Month: September 2015

#1196 acknowledgement

Posted on by Leave a comment

After visiting the John Deere Pavilion, I also went to the John Deere World Headquarters.  This is a gorgeous corporate campus, with lakes, swans, walking trails and (of course!) acres of woods for the deer.

The HQ building itself was designed by architect Eero Saarinen, also known for the St. Louis Gateway Arch and Dulles airport.  I know that other buildings have a plaque inside them crediting the architect and builders, but Deere chose a more personal way to commemorate Saarinen’s work.

Outside the main entrance is a tribute which reads:  While selecting the site for these buildings Eero Saarinen was impressed by the trees he found here.  This oak was his favorite.  Today it is gratefully dedicated to his memory.

I am sure that Saarinen would have smiled at knowing that his favorite tree became known as “the Saarinen Oak.”  It was much more meaningful than another plaque, trophy or award to add to the pile of accolades.

The next time you want to give an acknowledgement that really matters, listen to the person you are trying to thank.  I’ll bet you’ll learn of their favorite ____, and then it’s easy to take it from there.

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


 


#1195 massive

Posted on by Leave a comment

I was inspired from hearing (CEO) Sam Allen to visit the John Deere Pavilion — a public showroom for the company’s products and venue to tell the Deere story.  The word that comes to mind to describe it is “massive” — in the literal size of some of their equipment and the scope of what Deere is trying to achieve.  Both were impressive.

John Deere’s mission is to be “committed to those linked to the land.”  As such, they are acutely aware that land is a limited resource and as the population grows, we will be stressed to provide “food, fiber and fuel” with the same land and less water.  It is a daunting challenge, but one that the company is attempting to meet through innovation.

Their products are modern day Jetsons.  Tractors and lawn mowers that run with autonomous tracking (no driver).  Agricultural combines that harvest 20 rows at a time and link via GPS to the vehicle next to it — allowing both to move in perfect synchronicity through the fields.  Forestry equipment that “walks” instead of rolls through forests to preserve the undergrowth.  Tractors that look like jetliner cockpits with computer-controlled applications and real-time monitoring of conditions via field-installed probes that measure moisture, temperature and crop yield.  Technology that provides a previously unthinkable level of precision and efficiency.

Deere defines it as invention + application = innovation.  The entire Pavilion was a testament as to how they live this core value and how the results are helping improve sustainability for future generations.

Where are you stuck in the innovation process: are you without new ideas, are you missing a compelling application, or have you failed to link the two?  John Deere has dedicated its company to innovation on a massive scale to meet the needs of global population growth.  What inspires you to innovate in your organization?

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


See person standing outside the cab — they are dwarfed by the machine






#1194 advice

Posted on by Leave a comment

Sam Allen, the CEO of John Deere, was our commencement speaker this year.  The man runs an international company with sales in excess of $30 billion, but there was nothing lofty or pretentious about his visit or address.

Mr. Allen offered two pieces of advice to our graduates that I think apply far more broadly than to those who were wearing the mortar boards.

First, he counseled people to “seize opportunities” and to volunteer for projects and tasks that will allow for growth and personal challenge.  Mr. Allen worked in a wide variety of Deere divisions and served on four continents over 34 years before being named CEO, and saying yes to very diverse experiences allowed him to have the breadth of knowledge that landed him in the top job.  He urged graduates to seize opportunities and learn from them rather than following a straight path.

His second piece of advice: pay attention to The How.  How you do things matters.  Having integrity matters.  It is not only important to get things done, but How you get them done will determine your success.  John Deere’s core values: integrity, quality, commitment and innovation are How the company strives to do its work.  Mr. Allen advocated following your values and focusing on The How.

Seize opportunities and The How are very simple concepts, but powerful thoughts when put into practice.  You don’t have to be a graduate to apply these lessons in your life today.

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



#1193 mall safari

Posted on by Leave a comment

I was out of town over the weekend and stopped into the mall.  As I was walking down the main aisle I was almost run over — first by a rhino and then by a panda!  

As you may have guessed, these weren’t real animals, rather “Animal Riders” — apparently the newest craze to hit the shopping circuit.  For $10, a person can have 15 minutes of joy riding on an electronically powered giant animal — cruising up one mall aisle and zooming around another.  I am not sure how long the novelty will last, but at least at this mall they were quite popular.

For many malls, the main thoroughfare is far more barren than it used to be, and the Animal Rider kiosk took advantage of the long, straight, empty corridors.  Where one person saw gloom in the unused space, another saw opportunity.

Malls everywhere are rethinking their purpose of being just a shopping destination and branching out into all types of entertainment offerings.  The Mall of America has an entire amusement park inside.  Others offer museums, ice skating, a carousel, movies, restaurants, arcades, batting cages, and now rhinos.

Think of what is in your organization that you see as a liability now but could be repurposed into a valuable new use.  If electric pandas and shopping malls can pair up, surely there is a way for you to tame your unused capacity.

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




leadership dot #1192: supplies

Posted on by Leave a comment

For most students, the new school year is now underway.  I imagine that it won’t be long before my favorite “school supply aisles” will be reduced through clearance and then moved out to make room for Halloween and Christmas merchandise.

Growing up, shopping for school supplies was one of the great thrills of the year.  I labored over which perfect lunch box or folder to purchase, and treasured each new writing implement even way back then.

Good thing I got my fix when I did because the contemporary student supply list barely resembles mine.  Never mind the technology, now parents are expected to foot the bill for a host of communal supplies that were never even remotely considered a family expense back in the dark ages when I roamed the elementary classrooms.  Today’s students are required to buy reams of copy paper, garbage bags, resealable bags, whiteboard markers, tissues, sanitizer, wet wipes and paper cups, just to name a few.

Worst of all, children no longer get to pick out their favorite character on folders: now it is “6 two-pocket folders without fasteners; 1 each in red, yellow, green, blue, purple and orange.”  BOR-ING.  No wonder we lament about stifling children’s creativity when this is how we start them out — sharing a pile of plain folders instead of expressing their own individuality with their personal supplies.

I am sure there are psychological reasons as well as economic ones behind the evolution of the lists.  (And I suspect my school district friends will point them all out to me!)  But from a school-supply-junkie Aunt, there is something missing when a care package to my nieces and nephews needs to be tissues and Ziplocs or supplies they can only use at home.

#1191 acquisition

Posted on by Leave a comment

Recently I was talking with a former colleague who is working at a company that just acquired their main competitor and is in the process of merging the operations.  Unlike a company that sells the same a tangible product, these are two service firms who have (had) a very different approach to their business.

One firm relied on utilizing past data to develop trends. The other company specialized in modeling future scenarios and preparing predictions.  Now they must meld the two philosophies together into a coherent service for their current and past clients.

My friend said that some of the other company’s ideas really were best practices and they are creating a new approach rather than continuing wholesale with the path of either organization.  Still, it is a significant shift in practice for all involved.

I imagine some of those initial consulting appointments could involve a few tricky conversations: “Yes, you went with us and we have approached things one way, but now we’re a new company with a new line of thinking.  It’s better; trust me.”

Whether you are the same organization or the merged by product of another, it is important to be open to new ideas and to evolve your thinking.  Just because the one with a different way of doing things is your competitor doesn’t automatically make it wrong. Be willing to embrace the best idea whenever you find it, even if the name on the letterhead doesn’t change.

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

#1190 monkey

Posted on by Leave a comment

I just finished reading Gillian Flynn’s suspense novel, Gone Girl (and can totally understand why it was a mega best seller!)

The story is about a husband and wife, and the phrase that stuck with me is what they called “dancing monkeys.”  The term refers to husbands when wives make them do things  to prove their love: “pointless tasks, the myriad sacrifices, the endless small surrenders.”  Flynn writes it as “emotional coercion to play some happy-hubby role”, and the husband becomes a dancing monkey when he stays home instead of going out with the guys or the wife sulks when he arrives late.

I wonder if the dancing monkey concept translates in some form to the workplace.  Are there bosses who require their employees to continually prove their dedication to them in subtle but expected ways?  Do bosses impose unrealistic timelines or working hours to test loyalty or exert authority?  Are supervisors impertinent or standoffish if someone acts too independently for their taste?

In the book, the last thing Amy wanted to do was to make Nick feel like a dancing monkey. Evaluate your posturing and expectations to ensure that you aren’t making your employees see you as an organ grinder instead of a supervisor.

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


Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, Broadway Books, 2014



#1189 brevity

Posted on by Leave a comment

Our local newspaper runs an occasional series where community leaders tell their story by listing out 10 words and providing an accompanying one minute video.  I suspect that for some of them, the task is more difficult than producing a multi-page annual brochure.  

I am reminded of the quote by Mark Twain: “If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter.”

It is much more difficult to be concise than it is to be verbose.  

At work, we struggle with postcards and headlines far more than with publications and letters.  I find it easier to write blogs than to Tweet.  Others can write speeches better than sound bites.

Practice the art of crafting a message that is short and meaningful.  Brevity provides power.

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



#1188 give us a minute

Posted on by Leave a comment

One of the practices in my personal life is to Never Tell a Waitress “Give us a Minute.”  

What happens when you aren’t ready to order so send her away?  Inevitably she gets out of her routine and forgets to come back to you until an extended period has passed.  She has a method for handling her new customers and servicing those already seated, and “give us a minute” throws off that rhythm.  Not that it should be that way; it’s just my experience that it is.  So instead of being aggravated by the delay, I align my expectations with reality and either order quickly or plan to wait.

Do you have some personal habits that you have developed as a way to mitigate the aggravation and stress in your life?  Are there things that “always drive you crazy” but you continue to put yourself in that situation without making adjustments?  If getting behind school buses is a trigger for you, perhaps you should leave earlier/later.  If you never can figure out what to wear, maybe you could plan out outfits for the week or have a fashion-forward friend provide you a month’s worth of choices. If the barrage of emails from political candidates or certain stores irritates you, take the minute to unsubscribe.

You can fret or you can develop your own workarounds that become part of your routine.  Life has enough unexpected bumps without going over the same ones repeatedly.

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





#1187 toast

Posted on by Leave a comment

Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to make a complex topic seem simple.  If we try to explain it in detailed or technical terms, often the person listening becomes more lost instead of more clear.

Tom Wujec has tackled the task of explaining systems thinking — how complex processes are interrelated — through the use of very simple exercises involving drawing toast.  Yes, it is a creative leap to think about using rudimentary, amateur sketches about a breakfast food to explain complicated systems, but that is exactly what he has done.  See for yourself at: www.drawtoast.com where he has a 9 minute TED talk and many resources for you to tackle your own “wicked problems.”

There are three key elements of Wujec’s methodology that can be applied to other vexing issues you are tackling:  1) his technique involves breaking down a process into individual steps — making it more manageable to think about; 2) he relies on the power of writing something down, or, more specifically drawing, to create clarity; and 3) the visuals are shared — instantaneously pointing out differences and similarities that may otherwise have been illusive or withheld in a conventional format.

Even thinking about drawing toast stimulates my creative brain.  It is something that I take for granted, and it is an instant trigger that others may not share my perception or knowledge.  There have been several situations as the new semester begins where we assume others know things that they do not.  They know ‘bread’ but not how to turn it into ‘toast’.

Take a look at this unconventional method of creating discussion around a system and see if it can’t pop up some new perspectives on your work.

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


Also see TomWujec.com for his Marshmallow Challenge