Month: January 2014

#599 duped

January 21, 2014by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

A few weeks ago, Menards, our regional hardware chain, ran a store-wide sale offering an 11% discount. I went and bought a few things because of the sale.

The next week, the sale was “extended” — obviously planned in advance given the advertising and print support of the offer. I was lured to the store yet again. I even made a special trip on the last night of the sale so a friend could purchase a large gift card (also discounted).

When the sale was extended once again for week #3, I shook my head.

But today, I feel like I have been had. Instead of an extension for week #4, now Menards is offering a 14% discount on everything. Grr. After all the purchases and all the hype over the 11% extravaganza, they increase the deal. Instead of rewarding the customers who came to one of the first three sales, now they are giving the best deal to the latecomers.

Does your organization have practices that actually dis-incentivize those whom you are trying to please? Think about your perks or special offers and take care that in the quest to get “more” participants you don’t irritate those who respond to your initial invitation.

— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

#598 why

January 20, 2014by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

In Simon Sinek’s TED talk entitled “How Great Leaders Inspire Action”, he references the man whose birthday we commemorate today. “Why is it that Martin Luther King led the civil rights movement?,” Sinek asks. “He wasn’t the only man who suffered in a pre-Civil Rights America, and he certainly wasn’t the only great orator of the day.”

Sinek’s answer: because Martin Luther King, like other great leaders, was able to inspire others because his message focused on the WHY of his cause instead of the WHAT or HOW. King became an inspirational leader because he thought, acted and communicated from the inside out (starting with why) instead of focusing on the how or what.

Sinek believes that people will follow people who believe what you believe. King was masterful at sharing what he believed and focusing his efforts on the purpose of the cause. He focused on what could be, not what needed to change, and it resonated with hundreds of thousands of others who made his cause their own.

Dr. King gave the “I Have a Dream speech, not the I Have a Plan speech,” notes Sinek — a perfect way of delineating the difference in approach.

On this holiday, take a lesson from both Dr. King and Simon Sinek. Spend 20 minutes watching Sinek’s TED talk and then reflect on how you can articulate the purpose of what you’re about and the meaning of the cause that earns your energy.

http://youtu.be/a6kbcERdmCw

— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

#597 your part

January 19, 2014by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

The only way to change our world is to take responsibility for our part in it. — Rachel Bermingham

Think about the applications for this — from recycling to the work you do to how you interact with your family. What is your part in the greater whole?

It reminds me of Stephen Covey’s Circle of Influence — focusing on the portion of things that you can influence, rather than airing your concerns. If everyone paid attention and took ownership for the part of life that they touched, think of what a better place it could be.

Even if just for today, do your part in making the planet better because you accepted responsibility for your time on it.

— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

Source: quote from the LeaderShape daily subscription, Thursday, January 16, 2014. Thanks Amy for sharing!

#596 repackaging

January 18, 2014October 5, 2016by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Whether or not you have seen Despicable Me, you likely know of the Minions — the cute little characters that are really the star of the show.

A genius at Hostess saw the world through new eyes and recognized that the Twinkies looked amazingly similar to the Minons. Thus, the “Twinkie Makeover” was born and just through new packaging (no alteration to the Twinkie itself), a whole new marketing campaign blossomed. What a great way to capitalize on the latest trend for reasonably little cost.

Is there something in your organization that could be altered to make it more contemporary or appealing? Can you link something you do to a current social cause or trend? You don’t need a wholesale overhaul of your product, just a more intentional way to package it or position it linked to something of current interest. Look around and see what opportunities are out there for you.

— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

#595 tribute

January 17, 2014by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

It seems to me that the flags are flown at half-mast much more frequently than in previous years. It used to be that you knew why the flag was lowered (presidential death, 9/11, etc.), but more often than not I see a half-staff flag and what what is being commemorated.

Flags in Iowa have been at half-mast not only for the national tributes in memory of Pearl Harbor, Nelson Mandela and the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy’s death, but for Iowans who were killed in Afghanistan, the passing of a State Senator and the death of a fire-fighter in the line of duty. In addition to the Federal mandates, Iowa lowered its flag an additional eight times last year, so approximately once a month. Does this frequency lower the significance of it?

I also wondered how the flag-flyers know to lower the flag. It turns out that those notifications, like everything else, can be found through an app or through a Facebook and Twitter site. (Of course!) But if you don’t subscribe, it seems like there should be another way for the casual observer to know the reason for the tribute.

Is there a ritual in your organization that is known to you, but could benefit from wider understanding? If it is worthy of paying tribute, could you do more to share the reasons behind it?

The next time you see a flag lowered, take a moment to pause in remembrance. Even if you don’t know why it is at half-staff, you can be assured that someone has made a huge sacrifice or contribution for it to be that way.

— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

Source: halfstaff.org

#594 questions

January 16, 2014by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

As our consultant was leaving, he told me how much he enjoys working with my staff. “They are so comfortable with each other,” he said. “And so they help each other understand the questions.”

His comment and our sessions reminded me of an article* I read this summer about analytical thinking vs. innovative thinking. Claude Legrand believes for complex problems innovative thinking is required, a strategy that challenges the very definition of the problem itself.

Some examples of the difference between Analytical Thinking and Innovative Thinking:
> Analytical focuses on the right answer — Innovative focuses on the right question
> Analytical eliminates uncertainties — Innovative embraces uncertainties
> Analytical believes the boss knows best — Innovative finds people who have parts of the question and parts of the answer
> Analytical promotes one best way — Innovative has no presumed best way
> Analytical has a to-do list — Innovative has a priorities list

What can you do to create an environment where innovative thinking is allowed to flourish? How can you model the engagement of others and embrace the ambiguity that comes with difficult issues? The answer may lie in the questions you ask.

While it is tempting to do things in isolation and check things off the list, in the long run it’s worth the time to involve others in first determining what question you are trying to answer.

— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

*Source: Does our brain operating system need an upgrade? by Claude Legrand at http://www.staplesinnovation.ca
As quoted in Bright ideas by Ann Pace, T&D journal, April 2013 p. 42+

#593 debate

January 15, 2014by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Our consultant was in town again (my, how fast the last quarter flew!). As always, we spent a day crunching numbers, uncovering problems, brainstorming solutions and generating options of proactive strategies we could use to bolster our enrollment.

A lot of the conversations revolve around a debate between what is good in the short term vs. what is better in the long run. Examples:

> We have seen inquiries from a new area, but they haven’t resulted in more applications (aka: sales) — yet. Do we try to cultivate interest from this market or dump it because it isn’t producing revenue?

> How much latitude do I give my staff in determining how to manage their own territory? Our consultant thinks I should step in and give more orders or do reassignments — because the aim is to get the job done. I tend to allow my staff more autonomy in their work — but should I? Does the long term benefit of staff development outweigh the short term increase in results that we could possibly see from some changes?

> Our price point is always a point of contention. When is it better to forgo some short term revenue for long term gain?

For these, and most questions, there are no clear cut answers. I think the best balance of addressing long and short term needs is to engage others in the conversation about them. If you are the one that ultimately makes the decision, you will benefit from opposing counsel and the choice will likely be more accepted if it is understood by others.

— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

#592 disconnect

January 14, 2014October 5, 2016by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Recently* I wrote about the slow clerk at the car wash who impacted the whole system. A similar thing happened on a more elaborate scale with on-line shopping and delivery over the holiday season.

Eager retailers welcomed last minute orders, but failed to coordinate with the infrastructure that was supposed to deliver the packages. In the third week in December alone, more than one million people signed up for Amazon Prime, placing additional demand on air shipping and two-day delivery expectations. As a result, both UPS and FedEx had overloaded systems, aggravated by bad weather across the country. For many people, the holiday came and went before the trucks did.

You are more likely to fault the company for not delivering than UPS, so the disconnect between operations and marketing will likely have a more negative impact on the the company than the shipper. Of course this isn’t good for anyone.

In your organization, take a lesson from this holiday and pay extra attention to the supply chain. A sale or a great idea is only a concept unless you can actually deliver it to your clients.

— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

*Blog #581, January 3, 2014

Source: Online shopping grows, with growing pains by Mae Anderson and Scott Mayerowitz Associated Press, in the Telegraph Herald, December 27, 2013,p. 1-2A
and Santa’s sleigh delayed by snags at UPS, FedEx by the Associated Press in the Telegraph Herald, December 26, 2013 p. 6A

#591 you’ve got mail

January 13, 2014by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Barely an hour passes when my inbox at work doesn’t receive a message from a vendor promising me the magic elixir to enrollment growth. Most of them come with enticing subject lines such as these actual samples:
> Increase your applicant pool
> Get the class you want
> Reduce your discount rate
> Improve your yield
> Best practices for improving enrollments
> Search trends you need to know
> GRE test takers ready to hear from you
> Gain valuable insight
> Contacts to meet your needs

I am sure every industry has a similar lineup.

The problem is that there is no silver bullet to grow enrollment. It involves a lot of intentionality and grunt work over time.

What these email do deliver, however, is that they help model the inbox of the prospective students that we are trying to reach. We learn firsthand what it’s like to be bombarded with messages and see how few we actually even open. To the prospective student, the mail from our university is akin to how I feel about mail from these vendors.

What can you to do make your message relevant instead of annoying?

— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

#590 brown chip

January 12, 2014by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Yesterday I wrote about all the variety in our lives — today I will counter that argument.

Chocolate chip cookies, one of the most traditional desserts out there, make up half of all the cookies baked in American households each year. So much for experimentation and assortment!

And it’s not just that we love the cookies from home. Each year, Americans eat an estimated seven billion of the beloved chocolate chip classics. Have you ever noticed how people often pass by an unknown (but elaborate and delicious) dessert on the pot luck line in favor of old trusty Toll Houses?

The lesson for your organization is that you don’t have to have a gimmick, something new or be fancy — if you have the right quality mix to begin with.

Know who you are serving and what they need. Maybe it’s the comfort of the familiar, delivered well.

— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

Source: In Style, February 2014, p. 246