Month: November 2014

#892 goal tending

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Basketball season started this weekend, so I spent most of Friday evening and Saturday afternoon watching games.  Our men’s team starts three freshmen this year, and we have a new coach, so at the first game everyone was trying to assess how the season would look.

We lost on Friday, but the team played hard and showed a lot of grit.  They looked liked they had played together before, and even though it didn’t show up in the final score, we thought it was a win given the circumstances.  

I talked to the coach before Saturday’s game and told him that we were encouraged by what we saw.  He said that he tried to take his wife’s words to heart.  She said to him: “Progress, not perfection.”  It proved to be true as we beat a tough team on Saturday.

Think about these words when you are facing a challenge or a daunting task.  Most things involve a long season and you don’t have to get it all right from the start.  Making progress with each step is a manageable path to success.

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



#891 stalked

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I am a regular Kohl’s shopper and so when they offered a new loyalty program (Yes2You), I signed up.  They encouraged people to link their Yes2You reward card to the new Kohl’s app, and I had planned to do that, too.

Then I read an article that said that Kohl’s new strategy is to use “personalized marketing” via beacons installed in their stores to respond to the Kohl’s app on the customer’s smartphone.  The beacons will deliver digital offers, directed to where the customer is in the store, and based on past buying habits.  The company has invested $1 billion on technology to do this.

Think of all the blouses and towels they need to sell to recoup $1 billion and just break even.  I decided I did not need to be part of this buying frenzy.  Nor did I need Kohl’s computer to know where I was in their store, so I will take my chances that I am missing out on the deal of a lifetime!

As technology becomes more and more pervasive, it also becomes increasingly intrusive.  Think about whether the dollars you could save outweigh the dollars you might be tempted to spend, not to mention the cost of your lost privacy.  There’s no such thing as free.

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


Source:  Kohl’s eyes personalized marketing by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in the Telegraph Herald, November 2, 2014, p. 3B

#890 eaten

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“If you’re not at the table, you’ll find yourself on the menu.”

These words of caution were shared at our board retreat as part of the discussion regarding the board’s role in external relations.  Our consultant advised that board members needed to be continually keeping the organization’s story alive and advocating for its mission in the community.

What table do you or your board members need to be present at?  Spend more time thinking about that today than your spend planning what is on the dinner menu tonight.

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


Source:  Dr. Zeddie Bowen

#889 style

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I am teaching a class this semester on assessing and developing leadership styles.  It is part of our masters of organizational leadership curriculum, so to be true to my style and the expectations I have of graduate students, I gave the assignments without any format parameters.

I developed my course requirements the same way I would give projects to my staff: “Here is what I am trying to accomplish; here is your part in this; here is the day it is due; see me if you have any questions.”  I never tell my staff that I want 500 words or a minimum of 10 pages or to use Times New Roman 12 point font, so I left those parts off my syllabus as well.

And I was amazed at how uncomfortable some students were with this ambiguity.  They had most recently been in a class with someone on the other side of the spectrum — who outlined his requirements with great detail — and it made for a hard adjustment for them.

It also made for a great class lesson for me.  Should the staff (i.e.: class) adjust their style to meet the preferences of the leader (i.e.; teacher), or should it be the other way around? Is your style as a leader different than your style as a follower?  

Hum…there are no right answers to the above.  Hopefully these questions gave the students fodder for their next journal entry and maybe they are thought provoking for you too.  

It’s not enough to just know your style; you need to know when and how to use it. 

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

#888 swoosh

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Have you ever heard of Carolyn Davidson?  Probably not, but I am positive you know her work.

While a graphic design student in 1971, Carolyn designed the Nike swoosh, one of the most widely recognized brands in the world.

She was paid $35 for her work.*  

I am sure there are many graphic designers out there who were paid much, much more for their work to design a logo, but the artwork is invisible to us.  Agencies have received millions to develop brands, campaigns and logos that have a fleeting life cycle and never make an impact on our consciousness.

Which would you rather have: to be paid $35 but have your work be ubiquitous and lasting, or have riches without a legacy?

Sometimes we put so much effort into making the money that we forget about doing something for the sheer joy of it.  Next time you’re tempted to sell out, think about Carolyn Davidson and let simplicity rule.

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


*Note: In 1983, Carolyn did receive a diamond ring with the swoosh and an undisclosed amount of Nike stock for her efforts.

Source:  Wikipedia: Carolyn Davidson  en.m.wikipedia.org

#887 sleep on it

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In the frenzy of the NFL draft during the movie Draft Day, managers are on the phone with each other attempting to make a deal.  Typically they give each other an extremely limited amount of time in which to make a decision.

In one scene, manager Sonny Weaver (Kevin Costner) calls back a bit after the stated deadline.  The terms of the deal have become much less favorable for Sonny.  When he asks why the original deal isn’t being honored, the other manager replies: “Because the world is different than it was 30 minutes ago.” 

True, in the case of the NFL draft, but for most decisions you make there is time to make them.  Many studies have shown that “sleeping on it” is actually good advice.  Your brain accesses information during the night and you often find new solutions to problems during the night.

The next time you have a decision to make, try to make the terms such that they allow you an overnight period for incubation.  The draft may make for good movie material, but sleep makes for good decisions.

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


Source: Eat, Move, Sleep by Tom Rath, 2013, p. 171-172.

#886 propaganda

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The election is almost over — and hopefully we can reclaim the ad space for something besides the annoying political ads.  Iowa’s Senator Tom Harkin is retiring — after 40 years in the Senate — so the battle has been raging to claim the seat.

From mid-September to mid-October, nearly 30,000 ads were aired on television.  In that time period, the Des Moines Register reported that over $13.9 million was spent trying to woo the state’s 1.9 million registered voters.  An additional $13.8 million was spent in the five weeks prior to that.  Before it’s over, there will be nearly 60,000 television ads in Iowa just for the Senate campaign. Ugh.

What is even more disturbing is that a majority of the ads are paid for by outside sponsors rather than the candidates themselves.  Political action groups, the parties, and super-PACs have polluted the airwaves with radical messages and slams of the their opponent.  

It is also interesting to me that spending continues to escalate even though early absentee voter turnout has set records.  Over 370,000 Iowans have already cast their ballots — making the ads even more annoying and pointless for them.

After all this negativity and outside influence, I find it hard to believe that the winner will be magnanimous and easily reach across the aisle to cooperate.  Our political system sets itself up for rancor and divisiveness before candidate is even elected.

I think everyone could take lessons from a local county supervisor race.  Two Democratic supervisors endorsed the incumbent Republican supervisor who is up for re-election.  They were chastised by their party for doing so, but continue to speak openly about their support.  It is refreshing to hear a message about the best person for the job, regardless of party or PAC affiliation.

No matter where you live — but especially if it is in Iowa — I hope you exercise your right to vote today, and that you vote for who you believe is best, not just who had the best hype.

— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

Source:  Senate race TV spending doubles in Iowa, by Jason Noble and Jeffrey C. Kummer, The Des Moines Register, October 26, 2014, desmoinesregister.com

Iowa Dems may hold thin edge in early voting by Jason Noble, The Des Moines Register, October 31, 2014, desmoninesregister.com

#885 six hours

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On Saturday night, I stayed up a bit later than usual because I knew I would get an extra hour of sleep due to the end of Daylight Savings Time.  I figured that watching a movie was a great use of my “extra hour.”

Sunday morning, I woke up at the usual body time, which was really an hour earlier than usual, so I decided to go out to breakfast.

And when I came home, it was still early, so I thought I would use the bonus time to walk the dogs.

After that, it was still morning, so I winterized my front gardens and clipped all the plants in preparation for the long frost that is to come.  Another extra hour!

Then I decided to make chili for dinner — something that takes two hours instead of the usual pop-it-into-the-microwave meal — and even that was done by the time I would normally be heading home from work.  Bonus!

And after dinner, it was still “early” so I was able to do some additional things around the house that normally I wouldn’t have time to do.  Extra hour number six!

I am not sure why the time change has this impact on me, but it does.  Finding one free hour is almost magical — it turns into several more.  The same is true during the week when a meeting is cancelled and my schedule suddenly has an opening.  One found hour becomes much more productive than normal.

What can you do to psych yourself out so that you feel like you have “found time” at random times during your week?  Or could you adjust your sleep schedule so that you actually do have an extra hour in the morning?  Or alter work times so that you have time alone in the office?  

Daylight Savings Time truly is like saving — at the end, it pays you back with interest.

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

#884 purr

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It’s my favorite Sunday — with the extra hour thanks to Daylight Savings Time.  Somehow the bonus time always flies by so quickly that I don’t even notice it, but it makes me feel lucky to have it.

I am unsure as to how I will spend my additional 60 minutes, but there is one thing I know I won’t be doing:  attending Hello Kitty Con.  I have written before* about the merchandising marvel that is Hello Kitty — and now they have gone live.  

In Little Tokyo in Los Angeles, 25,000 (!) fans are attending the sold-out, four day extravaganza.  There will be Hello Kitty tattoos, costume contests, shopping for limited-edition collectibles and historical displays with memorabilia from Hello Kitty’s 40 years of cuteness.  I can see the pink oozing out of there now.

For me, I can think of few places that would be worse to attend.  But for the devoted fans, it will be mecca — an experience to remember for ages.

If you have a hobby, obsession or even passing interest in something, I am sure there is a convention out there for you.  The Internet and social media allow far-flung fans to share their passions virtually, and eventually communally, in ways that have never been been possible before.

As the concert industry will attest, there is nothing quite like seeing something live.  How can your organization capitalize on people’s desire to have an in-person, shared experience over something they love?  If 25,000 fans can purr together, surely you can gather at least a conference room full of those devoted to your work.

— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

Source:  Crowds, cuteness overwhelm Hello Kitty Con from the Associated Press in the Telegraph Herald, November 1, 2014.

*Blog #609, January 31, 2014

#883 bare

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On our campus, one of the older buildings had a wall covered in ivy.  It looked beautiful.  But if you know anything about ivy clinging to brick, it reeks havoc with the mortar and eventually causes problems.  So this week, it was all torn down.

On another part of campus, the walkway to our atrium building was lined with six beautiful pear trees.  They, too, looked beautiful, but had become weak and past their normal life span.  We were afraid they would not make it through the winter, so they were cut down.  It looks very bare where they were and changes the landscape of our campus entranceway.

Everyone, including our landscaper, would agree that things looked better before the recent work was done.  But after spring comes and the area is re-planted, I have no doubt the luster will be restored.

The pruning was short-term sacrifice for long-term gain.  It’s a hard thing to do — as most people just like the gain without sacrifice part — but in the end it is often the best strategy to move forward.  

Remember the lessons of the ivy and the trees the next time you have to give something up in the short term.  If you hold on to the vines and the blossoms, be prepared to pay for tuckpointing and building repair in the end.  

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