It made me think of one of those needlepoint pillows I saw when I was a kid that said “Thank God for Everything Ordinary.” At the time, I thought it was a ludicrous suggestion and couldn’t understand the good to be found in the mundane, routine or uneventful. Ordinary equalled boring!
But now, on more than one non-ordinary occasion such as a washer leaking, I reflect on how much ordinary we take for granted and how oftentimes ordinary is good.
I know we live in a world that mandates change and continuous improvement, but take a moment to show appreciation to those in your organization who make ordinary happen. The receptionist who answers the phones. The accountants who pay the bills and process your paychecks. The data entry staff who input the orders. The technology staff who keep the network up and running. If your infrastructure core runs like “ordinary” on most days, you have a lot to be thankful for.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
#69 sound advice
I am always reflecting on my supervisory style and its effectiveness, so I was talking to a friend the other day about the delicate nature of being a supervisor. The tone of an entire department can be set by one individual, making it an almost daunting responsibility to do it well. I wondered what “well” looked liked.
My friend made an insightful comment that he has learned more about what not to do from supervisors. “When you have a good supervisor, you don’t pay attention to it, but when you have a bad supervisor you are really aware of how negative traits impact people,” he said. I asked him what behaviors made a good supervisor and he had two thoughts to share:
> People will be willing to bend over backwards for you if they think you care about them. Don’t always be about the business side; also be about the people side. Work through people, not just through management policies.
> Be willing to change your mind.
Seems to me like the key ingredient in both nuggets is the willingness to listen — and really hear what people are saying.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
#68 input
Our university is undergoing accreditation next year so committees are in the process of gathering documents and preparing reports. As part of this, I was asked to provide minutes and plans from my annual all-staff gatherings. I don’t have any.
So much of our time and routine meetings are focused on output — creating the strategies, executing the plans, orchestrating logistics, etc. that I like to spend my semi-annual time together focused on input. We had a common reading this year* (which became optional instead of mandated — see blog #31!) and discussed what it meant for us and ways we could apply it. We focused on the possibilities instead of the details and spent time on the inputting of ideas to play out in our work throughout the semester. We have notes from our groups and from our flip charts, but nothing formal or fancy to share with the accreditors.
What I want to share with them is a comment from one of my support staff members, who said that her favorite part was when we reviewed what we discussed last year and gave multiple examples of how we had made changes because of it. Clearly, there are expectations that the input will be put into action and evidence of our work together will permeate the individual work we do throughout the year.
Despite the pressures to do so, try not to focus all of your time on output. I hope that you create structures in your work to allow time for input, such things as: reading an article every day at lunch, starting your morning with an on-line newsletter, reading a non-fiction book each month, attending one conference per year — and keeping your all-staff time sacred for big picture thinking instead of the details, even if there are no formal reports to show for it.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
* 2011 Poke the Box; 2012 We Are All Weird — both by Seth Godin
#67 the other side of the coin
I have two new staff members starting work this week. Several people here have been busy planning training for them — lots of meetings, readings and things to do to help the new employees to learn their job and get acclimated to our culture. To be sure, learning what is serves a critical purpose and is vital to success in the position. When you’re new, you clamor to learn everything there is to know as soon as you can.
Harder to learn, but perhaps more valuable, is learning what isn’t. Sometimes it is a struggle for people at all stages to think beyond what is on the page to what should be there. They proof a document and point out that a comma is missing, but fail to note that a paragraph to set the context or to explain something important is absent. They learn every detail of the process, but don’t stop to question why it is that way in the first place. People become experts at what exists, but forget to be strategic about what should be happening.
Whether you are brand new or a seasoned veteran, the real difference makers are the ones who ask “what isn’t” in addition to mastering “what is”.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
#66 pragmatism
As I was walking through the parking lot this weekend, I came upon a man who was sitting on the open tailgate of his car with two huge yellow labs beside him. Of course I had to stop and greet them all. I saw that the inside of the tailgate was lined with two thick pet mattresses. When I remarked that this was quite the comfortable set up for the pooches, he told me that this was the “Dogmobile”. “My wife wanted the grey interior,” he said, “but I told her that we were getting the tan one.” He then proceeded to rub his hand along the carpet and came away with a huge glob of lab hair that matched the inside.
Through his pragmatism, this man relieved himself from the worry of dog transport. Instead of stressing on a daily basis over something that was inevitable, he made accommodations and happily went forward.
It reminded me of a friend who was stressing over the way her dissertation “should be” done. I told her that it was like wearing a white pantsuit — you can, but if you do, you often spend too much time worrying about getting something on it. I suggested she metaphorically change into grungy shorts and a t-shirt and worry about getting it done vs. wasting time worrying about how she was doing so.
Are there situations in your life where you should let go of the ideal? Where do you need to create your own version of the Dogmobile to allow you to enjoy more of life? There are some things that just aren’t worth the stress!
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
#65 try it on
A colleague was pondering whether or not to go on a job interview. She wasn’t sure whether she wanted to leave or whether this was the position she should pursue. My advice: “try on the dress.”
I recalled to her the countless times that I had seen beautiful clothing in stores that looked great on the model, but not so well on me. Had I left the store without trying them on, I would have that waft of regret or lingering wonder. But once I stood in front of the mirror, I was quite content in leaving the clothes on the rack.
I believe that sometimes the best thing to do is to go a little further to try something out. Go on the interview. Demo that product. Attend that workshop. Talk to that banker. Accept that blind date. Babysit that puppy.
You’ll know with far more certainty whether or not it fits than you ever would have known by just speculating about it.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
#64 grrr
I recently had a meeting with a colleague who asked to see me. I was intrigued when I saw the appointment on my calendar as it was the first time I had ever met with him, and even more wide eyed when the meeting began. He started out by telling me that he has always admired my ability to keep calm even with all the chaos that goes on, and that it appeared to him that I was always able to maneuver through difficult or sensitive topics with grace. He now had a dicey situation and “thought of me first” for advice on how to handle it.
To say that I was stunned was an understatement. I wouldn’t have said that this person actually knew my behavior, let alone admired it. Takeaway #1 from the encounter was that you are influencing people far more than you know. People do watch and learn from you; intentionally or not.
It also got me reflecting on his observations. Am I really able to project calm and grace? What am I doing to cause that perception anyway? Two thoughts to my answer:
— I am a believer in letting time pass. I never respond to an email or comment that incites me until the next day. I know when I do not have the capacity to respond in an even-keeled manner, so I don’t. Saying nothing is better than saying something you will regret or that will just escalate the situation.
— I try to keep emotions even. I’m not really a rant-and-raver. My staff knows that if I say “Dr. Triplett says GRRR” that I am not happy, but I can convey that sentiment with a sentence rather than a rampage. It acknowledges that something is amiss, and I hope it instills a level of confidence that I can/will deal with it; no need to waste more time venting.
Allow some breathing space for your problems. Then use your time to coach and mentor an “unusual suspect” rather than having another round with those who raise your dander.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
#63 punctuation
We recently spent the day crunching numbers and analyzing strategies with a consultant. I have hired this individual for 19 years at four different schools. When I first worked with him, I was a total novice in my career and he was the crash course graduate study that I needed. But now, almost two decades later, I began to ponder why I still found him to be so valuable. My conclusion: because he talks with question marks.
Bill occasionally slips in a “you should do” statement, but during the vast majority of our time together he is asking questions. We look at reports and he asks “why?” or “what have you done to impact this?” or “what else could we do to influence this area?”. He makes me think; plus he helps my younger staff learn how to think in empirical terms. Bill asks the questions that we have to answer for ourselves, making us more cognizant of the rationale behind them and the implicit choices we are making as a result.
I have known others who talk with periods. Their manner of speech is such that it comes out as a mandate or proclamation or “must do”, and the tone can be off-putting. Deft is the leader (or teacher) who can position their thoughts as a balloon that floats out there for others to pull down for themselves vs. a mallet hitting the table.
Think about your speech (or memos or messages). Do you seek responses and allow space for others to find themselves or are you closing off thought with declarations? Peppering your messages with question marks or commas instead of periods may generate new possibilities in your relationships.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
#62 let’s get together
I led a meeting today that had about 40 people from across campus in attendance. We went through a rather robust agenda with the purpose of sharing information about the myriad of activities that occur in the next few weeks. Inevitably, we uncovered some loose ends and unresolved details; those were referred to the affected parties to resolve and report back. By Friday, we will have compiled a master list of reference data to aid everyone on campus in assisting our students when they return.
Some people hate meetings; I am not in that crowd. For me, meetings are one of the most productive tools around. In the span of an hour, I accomplished more to improve our student experience than I would have with a flurry of emails. I was able to generate some excitement, clarify questions on the spot, foster collaboration and even introduce some new people to the group. Automatically I have a group of people that left their 50 minutes with me more informed than when they came and more consciously aware of how short the window is before our students return.
What makes a good meeting? In my opinion:
— Purpose > there was a need to call a meeting (vs. we had a meeting just because it was scheduled)
— Preparation > an agenda was sent out in advance, allowing people to do their homework and come with meaningful input
— Productive use of time > we kept the meeting on task and did not use all-group time on issues that could be resolved after the meeting by just a sub-set of the group
— Post-meeting follow up > we will record and share the outcomes of our time together
If you have the “four Ps” in place, welcome the opportunity to get together. Amazing things can happen when people put their heads together and actually talk to each other.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com