Our students have been out of school for a week now, and I imagine that many of the graduates used the time to catch their breath and regroup after the stress of finals and leaving. Good for them, but now it’s time to get down to the business of finding a job.
Whether I am speaking to new graduates or experienced staff, my job-seeking advice is the same: find a place that gives you opportunities. It doesn’t so much matter if you start at an entry level position; if you are good, you will be promoted. If you start in a more senior role, if you are good, you will be promoted. Look for where you will be given new challenges, projects. That’s what you need your employer to contribute; you can add the rest.
Think about it in your current position. Are you doing the same thing you were doing when you were first hired? Are you doing the same thing as others in your same position? Hopefully the answer is no. You want an organization and boss that taps you on the shoulder and offers new responsibilities. If that isn’t happening, it’s time to assess why not.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
Month: May 2013
#353 vulnerability
Over the weekend, I went to the first fine arts festival of the summer. There will be several of these events in the coming months, and I go to as many as my calendar permits. I treat it like an outdoor museum, where I can look at all the beautiful art works and admire the extraordinary jewelry.
Only, it isn’t an outdoor museum; it’s an outdoor store. Those artists aren’t sitting in their booths to entertain me; this is their livelihood. I felt that more poignantly at one booth where I spent a fair amount of time on Saturday afternoon. I loved this artist’s work, and was fascinated with how he made it. But I only made a minor purchase of a $12 pin vs. the $365 wall hanging that I spent the most time admiring.
I thought about the vulnerability that it must take to be on the arts circuit. To have someone walk by your booth without even entering it. To not take personally the face-to-face rejection when people leave without a sale. Or to conceal the disappointment when the little purchase is made instead of the big one.
In the new Oprah magazine, there is an article about vulnerability, in which Dr. Brene Brown writes about vulnerability being “brave enough to show up and let ourselves be seen.”
Even if you’re not an artist in the fine arts sense of the word, I think that all of us could practice a bit more vulnerability. It is easy to hide behind time and distance that separate us from most of our ultimate clients and to create work that becomes generic. Instead, try to put yourself out there, personalize your work, meet people face-to-face, and be proud enough to pretend you’re an artist at the fair.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
*O Magazine June 2013 Oprah’s Conversation with Brene Brown, p. 136.
#352 a buck
Last week I read the obituary for Dave Gold. I had never heard the name before, but rarely a weekend goes by that his work doesn’t provide me a few moments of frivolous entertainment.
Gold founded the 99 Cents Only Stores which spawned numerous franchises of similar pricing strategies. I love the dollar stores. Where else can you go and know that you absolutely can afford anything in the store? I can see stickers that remind me of someone and for a buck I can give them a delight. I can mail window clings to my niece and nephew for every holiday and not go bankrupt. I can indulge my fetish for office supplies and not feel guilty. I can buy toys for the pups and not worry when they are shredded that day. Life is just carefree in the dollar store aisles.
Some people are hesitant to shop there, since the freshness and origin of the goods can be somewhat questionable. I always follow my sister’s mantra: “nothing in or on.” Meaning buy no food/beverage/consumables that go in your body, nor any lotions/cosmetics/products that go on it. With that as my guide, I have guiltless shopping where a few bucks buys me untold treasures.
Thanks Dave Gold, for starting a trend that has become ingrained in a strip mall in every city. You have provided me with untold ways of saying “I’m thinking about you” and given me many hours of shopping fun. You can’t put a price tag on that!
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
#351 cocoa peach
Earlier this week, I took advantage of an offer to get a free makeup consultation at the Clinique counter. I didn’t really have a need for new cosmetics, but I like to capitalize on the opportunity for a low risk experiment.
The clerk chose a color palette that I would have never, ever selected for myself. In fact, if you look at the lipstick in the tube, I might have given a bonus sampler away without as much as putting it on. But I really liked it on my lips! And the eye shades look like nothing in my makeup bag, but they actually did “make my blue eyes pop.” Who knew?!
I try to make it a practice to take risks when the consequences are low. Peter Sims calls these “little bets” in his book by the same name. He advocates for conducting small experiments that don’t detract from the core business, but allow you to gain valuable knowledge (of either what worked or what didn’t) that can be used to gain more leverage down the road.
It is very easy to get in a rut. Take advantage of opportunities to be bold and daring on little things that don’t really have high stakes. The confidence and courage you cultivate will serve you well in more meaningful situations in the future. (And you just might look good while doing it!)
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
#350 amalgamate
Following my own advice, I keep written records of things as I advocated in Blog #344 (May 11th). So, in preparation for my vacation next week, I pulled out the list of things-to-pack to ensure that I had everything on hand and did not need to go shopping.
I was struck by how dated the list had become in only a few years:
> camera — not needed; I have the iPhone
> film — what is that?!
> extra camera battery — nope
> clean SIM card for camera — won’t come near capacity on the phone
> MapQuest directions to hotel — GPS included on phone
> look up locations/directions/hours of favorite stores and attractions in advance — ask Siri instead!
> alarm clock — got it covered with the Clock app
> road map from AAA — not necessary
> calculator for money conversion if out of the country — there’s an app for that too
> boarding pass — electronic version on phone
> weather forecast — up to the minute radar available with a swipe
> Sudoku book for plane — electronic version loaded
As I looked at the list, I also realized that what was included on the iPhone wasn’t necessarily brand new; instead it combined in an easy-to-use way things that already existed. Maybe you can’t come up with the next invention that sells 318 million units*, but can you add value to your organization (and glee to your customers) by re-packaging things that currently are disparate? Can everything you need for college enrollment be all in one place (preferably on a user-friendly app that is available 24/7)? Is it possible to integrate all the decisions you need to make in building a home into one device or app? Could you pull together all the tourist information needed by city/by age/by luxury level for the major cities instead of asking your colleague for insider advice?
Marcel Proust wrote: “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” How can your eyes re-imagine new ways to pull things together?
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
*Source: iPhone sales at wikimedia commons, updated 4-18-13
#349 front lines
Yesterday I lamented about the ice cream manager who was oblivious to the business her clerks were turning away. The flip side of that is Walt Disney who was known for “strolling” through his theme parks and asking questions.
Former employee Doug Lipp recounted a time when Disney put a teenage ride operator on the spot by asking: “How would you improve this ride?” The lad had an answer that he could only know from his front line experience: the gondola roofs were too low and guests frequently bumped their heads when entering or exiting the ride. As you can guess, the height was adjusted and the ride operator was rewarded.*
I try to spend a few moments every day walking through the office areas of my staff, and I invariably hear things that way. More importantly, I try to foster an environment — more like encourage or expect a culture — where people can speak candidly and raise suggestions on a regular basis. Just yesterday I remained in my office but was asked whether or not the admissions representatives can wear shorts with their official polos on our summer registration and visit days; if we can purchase a Keurig machine to offer families coffee since we discontinued brewing it due to waste, and whether I would support a policy change for our transfer student ACT requirements. All these are equivalent to: “how would you improve your working conditions?”
If you aren’t regularly asked for changes, you should implement strategies to change that fact first. Get out more. Hold a retreat where you encourage what Seth Godin calls “poking the box.” Ask more questions like Disney did. Reward suggestions, including those you can’t implement. Say yes more frequently.
Your front line people can make your organization great if you let them.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
*Source: How Disney produces its ‘hi-ho’ worker enthusiasm by Claudia Buck of the Sacramento Bee. Printed in the Dubuque Telegraph Herald 4-28-13
#348 no
I had about 35 people serving on a committee for me this year. In addition to a thank you note, I wanted to give them a “little something” in the envelope as a token of appreciation. Spring has really just come to our area, so I decided that an ice cream cone would be a nice touch — the first cone of the season from the local, homemade ice cream parlor.
I knew this was a slightly unusual request as I wanted a gift certificate for a cone (= $3.20) instead of the standard $5 gift card. So I went in person and nicely asked the clerk if she could accommodate me given that I wanted 35 of them. Her reply: “no.” That was it. Never mind that it meant foregoing $112 of sales for this little local business. “No.”
I had my assistant make some calls, and other ice cream places in town were more than willing to accommodate me. So she called and asked for the original store’s manager, and what do you know — I was able to buy 35 certificates for a free cone!
Why did it have to be that hard? Even though they made nice certificates, I am still irritated with the process and the (lack of) service there.
Do you train your front line staff to be in the habit of saying “yes” more than they say “no?” Or at least saying “I don’t know; I’ll have someone get back to you.” As a manager, do you even have any idea what your staff is saying “no” to? Have you asked them what requests they have received and what changes they would make to accommodate things?
The teenager at the counter has more to say about how people perceive your business than you do. Try to instill in him/her maturity beyond their years and the ability to say at least “maybe” instead of instantly giving an outright refusal.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
#347 if
I was talking on the phone to a friend while she was out basking in the sun. She commented on how she was already (naturally) tan, which is really saying something given the rainy Spring that we’ve had. “I can handle anything if I’m tan,” she laughed.
I thought about that statement. Being tan means nothing to me, but being in good shape with new freshmen numbers makes the whole world seem more manageable. “I can handle anything if deposits are good,” I replied.
What is out there that serves as a bellwether of your mood and coping mechanisms? In other words, how would you fill in the blank of “I can handle anything if ______?” Then think about what steps you can take to make this anchor a reality. You don’t have to have everything, but it helps to know what it most important for your attention.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
#346 Houdini
Several of these blogs have dealt with antics of my dogs, and today I will add to that. On one of the beautiful evenings last week, I left the dogs out in the yard while I went to dinner. I came home to find my 1-year old sitting in the neighbor’s front yard! I figured that her big sister bullied her (again) and pushed her under the fence (again). So, I deployed my friend to buy stakes and secure the bottom of fence. Life was good…
…for about one day, when I let the dogs out after work. In the time it took me to change clothes, she was outside the fence again. We checked, and there were no stakes disrupted. And then, my friend saw her climb the fence and escape on her own. I did not believe it. Until, moments later with me standing right next to her, she did it again. AHHH!
I think this can be a metaphor for how we often solve problems at work. I was convinced that she was going under the fence. I took all the precautions to remedy that situation, but it was the wrong problem. I blamed someone for the problem who really had nothing to do with it. When someone told me that I was wrong, I didn’t believe them. The evidence of what they were saying was so contrary to what I thought was true — and even what I thought was possible — that I denied it. Until, of course, I saw it with my own eyes and had to confront the truth.
The next time you have a dilemma, instead of jumping to conclusions and trying to solve it right away, try to ensure that you are fixing the right issue. Your problem could be climbing the fence.
— beth triplett
#345 joy
Yesterday was our graduation, and with only a few exceptions, the happiest people at the ceremony were the mothers. They are always the saddest at freshmen move-in day, but at commencement they are beaming. I am sure the majority of them would say that their child’s graduation was the best Mother’s Day present that they could receive.
A friend told me that the first rule of parenting is that “you can only be as happy as your unhappiest child.” I wonder if this axiom applies in the workplace too. Can you only be as happy as your unhappiest employee?
Maybe the reverse is true, and on occasions like graduation, you can find yourself being as happy as your happiest child.
On Mother’s Day and in this commencement season, let us wish that you transfer joy to your parents and colleagues and be grateful for the moms that are still with us.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com