#698 under your nose

I like to have time for ideas to incubate because once I start thinking about a topic, almost always something else appears that relates to it. 

I have written about Hello Kitty and now I see those products everywhere including in the shampoo aisle, fruit snacks and toothpaste.  I presented a speech using Oreos as a metaphor, and with regularity I still see products that use Oreos and new specialty flavors of the cookie.  I searched to give my lime-loving brother-in-law a birthday package of lime flavored products and now they show up almost daily.

I had this experience during one of my FitBit quests*.  It’s hard to walk the aisles of a grocery store without shopping, so instead of hunting for items on my list, I decided that I would try to find blog ideas.  It is amazing what you can see when you start to focus and look at things with an intentional perspective.

There is so much information and stimulation out there that we need to narrow our filters so we actually can process some of it.  By focusing in on potential blog ideas, the store came alive with possibilities:  specialty cheese, Kuerig, colored M&Ms, bacon in a box, allocation of space, cake mixes.  If I had not focused on finding topics, I would have missed them all.

Allow yourself some time for your mental radar to scan the environment and find the answers for you. Usually they are out there if you first frame the question and then just pay attention.

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

*See Blog #697

#697 daily

You may have noticed a grocery store theme over the last week — something that would be surprising to those who know me and know how little I frequent the place.  But I have been wearing a FitBit activity tracker and am committed to walking 10,000 steps each day — and some days that means roaming the aisles of the grocery store to log those final paces.

Wearing a FitBit puts an extra kind of pressure or accountability on the wearer; it something that you need to attend to every day.  I walk the aisles and achieve the goal, but the next morning I am back to zero.  There is no working ahead or stockpiling steps; it’s 10,000 per day, not 70,000 per week.

In reality, FitBit becomes a discipline tracker.  It tests my mettle to see if I can find the dedication to get those darn steps in regardless of my schedule, the weather or social plans.  I find myself walking to offices more frequently vs. emailing.  Cruising the sidewalk outside a restaurant while waiting for my friend to arrive.  Doing my physical therapy stretches while moving about the house instead of standing still.  And, of course, my dogs think that the FitBit is outstanding!

What can become a motivator and discipline incentive for you?  Maybe it relates to something besides exercise: you want to meditate every day or reflect in a journal.  Or maybe you commit to writing something: a blog, part of your dissertation, a novel.  Or perhaps you want to read an article, paint or knit.

Mr. Rogers said:  “I like to swim, but there are some days I just don’t feel much like doing it — but I do it anyway!  I know it’s good for me and I promised myself I’d do it every day, and I like to keep my promises.”

What will promise will you make to yourself?

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

#696 enduring

There is an entire subset of products that are in stores today and have been featured on grocery store shelves since the early days at A&P.  Examples include:

>  Dream Whip — a powder mix to make frosting that has been around since 1957

>  Fels Naptha — a bar of soap that removes stains, and has been doing so since 1893

>  Jiffy mixes in little blue boxes since 1930, for corn muffins and brownies

>  Jiffy Pop > popcorn that has come pre-packaged in an aluminum pan since 1958

>  Manwich > sloppy joe sauce since 1969

>  TaB soda > providing diet cola since 1970

The list could go on and on. 

These staples persist on the shelves, despite no promotion or advertising, yet garner enough sales to preserve their spot in a crowded marketplace. What makes them endure when thousands of other products have failed?

I suspect that they remain because they offer consistent quality and fulfill a need that has not been replicated by any of the modern products. Jiffy Pop is still great over campfires.  Fels Naptha really does remove stains. TaB boasts its diet taste, not an imitation of regular soda.  

The lesson is that you don’t have to be flashy or spend a fortune to endure.  Some things can flourish under the radar from the masses if they are the right product.  How can you help your organization focus on quality instead of trying to promote an average offering?

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

Thanks to Tracy for the idea. 

#695 squirrely

This is the time of year in the academic world where resignations abound.  Those that do remain are more crabby and irritated — “squirrely” as I call them — as the workload increases and the remaining days on the semester’s calendar tick away.

I am reminded of a quote:
Burnout is not a crisis of time; it’s a crisis of the spirit.  It’s not that we bite off more than we can chew; it’s that we bite off more than we can savor.”   James Autry

Understanding the distinction is important in assessing next steps.  If it’s a matter of overload, that problem could be addressed with time management, delegation, reallocation or other fixes — or even the arrival of the summer term.

But a crisis of spirit is a much different issue.  That requires soul searching and reflection to determine the best course of action.


If you are feeling unsettled in your current organization or work role, think about the source of your restlessness before you reroute your journey.

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



#694 the bride

Today I will be attending the wedding of one of my former students.  It’s as close to being the mother of the bride as it will come.  

Natalie and a friend were both from out of state and “stuck” on campus with nothing to do over Labor Day early in their college careers.  I bonded with them when I took them to the zoo over the weekend. I also I earned “50,000 cool points” from them for jumping into a pool with a (black, washable) dress on.  In the seven years since we have been apart, each weekend we have written notes to each other, in old-fashioned longhand via snail mail!  A friendship this does make.

It has served me well to have an inter-generational perspective on what is happening in the world.  Through her eyes, I have seen the struggle of a new graduate looking for work, starting out on her own, paying back loans, and now beginning this new chapter in life.  It has assisted me as I craft messages and materials to reach out to students and prospective students on our campus.

Think of the relationships you maintain.  Are they all with people your own age?  If so, you may be missing a viewpoint that could assist in your understanding and empathy.  Try to cultivate a conversation, if not a friendship, from someone who is at a different stage of their life and see what you can learn — and cherish.

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



#693 deep breath

It’s not just instant bacon and microwaves that are giving us fewer opportunities to practice patience.  Our immediate access to entertainment, information, resources and each other has fueled our demand for immediate gratification with everything.

Patience is a character trait that is on the decline according to the Pew Research Center.  And the downside of this means that people exhibit less self-control, are less able to work collaboratively and relationships suffer.  Studies have shown that those who were able to delay their rewards had lower stress, higher achievement and were overall more likable.  Who doesn’t want that!?

“Many people speak about patience if it were some sort of commodity,” writes Allan Lokos*.  “We say ‘I’m running out of patience’ or ‘I’m losing my patience’, but that’s not really accurate.  You don’t start the day with a full tank that’s steadily depleted.”

Author Ingela Ratledge suggests these strategies to increase you ability to be patient:
> visualize yourself exhibiting patience in situations that normally irritate you
> meditate
> slow down: rethink your schedule so you’re not rushing
> daydream to distract yourself while waiting

I could add: make the bacon from a package and fry it in a pan!  

Think about that and other strategies that you could deploy to be more conscious about your temperament today.  Speed is often overrated.

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


*Allan Lokos, founder of the Community Meditation Center in New York City, author of Patience: The Art of Peaceful Living

Source:  Wait for it by Ingela Ratledge, Real Simple, May 2014, p. 111+

#692 instant

Just before I went to the grocery story, I finished an article about how patience is becoming a lost art.  The message of the author was confirmed when I came upon this product in the aisle:


Note that there is no refrigeration: this is “fully cooked bacon” that comes in a box and takes 15-20 seconds to heat in the microwave before it is ready to eat.  Regular bacon only takes a few minutes, but apparently that is too long for some to wait.

Should your organization participate in the quest for speed or can you make yourself so valuable that you don’t need to be on the “instant” bandwagon?  You may want to read more tomorrow about why patience matters before you rush out and grab a box of bacon or decide to create the equivalent for your group!

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


#691 premium

Sometimes packaging can be the difference between the ordinary and the special.  M & Ms has learned this through the packaging of its candies in special holiday theme colors:  the pastels for Easter; red and white for Valentine’s Day; browns and oranges for fall; red and green for Christmas.

Customized M&Ms have been available online for several years, allowing people to purchase the candies in single or selected colors.  This has been a popular options for weddings, school spirit events, baby showers and other individual holidays.

Apparently the marketers at M&M/Mars decided that they should bring the single-color option to the stores instead of relying on web traffic.  There are now displays of “premium” M&Ms that dispense colors not found in the ordinary bags.

Unlike Jelly Bellies or other candies where a different color equates to a different flavor, all of the M&Ms taste the same.  The only difference is the color of the candy coating on the outside…

… and the price.  Premium M&Ms retail for $8.99/lb (56 cents/oz).  A bag of regular M&Ms sells for $2.60 (21 cents/oz).  Is it really worth more than twice as much to have a certain color?  Teal M&Ms may be worth it if you are hosting an Ovarian Cancer Research event, but not for a child’s birthday party.

Sometimes it is worth it to have that extra touch to make an event truly special.  At other times, the difference is imperceptible.  Think about the impact of the whole before you focus on the details.  

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


#690 shelf space

Continuing the thought from yesterday’s blog about new product categories, one of the most important decisions businesses are making involves the allocation of space.  Who decides how much shelf space to allocate to K-cups and related products?  What used to be on the shelf before Kuerig was popular?  

These decisions are made with the thousands of items that stores carry.  Our grocery has six types of water chestnuts (natural, whole, sliced, Pacific fancy, LaChoy and generic).  Where in the logistics chain did someone determine that we needed six — rather than four or eight?  

I am sure that the scanning software allows the corporate office to know which brands are selling and which aren’t, but big data can only shed light on what is.  If we had a different type on the shelf, perhaps it would be the winner.

How much space you allocate to products and how much time you dedicate to services becomes a crucial strategic question for your organization.   Don’t focus your thinking so much on the “what” so that you overlook the other variables such as space and time that are competing for your resources.

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



#689 pied piper

Think about products that are game changers.  Certainly Apple and its list of product innovations would come easily to mind, but there are other more ordinary examples that create a new product category.


The latest example that struck me is Kuerig.  This simple appliance spawned a revolution of how hot beverages are packaged.  Our grocery store has half an aisle of K-cups (or their imitations) with the express purpose of providing individual servings on a Kuerig machine.

I think of other products that have generated as much in the ancillary sales as in the main item.  X-Box and the millions of revenue from related games.  wii and the accessories and programs that accompany the wii console.  BlueRay players and the demand it created for a whole new format of movies.  Disney movies and the related merchandising.  Premium cupcakes and the trays, racks, carriers, decorations and pans that evolved.

Almost a decade ago, the book Blue Ocean Strategy challenged readers to create “blue oceans” — new market niches that were different than the ‘red/blood oceans’ that came from direct competition.

The same principle applies to services as it does to products.  How can you position yourself like Kuerig and fulfill an unmet need rather than trying to be better/cheaper/faster than the next guy?

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

Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne, Harvard Business Review Press, 2005