Month: January 2014

#589 plain

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My sister has a mantra “Why be plain?” and it seems that the retail industry has embraced it too.  


Why have a plain black crock pot when you can have one with a multi-colored pattern?  Why have just silver duct tape when it can come in dozens of colors and themes?  Why have lint rollers that are white when you can have ones with pink geometric shapes or purple animal prints?  Why have solid colored diapers when you can have tie-dyed ones or patterns?  Why just a flesh-colored bandage when you can have super heroes or neon?

The list goes on and on.  Once you are attuned to this phenomenon, you’ll see the world in different ways.  You may relish the options and color that the anti-plain movement has ushered into our lives.  Or you may lament the overwhelming number of choices it requires, as well as the space it requires to stock them.

Pay attention to the number of things that now come in a “variety” or with a flourish were previously there was only one.  Henry Ford said that his car came in any color you wanted, as long as it was black.  He must be rolling over in his grave.

All this vibrancy has a cost.  Make your foray into the “why be plain” universe with intentionality.  If your message is powerful, may work just as well in a plain white envelope.

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



#588 the intersection

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I just received a letter in the mail notifying me that my credit card was one of the ones that was breached in the Target debacle.  I knew that I had shopped at Target during the affected period, but it seemed hypothetical when I heard it on the news.  When I read the letter from the bank, suddenly the general interest news story that was out there hit home and became personal to me.  

I was reminded of a quote from master teacher Parker Palmer that we often referenced in my student affairs days: our work was “the intersection of the big picture and the little story.” One of the roles of a teacher is to connect the news of the world to something that students can relate to.  Student life lectures and educational programming attempts to do the same thing.

Poverty seems theoretical until students actually serve homeless people at the soup kitchen or in Ecuador.  The war seems remote until a classmate’s brother is killed in action.  Bullying is something that happens elsewhere until you hear a first-hand account of the impact it had on someone’s life.  AIDS was a California disease until the AIDS Quilt gave a personality and humanness to hundreds of its victims and took it on tour across the country.  My dad ignored the perils of smoking until he had a piece cut out of his lung.  

All of us in some way are teachers.  Think about Parker Palmer’s wisdom when you are trying to help those in your organization understand change efforts or your children to understand why philanthropy is a good thing.  We need to connect the implications to the actual and make it personal if we want behavior or thought to be impacted.

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

#587 your turn

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If you actually go to http://www.leadershipdots.blogspot.com and view these blog entries on a computer, it has a very different appearance than what you see if the blogs are emailed to you.  I, myself, never read them on the web and more often than not review them via email on my phone.  I suspect that I am not alone.

One of the most fascinating things to me about writing this blog is the number of comments that I have received, via email, from friends and colleagues.  Seems like something resonates with someone almost every day (which is great.)  

If you read on the actual site, it is very easy for you to make comments and send them.  
This is not the case if you are an email subscriber.  And if you are a friend, you know my email address so it is easy to comment as well.

So, in the spirit of good customer service, I am now including an email address with entries so you can share your reactions/ideas/input with me regardless of how you read these.  I would love to hear how you connect these dots to dots in your own life to and if any of the blogs have triggered new thoughts for you and your work.  

I’ve been writing for over a year.  Now it’s your turn!

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


#586 bright

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We had a mid (academic) year division-wide gathering yesterday to help us refocus before starting a new semester.  One of the concepts that I shared was from Chip and Dan Heath’s book Switch.  

The Heath’s advocate for a practice of cloning “bright spots” in your work.  Just as Tom Rath’s Strengths Finder encourages people (and managers) to focus on the positives of performance, Switch follows the same principle for accomplishing goals and tasks.

They relate a stories about people who wanted to change their behaviors and instead of focusing on what was wrong, they tried to do more of what was right.  A dissertation student who wrote a lot on some days tried to figure out what made those days better and replicate it.  A relief worker saw that some babies were healthy instead of malnourished and tried to learn what the mothers of those children were doing differently.  A hospital administrator inspired his staff to do the small things that kept patients healthy.

We tried to develop examples of bright spots in our own work.  One person is an Excel expert — how can her knowledge be tapped to help others?  We have made great strides in infusing our school colors throughout campus — how can we replicate this in future design projects?  We have great communication throughout the division — how can that story be told and promoted as an advantage for families?  We have a front line employee that develops great rapport with students — how can she aid in retention and rumor control efforts?

Think about your own work and the goals that you are trying to achieve.  What are some bright spots that you can replicate to help advance your aim vs. struggling to try and overcome the negatives.  Let your sun shine more brightly instead!

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

#585 Likeable Me

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I watched both of the Despicable Me movies again over the weekend, and by seeing them in such close proximity it was easier to notice the differences between them.  

Two key distinctions:
1) The Minions have a much more prominent role in DM2, and are even the solo stars of three mini-movies that are included as bonus features.  They have a fairly minor role in the original film, and it seems to have been a surprise to the producers that they would be so popular. 

2) In the second film, there really is nothing despicable about Gru.  The title implies that the villainous nature of the main character is the central theme, but in addition to his role as a doting dad, Gru actually works for the Anti-Villain League in the second feature.

The producers showed great flexibility and adaptability as they prepared the sequel.  Had they insisted on leaving Gru as the only star or focusing on his despicable ways, they may not have had such a mega hit in Round 2.  They also seemed to have learned more about merchandising — as DM2 was featured in many point-of-purchase displays and had prominent advertising for the holiday push.

Whatever your venture — be in Hollywood films or something more down to earth, you’ll come out ahead if you remain open to new ideas and modified strategies.  There’s nothing despicable about grossing $961 million (just in the theatre!) on a $76 million production!!

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


Source:  the-numbers.com

#584 Ion

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Our campus is closed today so that employees may take shelter from the Arctic blast of air that it is delivering to the Midwest.  It’s a first in anyone’s memory that we closed due to temperature instead of snowfall (that just happened a few weeks ago.)


It’s not just a cold spell; this is Winter Storm Ion — so named by The Weather Channel as part of their new strategy to name “strong winter storms”.  The naming began last year as a way to “efficiently and systematically convey storm information” — specifically in the social media realm.  The use of #Ion allows for a quick way to share information.  As if we needed a name to say #-50windchill!  But last year’s Winter Storm Nemo received a billion-plus Twitter impressions, so people seem to like to share about these things.

Most of the names for the 2013-14 winter season are from Greek mythology or ancient Rome — which makes sense since the list was developed with the help of a Latin class at Bozeman High School in Bozeman, MT.  What a fun assignment — I’ll bet the kid that came up with Ion is enjoying the day off even more!

Two takeaways for you to think about as you try to stay warm today:
> How can you modify your practices to meet the demands of social media or other communication channels?
> In what ways can you partner with unlikely suspects and allow others to help you in ways that also benefit them?

Hopefully the names of Janus, Kronos, Leon, Maximus, Nika, Orion, Pax, Quintus, Rex, Seneca, Titan, Ulysses, Vulcan, Wiley, Xenia, Yona and Zephyr will go unused!

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

Source:  Weather.com  Winter Storm Names 2013-14:  What They Are and What They Mean, published October 2, 2013



#583 radiant

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Marketers and retailers are often steering you in directions so subtly that you don’t even notice it.  This happens through packaging and displays, and is also influenced by color.


Since 2000, the Pantone Color Institute has been naming a Color of the Year.  Officially, this means that Pantone’s color experts have “combed the world looking for the color influences which best define the global zeitgeist.”  In reality, it means the color that you’ll be seeing much more of in the coming year!

The 2014 Color of the Year is Radiant Orchid*.  The official description:  “Radiant Orchid blooms with confident and magical warmth that intrigues the eye and sparks the imagination.  It is an expressive, creative and embracing purple — one that draws you in with its beguiling charm.  A captivating harmony of fuchsia, purple and pink undertones, Radiant Orchid emanates great joy, love and health.”


For previous colors and color influences on branding, see www.pantone.com/pages/pantone.aspx?pg=21111

Pantone has established themselves as the expert on all matters relating to color.  It is a brilliant marketing move to identify one color each year — there is no right or wrong choice, but it lends more credibility and credence to their role as THE authority.

What is your organization an expert in?  Can you position yourself as a leader in a certain area and develop the equivalent “pronouncement” to Color of the Year?  While there may be nothing scientific about it, it does add to the value of the brand and generate awareness.  Who doesn’t want that radiance?

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

*Officially PMS 18-3224
If you want a flash drive in the shape of the Color of the Year color chip, see http://www.pantone.com!


#582 a good match

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In a previous blog*, I wrote about how I didn’t think it fit with Disney’s mission for them to offer a line of paint at Walmart.  Another player has entered the residential paint market, but this time I think it makes perfect sense.

Lowe’s now offers a full palette of paint by Pantone.  Those in the graphic design world know that Pantone is a leader in the color matching system.  “Millions of design professionals worldwide use Pantone’s language of color every day,” reads their brochure.  “Now Pantone Universe brings 100 of its very best colors right to your home.”

Pantone bills itself as the “world’s color experts”, so it makes perfect sense that they branch into paint colors.  They utilize existing Valspar brand paint, but Pantone provides tips on color combinations and knows the latest in color trends.  (In fact, they are the ones who designate the Color of the Year — more on that tomorrow.)  This is who you want selecting the options for paint in your home.

Pantone even preserved their branding with their paint display by presenting their color choices in little square samples with their signature formatting, just as they do for professional design purposes.

Take some lessons from this product extension.  Pantone expanded its expertise into a new market, but still only delivers color naming and matching systems, not a new product.  The look, feel and purpose of what they do is still very similar, but the slight variation creates many new opportunities for them.  Color this outlook rosy!

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

*Blog #534, November 19, 2013






#581 the weakest link

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Earlier this week, we had a rare day when the temperature rose above freezing.  I took advantage of the opportunity to have my car washed without fear of the doors icing shut.  I was not the only one with this brilliant plan!

The car wash was packed, with lines snaking halfway around the building.  The owners had obviously anticipated such a rush, and they had extra staff to help the line move quickly.  Even though the number in line was doubled, I don’t think I waited much more than I usually do…

…until I went inside to pay.  They were literally cleaning and drying the cars faster than the cashier could ring up the bills.  This caused a big problem as cars were ready before the owners were and it created a subsequent backlog for other cars to come in.

I am sure in the planning, all the attention was placed on having the staff to clean the cars, and no one thought through the implications for the cashier.  The clerk did not have a direct impact on the car wash process, but clearly her role was essential to the overall operation.

Take a lesson from the car wash.  Don’t overlook the “minor” players whose work has the ability to put a kink in your whole system.  Those who provide infrastructure and support are just as vital to success as those who are front line in service delivery.

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

#580 wisdom of Zen

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How you do anything is how you do everything.   Zen

I thought about this saying a lot over the holidays. 

> If I started the morning by hitting the snooze, would I also “cheat” on my eating choices that day?
> If I threw something into a gift bag instead of taking the time to beautifully wrap it, would I cut corners on other projects?
> If I braved the snow to go to the gym would I also fulfill other commitments in the same way?
> If I listened to what others wanted for gifts, would I also be open to hearing ideas for projects at work?

How you do anything is how you do everything.  Keep this powerful little saying in mind the next time you have a decision to make.

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


Source:  as quoted in Real Simple, January 2014 in Balance or Bust by Marjorie Ingall, p. 110