#547 a rose…

When did the unique spelling of names become so popular?  Our applicants include a Kelcee, Caitlyn, Caitlin, Ashliy, Morgin, Patryk, Maddison, Rubi, Kala, Cierra, Ciera and Joshlynn — as variations on a more traditional spelling.


These personalizations are in addition to other names that are less frequently seen:  Khiree, Jessenia, Yesenia, Amaree, Paola, Mutiat, Safiyyah, Cardazure, Quari, Breshay, Anfernee and Anesha.  

The spelling of names is just one aspect of ways people try to craft a unique presence for themselves.  Companies do it all the time:  Kwik Trip, Toys R Us, Kum ‘n Go, Quik Stop, etc.

In his book, Insanely Simple, former Apple marketer Ken Segall gives examples of how Apple’s culture of simplicity allows it to triumph over complexity. Segall is the guy who suggested the “i” for the iMac, the first in a long line Apple’s naming protocols.  He contrasts the iPhone to the HTC Thunderbolt or Motorola Citrus or any one of the multitude of names each generation of phone receives.

“Product naming is the ultimate exercise in Simplicity,” writes Segall.  “The naming structure across Apple’s major product lines is easy for current and potential customers to understand.”

I think that goes for child-naming and business-naming too.  No one asks you to spell Mary or Target.  

As you name anything — from your organization, to your new program, to your dog — keep in mind that the more unique it is in the beginning, the more you will need to spell it for the rest of its lifecycle.  Be intentional about the trade off you are making when you decide what to call it.

— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

#546 20 and counting

A colleague shared an article about 20 things every Twentysomething should know how to do.  While the author first advocated for the twenties to be a time of exploration and growth, he believes that there are certain things that are essential skills.

Some I agree with.  (I also know many people who are well past age 29 and have not mastered these skills!):
> Say “I was wrong.”
> Be alone
> Prioritize the important over the urgent
> Bite your tongue
> Parallel park

But, as with any list, there are some that I would not have included on mine:
> Brew a great cup of coffee or tea
> Recommend a book, movie or album
> Approach a stranger
> Defend your media choices
> Make a great breakfast

I would have included:
> Know how to dress professionally for work
> Open a retirement account
> How to craft a well-written thank you note
> How to propose a new idea to your boss
> How to navigate a new city

What would you include on the list of what you’d like to see twentysomethings master?  I’ll bet that there are some people in this age group in your life.  How can you help them learn the skills that they don’t explicitly teach you anywhere?  You’ll be doing them a huge favor in the long run.

— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com


Source:  http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life/whole-life/20-things-every-twentysomething-should-know-how-do   by Tyler Huckabee, October 8, 2013

#545 inside understanding

One of my colleagues told the story of her young nephew who had a pet bunny.  The bunny roamed freely on an enclosed porch when the family was home, but had to be put in a hutch when they were out.

One day the child was trying to put the bunny inside, but the animal was not cooperating.  “Get your a$$ in there!” he said to the rabbit.  His mother overheard him and said, “WHAT did you say?”

“Come here little bunny,” he replied.

This phrase has become shorthand in the family for “get moving!” and is part of the lexicon that each member knows well.  

May you give thanks to those who know your insider language and who laugh beside you.  I hope today you create new memories together.

Happy Thanksgiving!

— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

#544 stay home

I was recently at a National Day of Philanthropy luncheon.  This is an event not only to acknowledge the fund raisers in our community, but it is also an opportunity for the development professionals to thank donors.  

I suspect that the timing of the event originated so that it could coincide with Thanksgiving, but the keynote speaker asked: “Did we miss Thanksgiving?”  It seems that the focus went from Halloween directly to Christmas, with both Hanukkah and Thanksgiving lost in between. 

Marketing professor Roger Beahm predicts that “people will turn Thanksgiving Day shopping into a tradition as they historically have on the day after Thanksgiving.”  I think that he is right.  Walmart is open 24 hours and hosts of other stores are open for at least some part of the actual holiday.  “The floodgates have opened,” Beahm said.

This seems to be a classic case of letting the camel’s nose under the tent.  Once there is a little movement, pretty soon there are no parameters to keep more and more from happening.

Are there sacred traditions in your life or organization that you should fight to preserve?  Events, practices or norms that should not be altered?  It is so easy to make exceptions and to give “just a little bit.”  Know what you need to honor in spite of the temptation.  

I hope staying home and avoiding the stores on Thanksgiving Day is one of those things.

— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com


Source:  All day shopping frenzy on Thanksgiving? by Anne D’Innocenzio for the Associated Press in the Telegraph Herald, November 13, 2013 p. 3C


#543 subtract

I was reading my Sunday newspaper inserts and for a moment thought I was confused about what I was seeing.  One ad featured a turkey and all the trimmings, and another showed a bed, sheets and a beanbag chair.  One flyer was from a grocery store and the other from a department store so that made sense — except that it was Target promoting the food and our grocery selling sheets, blankets and beanbag chairs.  Huh?


Why do retailers today feel that they have to be everything to everybody?  It’s not just shopkeepers who are afflicted with please-everyone-itis.  Schools, hospitals, entertainment venues — everyone is trying to expand and offer things that deviate from their core.  

In efforts to try and offer everything, I think they dilute it all.  I can’t find the brands of food I want at the grocery because they have allocated space to hair dryers, scent warmers and sherpa throws.  Target cut out aisles of “hard goods” to squeeze a mini-grocery store in the same square footage and now neither carries a robust selection.  

Don’t succumb to the temptation to follow their lead.  What you don’t do speaks volumes.  Saying no is often the most strategic answer you can give.

— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

#542 down the rabbit hole

“There is no use trying,” said Alice; “one can’t believe impossible things.”  

“I dare say you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen.  “When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day.  Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast”.   

— Lewis Carroll

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was published on this date in 1865 — quite the radical and forward thinking publication for the era.  Lewis Carroll was the pen name of Charles Dodgson — a mathematics professor at Oxford.  I guess his day job of working with the literal inspired him to express his creativity in other ways.  

All of us have aspects of our work that requires being grounded in reality.  For many, this occurs for the majority of our time!  

How can you take a lesson from Dodgson and find an alternate outlet for your creativity?  Even if it is nothing more than lying in bed for a few extra minutes in the morning or pushing your mind while in the shower, can you set your imagination free at least once a day?  You may just dream up a character that becomes a cultural icon.  

— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

#541 the hook

If he were still alive, today would be Dale Carnegie’s birthday.  Even if you are not one of the millions who have participated in his training, it’s likely that you know his name and could even associate it with his best selling book: How to Win Friends and Influence People.  

Dale Carnegie Training is still offered today as a way to increase self-confidence and strengthen communication skills.  Those sound like quite contemporary topics, but what is astonishing to me is that he began his training in 1912!  Carnegie was born in 1888 and was way ahead of his time in offering self-help before there were hundreds doing so.

Much of Carnegie’s work is centered around being focused on the perspective of the other person, rather than yourself.  One of his quotes to illustrate this:

“I am very fond of strawberries and cream, but I have found that for some strange reason, fish prefer worms.  So when I went fishing, I didn’t think about what I wanted.  I thought about what they wanted.  I didn’t bait the hook with strawberries and cream.  Rather, I dangled a worm or grasshopper in front of the fish.”

Take Carnegie’s advice to heart today and win some friends of your own.

— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com


Source:  Wikipedia


#540 second chance

There are five Saturdays until Christmas (including today!), so the malls and big box stores will no doubt be packed with shoppers.  Where are a growing number of people going, either for gifts or that holiday outfit for themselves?  To thrift shops.

A recent research report estimates that the annual revenue of resale stores is $13 billion, and growing.  Shoppers have motivations that “are partly environmental, partly frugal, partly thrill-of-the-hunt fun.”  And the plethora of consignment shops provide ample shopping experiences for those who fall into any of the categories.

My good friend is a thrift store aficionado.  When she comes to town, we do the “circuit” of bargain stores in our area.  She has even found stores in my town that I never shopped before, but do now based upon her recommendation.  For clothing, household decor or even Christmas decorations, it is a sensible way to outfit yourself with what you need.

It is reported that almost 20% of U.S. adults have shopped in a secondhand store in the last year.  Maybe as you are heading out today, you should add yourself to that number.  Reduce your expenditures, your carbon footprint and your wait in department store lines by shopping where the goods are just waiting to be loved — again.

— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com


Source:  “As shoppers’ attitudes change, secondhand shops thrive,” by Claudia Beck for the Sacramento Bee in the Telegraph Herald, August 4, 2013, p. 4B.

#539 puppy love

I take my dogs to a practice where there are three veterinarians.  All three are competent and nice, but I rearrange my schedule so that I can have my appointments with Dr. Hensley.  She offers the same services as the other vets, but the way in which she provides her care sets her apart from the others.  


Recently I visited the vet when my Iris had an ear infection.  Dr. Hensley never put Iris up on a table; instead she crawled down on the floor to examine the ear.  “Ohhhh, poor Pookie,” she cooed.  “We’re going to make you all better.”  She treats my “babies” as if they were her own, and treats me like I think she would want to be treated.  Dr. Hensley sets the dogs at ease with her loving manner, and assures me by providing just the right amount of information.

Dr. Hensley also always takes that extra minute to tell me how beautiful my dogs are or how she likes seeing one of the “Triplett Girls” (as she calls them) on her schedule.  She may say something similar to all of her clients, but she makes me feel like my dogs are her favorites.  

In Good to Great, Jim Collins talked about creating a pocket of greatness wherever you are in the organization.  Dr. Hensley has certainly done that in her role at the pet hospital.  I know if my girls could talk, they would ask for her too.

How can you deliver your service in such a way that makes your clients want to have their appointment with you?  Dr. Hensley is a model of how to go beyond the basics and add in some love.

— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

Thanks to Murphy’s mom for the idea!

#538 illusion

There was a white blur moving around just outside my backyard fence.  The dogs were going nuts barking at it.  It would get closer, then move along the fence then back away.  The dogs were wild.

When I came out to see what was causing the ruckus, I realized that it was just a plastic grocery bag floating around in the wind.  I was able to eliminate the distraction with ease.

Sometimes, what has you upset is really only an illusion.  Look closely at what your perceived problem is before you get riled up about it.  Maybe it’s not at all what you think it is.

— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com