Month: April 2016

#1409 licked

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Today something is set to happen that hasn’t occurred since 1919: the Post Office is reducing its rates for First Class mail. A stamp will now cost 47 cents instead of 49! [For a full listing of new rates click here]

While welcome for consumers, the decrease in rates makes no logical sense for the postal service which is losing over $1 billion/year. But in 2014, when the latest increase was passed by Congress, it was done with a two-year provision that expired today. No action was taken to repeal it, even though the Postal Service appealed to Congress for such, so as of today you overpaid two cents for each of those Forever Stamps you have at home.

I am sure when the rate increase was proposed, it made it more palatable for Congress to hike stamps by three cents when they thought it was a short-term adjustment. Often it is easier to sweeten a deal in the present by making long term concessions. But those deferred actions have consequences as the USPS is feeling today.

Keep this situation in mind the next time you are proposing something with variable terms. If you can’t live with the long term in the short term, you may want to renegotiate the parameters before you seal the deal.

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

Additional source: Stamp prices set to go down two cents in April by David Goldman, CNN Money, February 26, 2016

Thanks Meg!



#1408 growth

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Some people have a green thumb, whereas others kill many of the plants they encounter. For those who are horticulturally challenged, a new line of foliage may be just the ticket. 
Plants of Steel are promoted as “durable and low maintenance”, a way to bring healthy greenery into your home and increase the chance that it will remain that way.

Those who have a way with growing things have no need to pay the $15 premium price for a simple houseplant, but others may find it a bargain if the plant actually lives and does not need to be replaced.  

Even in something as simple as plant selection, it pays to know your strengths and to accommodate for weakness. What can you do today to gain clarity on where you are gifted and where you need help? You can’t grow without that insight.

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


#1407 gimmick

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As you know, the day after Thanksgiving has taken on a life of its own as Black Friday. Many retailers have attempted to extend this sales bonanza and have resorted to Black Friday Week and even Pre-Black Friday Weekend sales. 

But Lowes is taking it too far by trying to recreate the frenzy through a Spring Black Friday promotion. Seriously?

Do they actually think that just by calling something “Black Friday” will make it synonymous with “really cheap” in consumer’s minds and they will line up outside to grab the bargains? 

What I think is that calling something “Spring Black Friday” is just taking the lazy way out. If a store truly had a good sale, word would spread and they wouldn’t need to call it anything.

There are a lot of gimmicks out there, and red flags should go off in your head when you find yourself tempted to resort to using one. Go for substance and you won’t need to worry about manufacturing the hype to accompany it.

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



#1406 continuity

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One more observation from the NCAA tournament: how wonderful it was to see the current Villanova coach (Jay Wright) embracing a former ‘Nova coach (Rollie Massimino) after the big game. Too often the leadership of one era moves on and ignores those who went before them, but this doesn’t seem to be the case with the Wildcats.

Jim Collins advocates for this type of leadership continuity in Good to Great, and I agree with his premise. Whether it be through formal succession planning or merely through conversation and contact, having a continuous thread of leadership presence serves many organizations well.

What have you done lately to reach out to those who have come before you, whether directly in your position or as leaders in your field? How have you applied lessons others have learned in the past to issues you are facing today? And, most importantly, how have you crafted ways to give recognition and appreciation to those who helped clear the path for you?
Embracing Rollie Massimino did not diminish Jay Wright’s accomplishments; it just added to them. Consider how honoring someone’s legacy can help you be a better leader today.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

#1405 assist

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I’m sure that I’m not the only one who was a bit sluggish yesterday having stayed up too late to watch the NCAA men’s basketball championship game — and to re-watch the final shot over and over again.

[If you didn’t see the game, you must watch the last play here]

There were many well-deserved accolades for Kris Jenkins who hit the basket of a lifetime. But if you watch the clip again, you’ll notice that praise also should be heaped on the set-up man, Ryan Arcidiacono who got the ball down the court and tossed Kris the perfect pass.

Only the sports junkies will even remember Ryan’s name, just as few can account for who threw Christian Laettner the ball for his miracle shot in the 1992 regional tournament. But these men behind the scenes made the glory possible.

Not everyone can have the ball, but all of us can play a role in helping our team win. Maybe it is by being a great assist player or rebounder. Perhaps it involves cheering from the bench. Maybe you’re the guy who wipes the sweat off the court during time outs. Or even a fan in the stands cheering your squad on. 

The Villanova players said: “This is for all the guys who went before us.” Don’t discount all the guys (and girls) who went along side you, too, and especially the Ryans for being just two steps ahead of you when you needed them to be there the most. 

A team encompasses many more than those who suit up for a game. Take care to acknowledge everyone who assists with your wins.

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

#1404 purging

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I have been doing some Spring Cleaning lately and it has caused me to wonder why people save baby items for sentimental purposes. Truly, I wonder what the purpose of the preservation is: to inspire “awww” when you look at it again, to pass the legacy (stuff) to the next generation, or to have some artifacts handy should the child achieve greatness and the Smithsonian comes calling?

I was the first child/first grandchild and as a result there was a lot of saving going on. Want to see my hospital bracelet from when I was born? Got it. My first tooth? Sorry, trash pickup was this morning. My first earrings? My first drawing? My first (and second, third and fourth) pair of shoes? The bill from my hospital delivery? ($206 in case you were wondering!) I have, or should say, had it all. 

I also have this monstrous scrapbook with all the cards congratulating my parents on my birth, baptism and first birthday. What do I do with this thing? I have had it in and out of the wastebasket: on one hand, it seems fruitless to save, and on the other, it has been drug around the country for more than half a century so I guess I should keep it and let the siblings be the ones to toss it.

My advice is to routinely go through your “collection” with a discerning eye. Preserving some of the past is wonderful; holding on to too much of it is hoarding! The key is to toss insignificant things before they become too old and cause you to keep them just because of their age.

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


#1403 you choose

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There was an article in the paper about Mason Wells, a 19-year-old from Utah who was wounded in the recent Brussels Airport attack. He knows what a bomb sounds like as he was only a block away from the explosion at the Boston Marathon in 2013. 


MY first reaction when I read that the same person was a victim of two terrorist attacks in different countries was “how unlucky can you be?”

HIS first reaction was the opposite. “I don’t know if I was born under a lucky star,” he told the Associated Press. “I was definitely fortunate to have escaped with the injuries that I’ve escaped with.”

The dichotomy reminded me of a toy that I have had in my office for ages. If you look at the creature one way, it appears to be throwing its hands up in glee. Look at it from a different angle, and it seems that it is raising its arms in exasperation. 

As with Mason Wells, my trinket and much of life, how you choose to react is up to you. If a two-time terrorist survivor can feel lucky, perhaps he will inspire you to see the bright side of your world today.

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

Source: Boston bomb survivor hurt in Brussels airport blast by Danica Kirka for the Associated Press in the Telegraph Herald, March 27, 2016, p. 1A





#1402 a new season

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For six lucky teams, today is Opening Day of the 2016 baseball season. Whether you are a big baseball fan or not, I think attending an Opening Day game should be on everyone’s bucket list. There is such hope and such optimism — you can soak it in and transfer it to other areas of your life!

I went to my first Opening Day quite by accident. I had friends coming and we wanted to go to a game. It turned out that weekend happened to be the Cubs-Cardinals series. I was warned that to get a group of tickets on that weekend, I would need to stand in line in the wee hours of the morning tickets went on sale. So I did.

Fully intending to just get tickets to that game. 

But everyone else in line was getting Opening Day tickets. They were incredulous that I was waiting for hours and wasn’t snatching up the opportunity to grab those tickets too. So I decided to buy two to see what all the fuss was about.

I thought Opening Day was just another baseball game. I was wrong. The electricity and the pageantry were something to behold. I went to every Opening Day for the remainder of my time in St. Louis.

Maybe your work isn’t cyclical or perhaps you don’t have a definitive start to the next phase in your organization’s calendar. I hope you contrive to create one anyway. It is an emotional boon to have a clean slate and the start of a new season where optimism can reign. There is nothing like clearing the standings to make the team want to “play ball” with renewed vigor.

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

#1401 Alfa, Bravo, Charlies

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I recently saw the movie Whiskey Tango Foxtrot and it got me thinking about the title. It turns out that the film uses the NATO Phonetic Alphabet as a subtle way to provide an exclamation about the war in Afghanistan, the subject of the movie.

The Phonetic Alphabet was developed to reduce confusion about what was being said over radio transmission lines. Instead of wondering if the person said “D” or “B”, you can eliminate that uncertainty by saying “Delta” or “Bravo”. (e.g.: It’s helpful if your pilot is told to land on runway D8 that she understands it’s Delta 8 instead of Bravo 8.) And rather than having to come up with new words each time you transmitted, the alphabet identifies a distinct word to correspond with each letter.  

I can’t recommend the movie to anyone, but I do suggest that you use or develop a way to increase the likelihood that your communication will be understood by the other party. Should your staff be using the NATO Phonetic Alphabet when they repeat back reservation information? Is it appropriate for your use when you relay instructions or tell people directions? Could you incorporate it into your language when you spell your name or give out an unusual street address?

For anything you transmit verbally, the Phonetic Alphabet could help make things much more Charlie, Lima, Echo, Alfa, Romeo.

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


#1400 go fish

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When I first heard that someone took a semester off college so he could compete in a bass  fishing tournament, I thought it was an early April Fools joke. When I heard that over 50 friends and family members were driving over 600 miles each way to watch him, I was sure someone was pulling my leg.

But they weren’t.

Apparently bass fishing is a serious business. The winner of the Bassmaster Classic gets the top prize of $300,000, plus a boatload (ha, ha) of endorsement deals and appearance fees. Even those who just qualify to compete walk away with a hefty sum.

Bass fishing is a whole other world of which I know next to nothing. I do know there are many rules and stipulations to precisely follow, including when and where you can practice fishing and “learn what you can from the fish.” (I want to know how you learn to know what you can learn!)

The bottom line is that bass fishing is an industry in itself. Over 100,000 people paid to watch just this championship. Anglers all have sponsorships and their own theme music. There are expos, the World Fishing Network on television and hundreds of other products and promotions. For many people, this is their tribe.

On this April Fools Day, you may be a victim to someone telling you a true fish story. But if it involves big money and bass, you can believe it: hook, line and sinker.

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

Thanks Viv!