I own a pair of cowboy boots. When I decided that I wanted them, I knew I wanted red. I tried on one pair in red; they fit, and I wore them home.
Contrast that with someone else that I know who decided that she wanted cowboy boots before Christmas. She went on-line to research them, and for several conversations after her due diligence, she talked through her findings with others as she processed the information in her mind. She knew she wanted the “R” toe and not the “J” toe; the Ariat brand was desirable but pricey; the shaft height had to be a certain level, etc. To this day, I have no idea what the differences are! Finally she narrowed it down to a Legend or Heritage and ordered two from Zappos to try on. This involved having a “fashion show” at work and soliciting the opinion of a dozen or so people as to which look they preferred. She took that feedback, but still wanted try them on at home with jeans and walk around the house for awhile. I am not sure if she has yet to make a choice.
The thing is, she is having as much fun shopping for boots as she will from wearing them. Her email about it even said “thanks for giving me something to hunt for”. There is nothing right or wrong about either style of decision making, especially when it is for pure personal pleasure.
The lesson here is that different people inherently have different styles of decision making. If you work with or for someone who is more comfortable with a robust context and facts, it is better if YOU do your research before presenting a proposal that is the equivalent of “red”. But if you work for/with someone who expects you to evaluate the options and then present one, it requires a different approach on your end.
Decisions, on big things and small, are hard enough to make. Tailor your style to the decision maker so that they are as comfortable as possible as they ride into the rodeo.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
Month: February 2013
#251 trade-offs
As a continuation from yesterday’s thought…I am convinced that the need for compromise is more important than ever. I had a recent conversation with someone who is very connected with national politics, and she described the country’s situation as “scary”. “Our country is built on the premise of compromise,” she said. “But now, instead of putting the interests of the country first and working out a way to move us forward, politicians of both parties are too focused on their own interests.”
Yesterday’s blog gave the telephone and music as two examples of growing independence, but there are hundreds of others. Not sharing rooms with siblings, or even college roommates. Teenagers having their own car instead of coordinating elaborate drop off and pick up rituals. Streaming of movies so people can watch what they want that evening; the blockbuster hit is never “rented out”. Buying now on credit instead of figuring out what you can afford. The list is endless.
How do we teach our next generation how to compromise? Where do they get practice at it in today’s world full of options and choice, and where there are few role models in the daily news?
A compromise requires an adjustment of differing positions. It is a co-promise to a joint settlement. At your next opportunity, try to publicly role model the art of compromise. Not just to move your organization forward, but to inspire others to follow suit.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
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#250 independence
Think about the evolution of telephones:
From picking up the phone and asking the operator for whom you wish to reach
To party lines (where several units were all connected to the same phone number)
To one phone in the house
To extensions so you could have a phone in your room
Now to personal cell phones where everyone in the house has their own phone number
And with music:
Once only performed publicly in group settings
To radios that people gathered around in stores or living rooms
To personal stereos in a home or car
To Walkmans that made that stereo portable
To iPods which put “a thousand songs in your pocket”
To Pandora and other services that now give you a personal music station
While there is certainly convenience in having your own phone vs. waiting for your chatty neighbors to free up the party line, we also lose some practice in the art of compromise and patience in the process.
The telephone and music are just two examples of a plethora of ways that we operate more independently than we did before. While growing up, I gained lots of practice in compromising during “negotiations” over phone usage rights and the car’s radio station selection. Today, try to find other ways to practice your skill in accommodating others’ needs and tastes. Your community will be better for it.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
#249 wow
While many spent their Sunday watching the Super Bowl, I know someone who was actually THERE. He spent four grand for a complete package, and bought himself a memory that will be with him for a lifetime (especially with the power outage!).
If you would have asked me last week, I couldn’t have told you who was even in the Super Bowl, so I have no jealousy about his status. I do have great admiration, though, for someone who knew his passion and acted on it.
I felt the same way a few years ago, when a colleague paid a princely sum to attend an intimate black tie event with her beloved Bears players. Again, I had no desire to accompany her, but did appreciate her willingness to sacrifice on almost everything else to create this memory for herself.
I am reminded of a children’s book, Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday by Judith Viorst. It is a delightful tale of Alexander, who dwindles away his dollar with little to show for it when it is gone.
I think many of us are like Alexander — we buy fast food meals, assorted items of clothing, daily lattes and impulse goods in the checkout line — but have little of impact in the end. Organizations act like Alexander, too. We serve our clients with Alexander-esque economics and it all feels very ordinary.
I applaud those who save up their treasures and then plunk down a wad on something that will create a thrill. Here’s to creating a WOW experience — for yourself, or for your customers. In the end, it could be the best money that you’ve spent.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
#248 quiet strength
I have always admired Rosa Parks for the humble and unassuming way that she made her mark on history. A seamstress in Alabama, her refusal to give up her bus seat to a white passenger sparked the 381-day Montgomery Bus Boycott that became a key event in the quest for civil rights. She was born 100 years ago today.
I had the privilege of seeing Mrs. Parks in person at a benefit concert where then Vice President Al Gore presented her with her Congressional Gold Medal of Honor in 1999. Four decades after she was arrested for violating a city ordinance, she seemed not to understand what all the fuss was about.
I would speculate that if Rosa Parks had thought her action would put her in the national spotlight, she would have been too afraid to do it. But on that day*, she utilized what has been called her “quiet strength” to stand up (er, to stay seated) for her convictions.
Rosa Parks is a reminder that you don’t have to be gregarious, flamboyant, extroverted or outspoken in your message. You just need to act.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
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*December 1, 1955
#247 measurement
What weighs more: an ounce of gold or an ounce of lead?
Most people tend to answer, “they weigh the same” or they intuitively think that an ounce of lead weighs more because lead is perceived as something heavy.
In all likelihood, an ounce of gold actually weighs more. This is because gold is typically weighed using the troy scale, and an ounce on the troy scale is about 10% more than an ounce on the standard scale. [One troy ounce (ozt) = 1.0971 ounces (oz)]
The troy scale is a remnant of the Roman system that retained the troy measurement system for gold, silver, platinum and gunpowder. So should you find yourself buying or selling any of these commodities, it would be helpful to understand what scale is being used.
The same applies in the organizational world. Before you make assumptions that the numbers you are looking at are comparable, it would be behoove you to understand the context and scale of your data. Whenever you are weighing things — be it measurements, values, alternatives or costs — check to see that the scale you accept as standard is the one the other party is using as well.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
*thanks to CLK for the factoid and inspiration
#246 Phil
Today is Groundhog Day. It sounds like one of those obscure events that I referenced in Blog # 243, but it is actually widely celebrated. Why is that? Because of Phil, of course. Punxsutawney Phil in the lovely hamlet of Punxsutawney, PA.
Phil’s descendants became the focus of a cabin-fever party way back in 1887 and the revelry has been growing in popularity ever since. Whether or not Phil sees his shadow seems to be incidental to the festivities.
Over 35,000 people are expected to descend on this town (normal population 5,935) to watch a rodent come out of a hole. It is marketing genius.
What can you brand within your organization like Punxsutawney celebrates Phil? Think about it. If a remote town can attract seven times its population to watch an over sized ground squirrel and get 20 million (!) hits on its http://www.groundhog.org website — well, surely you should be able to come up with a festive little ditty of your own.
Give it a try. Especially if Phil sees his shadow and you are burrowed in for six more weeks of winter and have lots of time to think about it.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
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#245 courage
Today is the anniversary of the civil rights sit-in at the Woolworth store lunch counter in Greensboro, NC. Fifty-three years ago, four brave college students* sat at the counter and ordered coffee. They remained in their seats all day when service was refused. Other students, both black and white, followed their lead and conducted sit-ins of their own throughout the year. By the end of 1960, over 1600 people were arrested for their role in similar demonstrations.
I am fascinated by the civil rights story, for many reasons, but I know that a key factor is because college students played a pivotal role in advocating for equality.
The mantra of many in the movement was “If not now, when? If not me, who?“. I think of this often as I know it applies in my work today. The cause is not as lofty, but in many situations I feel as I have an obligation to ask the hard question or to push a point that needs to be raised. I am fairly sure that as a college student I would not have been brave enough to travel across the country, participate in a dangerous situation and advocate for people I did not know. So today when I ask myself that question, I try to have the courage to answer as they did and act.
The next time you find yourself in a tough situation, think of the four who sat at the lunch counter and all those who followed, and ask yourself “If not now, when? If not me, who?“.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
* The ordinary college students who impacted their world were Ezell Blair, Jr., Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeill and David Richmond from the Agricultural and Technical College. It is doubtful that you ever heard of them, but their lunch counter is on display in the Smithsonian.