There is currently a lot of hype and promotion surrounding the new Man of Steel (Superman) movie. Every time I see the iconic “S” logo, I have to smile. It is my personal belief that S does not stand for Superman, but rather super power comes when S stands for specificity.
Specificity is the golden elixir of getting things done. If you frame a decision, strategy or question in a specific way, it is immensely more likely to be answered than if something is left nebulous or vague.
Think of the difference between saying:
> “Let’s get together” vs. “How about dinner Tuesday night at 6pm at Panera?”
> “We need more help” vs. “Here is a proposal to hire a XX position at XX salary to do XX”
> “Call some prospective students” vs. “Tonight call this list of students who have not yet done X in the admissions process”
> “Meeting adjourned” vs. “For the next meeting, you do X and I’ll do Y and we’ll meet again next week at the same time”
> “Please go to the store and get something for dinner” vs. “Can you stop at the market and buy 1# of beef and 4 ears of corn?”
> “Can you help if you have time?” vs. “Would it be possible for you to edit this report by the end of the day today?”
A lack of specificity impedes action by leaving the call to question open. If there is no specific action requested, it is easy to bypass a decision. Time is spent in followup or translation and much more time is wasted while the process remains in limbo.
If you remember that the “S” stands for specificity, you won’t need a leotard or cape to possess super powers.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
Month: June 2013
#383 mobile
Before last Friday, I had never heard of the Scratch bakery. If you read Monday’s blog (#381), you know that I devoured their cupcake over the weekend and was wowed. Imagine my surprise yesterday when I found out that their cakery-on-wheels was in my town for the day!
Word spread like wildfire across my blog readers on campus! I know that several people made a trip out to where the truck was parked and came home with a coveted dozen. This was nothing more than a van with fancy painting rigged up to hold racks and racks of cupcake trays. They sold cupcakes out of the side panel, rang up sales on an adapted iPhone and delighted a long line of customers.
The trend to operate a small business out of a van or truck gives a whole new meaning to mobile commerce. Our town has a food truck, cleverly named “Beauty and the Beef”, that travels to sites around town selling gourmet beef sandwiches during the lunch hour. Other businesses have taken to the streets as well.
USA Today reported* that entrepreneurs are using a mobile vehicle in increasing numbers — for hair stylists, florists, clothing stores, handbag vendors and school supplies. These businesspeople rely on social media (like Scratch did) for inexpensive promotion and the mobile unit as a way to reduce overhead costs. Customers like the convenience of having the store/service come to them.
What aspect of your organization could go mobile? A financial aid advisor or admissions office on wheels? A design truck that comes to you with all the trimmings a home builder must choose? A miniature pet store that you could enter with your pooch instead of getting them all riled up in a big box store? A pediatrician or children’s dentist that could operate out of a van with a playland theme and do business in the park? A government services van that would go to the senior citizens or veterans homes instead of making the customers navigate traffic to get there?
The possibilities are endless. Next time your organization considers going mobile, don’t limit your thinking to the e-commerce functions. Perhaps your real opportunities lie on wheels.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
*Entrepreneurs keep on truckin’ by Hadley Malcom, USA Today, June 27, 2012
#382 stretch
An article in the paper over the weekend said that two of the most desirable traits of employees are flexibility and adaptability. As a result, author Diane Stafford labeled them as “rubber band qualifications.”
The rubber band qualifications of my staff have been tested over the last four days while we have been doing new student registrations. We had a great game plan and everyone had their assignments, but what we end up actually doing during the day can look quite different from what was expected.
Students don’t show up for their appointment. One student left early — just walked out — leaving her crying mom behind. Several have changed days or majors, reeking havoc with the advising appointments. Others have brought along more guests or less guests, again throwing the best laid plans out the window.
And people here have just rolled with it nicely. Everyone jumps in to do what is needed, when it is needed. The chef cooks more food or less. The dean juggles the faculty assignments for registration. We Skype appointments with the international students via iPad when the computer doesn’t work. Staff members escort families to see financial aid, coaches, health services or the bookstore as the need arises. It all works out well.
Starting with the hiring process we look for employees who want to work for the betterment of the entire university, not just do a narrow job. We preach that during training, retreats and on numerous occasions throughout the year.
A real rubber band, if it isn’t stretched and used with regularity, will dry out and be useless. The same is true for rubber band qualifications. Look for flexibility and adaptability in the hiring process, and then be sure to create opportunities for staff to frequently “stretch” their skills.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
“Bosses want ‘rubber band’ workers” by Diane Stafford for the Kansas City Star in the Telegraph Herald 6-16-13
#381 yum
Over the weekend, I made a little day trip out of town to attend an arts festival. When a colleague heard I was going, his immediate comment was: “Visit the Scratch bakery. There will be a line out the door, but you’ll thank me on Monday.”
A line out the door? How many businesses have a line out the door these days? We did not get to the bakery until mid-afternoon, and there wasn’t a line out the door, but there certainly was a line. It was interesting that this wasn’t a grumbly “why is the line so long” kind of line, but customers were more giddy with anticipation, as if we were waiting in line for coveted concert tickets.
We purchased two of the Lemon Love delicacies (a June special), and after we devoured them, we totally understood what the fuss was about. My friend went back in line and purchased a to-go box of Dulche de Leche, Blue Prince, another Lemon Love and O Happy Day (very appropriately named!). I am surprised they made it home.
Everyone we saw walking downtown was carrying a Scratch bakery box. Mind you, these tasty treats aren’t cheap, but that didn’t seem to have any impact on business. I am sure that they aren’t low calorie/organic/good for you either, but that seemed irrelevant as well.
Scratch temptations are small enough to be affordable and, although sinful, one is not enough to increase your waist size. I think Scratch has found the right amount of decadence to be palatable to the average customer — who can eat one and feel treated without too much financial or health guilt.
How can your organization take a lesson from Scratch? What can you provide that is in limited supply, but of the finest quality — and in limited amounts so the average customer can partake in your brand of luxury without changing their lifestyle? There is definitely a sweet spot out there (no pun intended), and this little bakery seems to have found it.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
See http://www.scratchcupcakery.com
#380 a name
I recently met someone who was in the process of legally changing their first name. Most people never have that opportunity so it got me wondering what name I would choose for myself if I had that option. It would certainly not be my given name, rather it would be a name that was the same as what I was actually called. (Given the choice, I think my favorite would be nickname/abbreviation-free Hannah — even spelled the same forwards and back.)
But instead of pondering the name that you would choose for yourself, take a minute to consider the name you would make for yourself. When people think of you, what characteristics come to mind? In what niche do you excel? Have you made a reputation for traits that you admire?
You may be able to legally change your name, but it’s a lot harder to change what that name stands for to other people.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
#379 success
People think I have success because I have power (by virtue of my position).
I think I have power because I have success.
I believe that people can lead and create achievements from wherever they are in an organization. It is a misnomer to think that people get things done just because they have a title, and it is equally misleading to think that a title is necessary for action.
People acquire credibility by achieving goals that help the organization succeed. Having small wins builds trust that leads to bigger opportunities and thus more meaningful wins. The cycle keeps going.
Focus on the ways you can succeed instead of the position you think you need to make a difference. Power is earned, not granted.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
#378 tangible
I wrote yesterday about my friends who were in town. As if their visit alone wasn’t enough, they brought me a present — one of the greatest gifts I have ever received. They took the first 365 entries of this blog, had a student designer format them and make them beautiful, and then they printed it into a spiral bound book! It even has a QR code on the back to allow you to access the more recent entries. It is AWESOME.
Somehow seeing all these entries in one place makes it seem much more tangible and substantial than “just” writing a blog every day. It feels like when I hit publish it goes off into cyberspace and is gone, rather than accumulated. But the printed version has that sense of permanence and tactile wonder.
I know that the electronic world is where it’s at for messaging, branding and the like. But just as a handwritten note has a different level of meaning, so does holding something in print.
How can you give your clients a tangible element of who you are? What can you provide that can last more than a fleeting moment on a Twitter feed or Facebook post? What portion of your messaging is worthy of being printed and shared?
Instantaneous has its place, but so does longevity. I am so glad that I was the lucky recipient of the legacy in print.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
#377 grasshoppers
I spent a whirlwind 18 hours with two friends from St. Louis who were in town for a brief visit. It was wonderful!
Brian is a former student, turned former employee and now colleague. When he first started working for me, we called him Grasshopper, as in Master Po telling his student: “Patience, young Grasshopper” in the Kung Fu movies. He always wanted to learn more, do more and make things better. Sometimes he needed to be coached in the fine art of political timing!
Yesterday he was here with his own Grasshopper, another former student who is now working at her alma mater as a professional. Both of them together are impressive young professionals who have vision, energy, passion and a deep commitment to students. I wish mightily that they were working with me again.
I take great pride in Brian’s accomplishments — most notably that he has passed on the mentoring he received to others. The teaching of others is one of the great joys of my work. To see him providing opportunities to someone else makes me feel more satisfaction than anything else he does.
Trust me when I say that any time you give in a mentoring relationship will come back to you tenfold. Look around and see who is in your family, organization or community that can benefit from a little extra coaching. Perhaps a new college graduate has just started in your organization and could use some tips about professionalism and norms. Maybe you have an eager member at your church who would like to learn something from you. Or maybe you have a nephew who could be taken under your wing. Find yourself a Grasshopper today and, if all goes well, you can watch them blossom into mentors themselves.
— beth triplett
#376 follow up
How many times have you gone to a meeting or retreat where brainstorming was part of the agenda? If you’re lucky, lots of good ideas were generated and someone wrote them down. They may have even distributed the list after the meeting, but unfortunately, too many times it stops there.
Brainstorming is a great activity that does allow groups to feed off of each other and come up with more/better/more creative ideas than if someone developed a list solo. But for this technique to be effective, it’s all about the follow up.
After the meeting, the chair should type up the list and distribute it. With it should either be explicit decisions as to which ideas will move forward and who is responsible for them, or there should be a specific time for those decisions to be made. (To facilitate further discussions, it helps to number all the items so you can say: “I like #4” or “It seems like #5 and 8 could be combined.”)
The ultimate intent of brainstorming is better action, not just a pretty list. As the chair or facilitator of a group that engages in that exercise, it’s up to YOU to ensure that the doing follows.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
#375 writing right
I was surprised to learn that cursive handwriting is not part of the Iowa Core Curriculum. Students in grade school today do not have to learn how to write “long hand” – they need to know how to print upper and lower case letters, but cursive writing is optional.
I think of the hours and hours that we spent with the specially ruled paper, practicing that we had the upper loops high enough (but not too high), the capital “I” shaped like a little boat and so on. We crafted our signatures and developed a penmanship style that was our own. I fear that long hand will be a lost art.
I’m sure it is no surprise that in place of cursive, students begin computer instruction in kindergarten and by third grade they use word processing software for much of their work. I didn’t even have a typing class until junior year in high school.
Before long, cursive will be akin to calligraphy, used only for special events and formal invitations. Recognize that it gives you an opportunity to really stand out among all the digitized mail to send handwritten notes or to address an envelope in cursive. I wonder if today’s children will even be able to read it!
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
source: TH, April 29, 2013