Month: December 2014

#923 movement

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At a recent senior staff meeting, our topic was “what we would be talking about if I wasn’t here and you had a new vice president.”  I have been blessed with a relatively stable staff and have been in my current job for 7+ years now.  We have made leaps and bounds of progress on creating the fundamentals, and I want to make sure that we don’t get too comfortable with each other or our routines.

For several years, our focus has been on data collection, efficiencies and creating infrastructure.  Important work, to be sure, but it does require a mindset change to move more into innovation and unchartered territories.  The risk factor increases and the stakes are higher.  Different questions need to be asked and new projects must emerge.

I believe that you need to be intentional in acknowledging movement from one stage of organizational development to another.  It would be easy to get stagnant if you thought the year was bringing more of the same.  In order to capitalize on the accumulated knowledge of seasoned people and to leverage it for the greater good, I think you need to claim the newness and approach work from a more creative perspective.  

The goal is no longer to get better.  The new goal needs to be to get different.

— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com



#922 costs

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I wonder what all the implications are of Apple’s switch from the 30pin connector to the lightening connector.  

I know personally I now have to carry two cords since my iPad is older.  I had to purchase new cords to keep in the car and the office.  My phone no longer connects to some of the in-room docking stations in hotels.  The charging stations at airports had to be modified.  My Bose speaker required an external connector.  I am sure the list goes on and on.

Whenever I get a new phone, invariably it requires some new accessory purchase as well.  We were talking about the iPhone 6 the other day, and I commented that I will hold out as long as I can because it is too big for the Coach wristlet that I have and that would be one more expense to convert.

The interchangeability and integration of devices was one of my favorite features of Apple. As I pack two cords to travel this week, I wonder if some of the simplicity that was lost in the upgrade was worth it.  If I am impacted by the conversion, I wonder how many changes had to be be made in Cupertino and what it cost Apple directly.

Consider the consequences and other layers of the onion before you make top level changes.  What sounds good on one level may not be worth it when the total cost is calculated.

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

#921 give

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I recently received an email from a vendor thanking me for my business.  The email read:  Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”  

The email went on to list some of the reasons they are grateful for clients like me:
> You refer us to colleagues
> You “take us with you” when you change jobs
> You send us great ideas for improvements
> You give us a kick in the pants when we need it
> You always pay in full and on time

I know it was a form email, but it was still nice to receive.  It listed things that upon reflection I believe would make a firm grateful, but are things I take for granted.  It makes me want to do more of them though!

During this season of give, give, give, perhaps the best thing that we can give each other is a brief message of gratitude for the things we appreciate but never acknowledge.  

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



#920 iconic

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I spent some time shopping over the weekend, and noticed that I was not the only one helping the economy.  Fortunately for me though, I was able to avoid the toy section.  It is a depressing place for me as everything now is in kits and orchestrated fun; so little is left to the imagination.

I wonder what is out there now that will find its way into the Toy Hall of Fame.  Yes, there really is one, and each year they admit a few toys to the shrine that are:  “iconic, ageless, and inspirational.”  Good luck with entries from this season!

But the Hall has plenty of toys from years gone by to add to its collection.  The 2014 inductees:  little green army men, Rubik’s Cube and bubbles.  Finalists that did not make it this year included:  Fisher-Price Little People, Operation, paper airplanes, American Girl dolls and Slip ‘n Slide.

I had fun reading over the whole list of items that were deemed worthy of induction.  Rubber duckies and chess made it last year.  The Hall includes classics like View-Master, Barbie, erector set, marbles, Tinkertoys and Raggedy Ann.  There are some “non-toy” toys such as blanket, stick, cardboard box and a kite.  

I was struck by the simple nature of the toys that made the list.  Few require batteries and some can be homemade.  Instead of trying to out-do the next guy, you may be better served to stick to the basics.  I think this applies to toys as well as to problem solving of all kinds.  Applied imagination can make magic out of anything.  

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


#919 kernels

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Most movie theaters are laid out in such a way that you turn in the ticket you just purchased, and then are able to approach the concession stand.  People typically consider the food there as average quality, overpriced and something that you buy as part of the experience — much like you would have hotdogs at a ballgame.

A local theatre boasts that they have the “best popcorn in town.”  Many people agree with them, and as a result, they have carved out a niche with popcorn sales — independent of the customers who are coming to see a movie.  Their lobby is structured so that someone can go in without buying a theatre ticket and buy popcorn to go. In fact, so many people are doing this that they now have a special parking place reserved just for the popcorn buyers.  I have used it several times!

In addition to generating extra revenue, the ease of popcorn-to-go is delighting customers.

What is that one little piece of your organization or business that customers want a-la-carte?  Can you make something available to them unbundled that others often sell as part of a whole?  

You may be surprised at how a little effort on your part can really make customer satisfaction pop.

— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com


#918 rant

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One of the topics at a recent lunch with colleagues (see yesterday’s blog) was a social media site of/for local mothers.  While some of the exchanges I glanced at were helpful and appropriate, others were a bit outrageous and contained more private information than I wanted to know about the author. 

It appeared that some mothers fully trust the parenting advice other mothers were giving via this site.  Even though the responding mothers had no credentials as behavioral specialists or in some cases were giving inaccurate information about some factual questions, it seemed that people were trusting social media replies even though there was no reason to believe their credibility.

On more emotional matters, combating opinion with facts just led to a back and forth exchange and made people more passionate about their stand.  They became invested in their own position vs. becoming open to the viewpoint of others.

I believe this phenomenon occurs in all kinds of forums beyond the parenting blog.  The vitriol nature of political advertising causes people to actively defend their position rather than considering the opposing side.  Fostering debate about raising children polarizes the views instead of merging them.  Rants about social needs are met with backlash about the cost of addressing them.  

Think about your purpose the next time you pick up a pen or fire up the keyboard.  The more you rant, the more they rave and the differences become magnified rather than bridged.  

Opinions are changed through personal connections and by calm sharing of stories, not by digital diatribes on anonymous media postings.  

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

#917 nothing

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About once per month, I have lunch with three of my favorite colleagues; ones whose LinkedIn invitation I accepted without hesitation!  At one point or another, our professional lives have crossed although we do not all work together now.  We gather at a tiny local pizza joint and commandeer one of the four tables for Seinfeld-esque conversations.  

It is at these lunches that I have learned about the Dollar Shave Club and GrooveBook, seen SnapChat in action for the first time, gained tips on how to use my iPhone, watched videos of “talking” pets, seen pictures of their houses being built, snugged their babies, commiserated about trials at work, rejoiced over events at work and in general felt connected to people who “get me” and get what I do.  We talk about everything and about nothing — non-stop — for the entire lunch period.  It is one of my favorite hours of the month.

Who is in your inner circle that is also in your geographic proximity?  Have you taken the time to regularly gather with them?  (We schedule the next lunch before leaving the current one.)  Is there someone(s) with whom you can drop pretense and position and just chat?

While there is great value in a broad network, social media and long-distance communication, in my opinion there is nothing like face-to-face camaraderie to rejuvenate the soul.

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



#916 invitations

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Recently when we were conducting reference checks, we talked to a few people we knew who were part of the candidate’s LinkedIn network.  No one knew the person we had interviewed.  I thought that was sort of a prerequisite for an effective communication web…

so can someone clarify for me what the protocol is for accepting invitations on LinkedIn?  Lately I have been receiving invitations from people that I do not know.  Is that the whole point — to expand my network — or is the point to only have connections with people I know?

It’s not as if the invitations are from people in enrollment or even higher education.  I have been asked by someone who works in a child care center, social services, 3D printing and insurance. 

If I accept them in my network, then does someone else accept them because I did and they think “any friend of beth’s is a friend of mine!”.  Are they going to ask me about someone I have never heard of (except when I accepted their invitation!)

In the old days, you could have a Rolodex full of business cards from people you barely knew or who sent you cards in the mail. The difference is that they didn’t have your card in their file, and it seems like with LinkedIn there is that exchange.  Does that reciprocal nature imply knowledge of or endorsement?

Sales guru Jeffrey Gitomer said that he doesn’t accept any invitations that have the generic “XYZ would like to connect with you” message.  His theory is that if you don’t take the time to explain your rationale for the connection in the invite, he declines.  

Before I am guilty of being LinkedOut, can someone clue me in as to acceptable practice?

— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com






#915 out

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Yesterday I wrote about the Therapeutic Massage sign, and I went (outside) there to take a picture to include with my blog about it.  They were closed, so no sign was flashing.

Apparently, it won’t be flashing for awhile since I found this handwritten sign on the door: 

“All employees are on vacation.  Will be back at May 1st.  The gift card will not overdue.  Don’t worried.  Emergency call ###.”

I want a job where I can go on vacation from November until May!  While few of us have that luxury, I wonder if it feels that way to some of our clients:

> The doctor’s office I called, and learned that they are only there part-time on three days and closed the other two weekdays.
> A function in an organization that closes earlier than the rest of the business — and of course that is the one that receives the calls.
> Popular items that are on back order so the business may as well be closed since it can’t deliver the product that is wanted.
> Tourist attractions that are closed on federal holidays — precisely when people are off and have time to enjoy them.

I am not advocating working 24/7 or 365 days/year.  I do recommend that you think about what it would take to keep your business open or service responsive as many hours as you can.  Do you assign someone to check voice mail or email over the weekend during peak periods?  Can another office that is open later receive your calls after hours so that the client at least connects to a live person instead of recording?  Can you post hours on email signatures, homepages and in correspondence so customers are aware of when you will be available?

Hanging a sign in the window saying you are gone for the next six months is not acceptable.  Neither is having voice mail answer in the middle of the day on a Tuesday.

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




#914 neon

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I was lucky enough to receive a massage as a gift last year, and everything about that experience fostered serenity.  The reception area lights were dim, the music was soothing, the beds were lined with thick sherpa cushions and the blankets were warm.  I was relaxed before the therapist ever began her magic.

In a nearby strip mall, a new business opened that offers “therapeutic massages.”  While that sounds nice, the sign in the window was one of those flashing “OPEN” signs in bright police-car reds and blues, and below it was a similar flashing “MASSAGES” sign.  

Nothing about the massage experience should be flashing LED red.  There is no way that I would ever consider having a massage done there, as there is not a way for the business to overcome the disconnect between the type of relaxation I seek with a massage and the message they send with that type of store front imagery.

What expectations do you convey to your clients and what story do you convey about your organization before anyone walks in the front door?  Does your signage align with the type of environment you are trying to create?  Are you using your reception area to set the tone and begin your service experience?

For some, a flashing OPEN may be exactly the right sign for the window.  But for most organizations, the message you want to send doesn’t come in faux neon.  Think carefully about the alignment between what is inside and your outside proclamation of it.

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