Month: August 2014

#801 elixir

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As I have written before, I have enough pens, pencils and Sharpies to provide continuous ink for the rest of my days.  I am a professed office supply junkie, a true paper-ophile, peN-ophile, Sharpie-ophile, etc. so all the Back to School sales are like nirvana.  I know I don’t need anything, but who can resist the rock bottom prices that stores use to entice shoppers in their doors.  I admit I cannot.

So over the weekend I came home with a 10-pack of brand new Ticonderoga pencils.  The front of their package exclaims that they are “The World’s Best Pencil”, and I believe them. Who doesn’t have a renewed burst of creativity when opening up the pack and taking out a pre-sharpened HB #2?  

I know I am not alone in my fetish.  There was an article in the paper* by a columnist who is also a self-professed “pen fanatic” who “stockpiles her favorite pens” as she invests “in whatever pen I was convinced at the time was the smoothest.”  I laughed out loud as I thought I was unique in my fleeting loyalty to one pen and then another.  Both of us treat our pens as if they were “magic” pens, and the thoughts flowed from them instead of our brains.

Disney’s Dumbo had his “magic feather” to give him confidence and the ability to do things he did not believe he could do otherwise.  I have special pens to provide inspiration and an enticement to begin writing.  What is your elixir that can transcend reality and provide you with the impetus to do the thing you need to do?  It may not be rational, but it often works. Try to stock up on the equivalent to a new pen today and see how far the inherent energy can take you.

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


*Lots out there for writers, pen fanatics by Mary Kenyon, August 6, 2014, Telegraph Herald, p. 1C




#800 buzz

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When a colleague and I were both new at another institution, we found ourselves in the position of making a lot of changes.  Some of these were not popular with the staff or students, and we had the suspicion that we were being called a certain name behind our backs. The name started with the letter B.


As a symbol of solidarity, one of us gave the other something in the shape of a bee.  Then there was another exchange.  And another.  And another.  Now more than a decade has passed and I still think of her every time I see items with a bee — and let me tell you, there are A LOT of them.  We have exchanged slippers, dishwashing sponges, sandwich bread cutters, jewelry, wind chimes, sunglasses and numerous toys.  Once you start paying attention to “bee items”, you will be amazed at how pervasive the image is.

We continued the bee exchange for years after the initial rumble was long forgotten.  We ended up being well liked by most and the nickname faded, but the camaraderie that it engendered did not.

Do you know someone who could use a little extra strength to pursue an unpopular but necessary course of action?  Perhaps a little bee could buzz into their lives and give them the fortitude they need to stick with it, even if it stings for awhile.

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

Happy B-day Kim!

#799 classified

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I am not sure why, but I am fascinated with the Lost and Found column in the newspaper.  Although I have never placed an ad myself, or even brokered a “find”, I read it daily.  Usually it contains the typical lost pet or keys, but this was last Sunday’s column:

> Lost garage door opener near tennis courts
> Lost $74 check for jewelry at farmer’s market
> Lost brown tabby tiger-striped cat named Baxter
> Lost Pet Chicken, brown and black with crest
> Found a land line cordless phone in Flora Park

Reading the lost and found is a fix for my imagination.  I find myself making up stories — why did someone have a land line in the park or a garage door opener by the courts?  Will the lady who purchased the jewelry at the market contact the vendor and write another check?  Will the chicken come home to roost?

The classified ads in general are a great stimulus for your creative muscle.  While you’re sipping your morning coffee, try to imagine the stories behind the ads.  What does that house really look like and why are the owners moving?  Why does someone have a bridal gown for sale?  What use does someone have for the pallets he wants to buy?  What stories could the 1973 MGB convertible tell if it could talk?

The classifieds used to be the only way to communicate wants and needs with others who could fill them.  Long before Craig’s List, eBay or other swapping sites, this was the community marketplace.  Now they can be a window into your neighbor’s trades and treasures — as well as a door to your imagination.

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





#798 blossoms

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Our campus groundskeeper was watering plants as I drove in to work.  I stopped to tell him that many of the prospective students who have been visiting all week have commented on how beautiful the campus looked.  I thanked him for his efforts.

“Yes, but are they enrolling?” he asked.  “That is what really matters.”  

I told him that many were only juniors in high school so he had to keep the campus looking pretty for another two years.  

We had a good laugh and I drove on, but as I reflected on this exchange it became more gratifying.  My conversation signified that the “it takes a village” mantra had been internalized.  We say that we need everyone on campus to be in the student service business — not just the admissions staff or the senior administration — and here was someone as a shining example of understanding the impact of his work.  

How can all of us do more to articulate the “why” behind the tasks, to share the information about what matters to the bottom line and toward mission achievement, and to remind ourselves that we contribute to a larger effort.  Work becomes much more important and meaningful when we are building cathedrals instead of just laying bricks — or changing student lives instead of just watering flowers.

Take a moment to think about how the work you do connects to something bigger — and to someone else — and then take a moment to thank the person today for making that connection with you.

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





#797 go nuts

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I have recently become familiar with the children’s books in the Scaredy Squirrel series and see many applications to me (and other adult lives). Scaredy Squirrel is afraid of a different thing in each book, but the scenario is the same.  He accounts for all the reasons the status quo is a good thing, then he decides to make a plan to be brave.  As in life, something always happens that causes him to say “This was NOT part of the plan” so he has to lay down and play dead for a few hours, in hopes that the trauma would pass.  When he gets up, things are never as bad as they seemed and in the end he has a new experience that turns out for the better.

Whose world isn’t like that?

I think Scaredy offers lessons for all of us.  It is very natural to become comfortable with how things are.  Even when we partake in prudent planning, somehow things never seem to go according to that plan, but in the end, they often work out for the best.  Maybe the lesson from Scaredy is not to waste time and energy “playing dead”, but rather embracing the uncertainty that life is sure to throw our way.

Maybe Scaredy can offer you or your colleagues a lesson in bravery.  It could be a novel way to introduce the topic for discussion in a group who seems to be afraid to move forward, a way to reassure someone that the future is not to be feared, a mirror to reassess your own reaction to change — or just an entertaining read for you or your children.  No matter your purpose, you can be assured that Scaredy’s “This was NOT part of the plan” will become part of your lexicon, and hopefully your mantra to press on anyway.

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


Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt.  Also Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend, Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach, Scaredy Squirrel at Night, Scaredy Squirrel has a Birthday Party and Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping.

Thanks to Amy and Leah for the great tip.





#796 assembly inspired

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When I buy something that needs to be assembled, I dread the task.  Directions are always in hieroglyphics and the arrows are indecipherable.  


And then there was the bookcase from Sauder.  I should have had a hint when on the cover of the directions it said:  “Great for all those books you’ll never read.”

Page 1, Assembly Tools Required:
> #2 Phillips Screwdriver with a “tip shown actual size”
> “Hammer, not actual size” And then it had a smiley face!
> A power drill with a “no” line drawn through it:  “Skip the power trip.  This time.”

Humor in furniture directions?!

And it continued throughout the whole set of instructions.  
>After listing out all the parts it said “Now you know your ABCs”.  
>When you needed to screw: “Remember:  Righty tighty. Lefty loosey.”  
> “Don’t worry.  It isn’t Rome.  This can be built in a day.”
> “Pro Tip:  Lift with your legs.  And, you know, your arms.”

And at the end, it encouraged people to celebrate by sharing their success story via icons for Facebook, Twitter, Pintrest and You Tube.  Genius!

Sauder showed people that not everything has to be taken seriously.  Can you take a lesson from them and lighten up some of your forms or instructions?  Those who have to complete them will appreciate the unexpected humanness injected into a traditionally dull forum.

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

Thanks Emily for sharing.

#795 tuning

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We recently had a session with our consultant and he was commenting on the deep level of our discussion and the sophistication with which we were using data in our analysis.  When he started working with us, that certainly wasn’t the case and so it was worthy of some reflection.

He likened our conversations to a cello.  “You do the big tuning on top,” he said, “and fine tuning below the bridge.  We are now working below the bridge.”

What phase of the cycle is your organization in?  Do you need to spend your time making major changes, restructuring or overhauling some processes?  Or are you in a more mature part of the cycle where you can focus on incremental enhancements and mine data for more nuanced lessons?  

You’ll make more beautiful music if you tune in line with your needs.

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

#794 a reason

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The mantra of a personal responsibility seminar* I took many years ago has stayed with me:

Not doing something –plus a really good excuse — does not equal doing something.
Think of how often we act as if a good reason should be accepted and excuse the fact that the required behavior was not accomplished.
> I was late — because of traffic — does not equate to being on time.
> I did not finish the project — because my computer crashed — does not equal doing the project.
> I need an extension on my car payment — because I had to buy a new water heater — does not equal paying when due.
> I did not do what you asked — because I did not understand what you meant — does not equal meeting your obligation.
I was faced with this situation recently when my delayed flight caused me to miss my connection.  I had two choices:  call the people I was presenting for the next day and tell them my travel dilemma or get there.  They would have certainly understood, but I willingly chose to drive 3.5 hours to be present when the meeting started in the morning.
The excuse is often the easy way out, but you’ll feel better if you do what you’ll say you’ll do, even when it’s not easy to make that equation happen.

–— beth triplett

*by Landmark Education

#793 seeds

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Today is National Watermelon Day — a reason to celebrate if I ever heard one.  I L-O-V-E watermelon.  I live in a state where it is only available a few months out of the year so I savor it even more.  

Several years ago, someone had the idea to genetically modify watermelons to make them seedless.  In my opinion, this was a very bad move.  Seedless watermelons taste different than seeded ones and I don’t like them nearly as well.  I buy whole seeded watermelons for just me, but never purchase the seedless variety at all.  Unfortunately, seeded watermelons have become harder and harder to find.  Apparently produce managers think that because the melon has been engineered to be seedless they are “better”, but I would heartily disagree.

Is there something like watermelon in your organization that may be fine as it is, but you have someone who wants to tinker with it anyway?  I am all in favor of change and on-going improvements, but before you move ahead to modify something, ask yourself if there really is a need to do so.  In the case of watermelon seeds, Mother Nature knew what she was doing.

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

#792 strolling

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In many communities across the country, today is the day for farmers markets.  The markets have taken on such popularity that the Post Office is issuing a commemorative stamp to celebrate them.


“Farmers markets are an old idea that’s new again,” says the stamp’s descriptive narrative.  “Considered by many to be the new town square, farmers markets offer, as they did in the past, a gathering place for diverse groups of neighbors to meet and mingle…in short, to create a new sense of community.”

Think about the markets that you know.  There is not much rhyme or reason as to what is sold or what order the sellers are in.  People sell from cars, trucks and tables.  Signs are handwritten and containers are ad hoc.  Folks eat while standing or leaning against the light pole.

Farmers markets are a business, but they are just as much places that generate social energy.

It reminds me of my mother’s advice for a party:  never have enough chairs.  This forces people to mix and mingle in ways that don’t happen when you can sit and stay there.  

Farmers markets work in the same way. By their nature, there are no chairs; everyone is walking around, and as a result you see more people and say more hellos. You bring the dog and stroll through the vendors.  No one is in a rush, or dressed up, or worried that the flowers come wrapped in last week’s newspaper.

Sometimes we put so much effort into making events fancy.  Take a lesson from the farmers market for your next program and let informality reign.

— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
Farmers Markets Stamps