In addition to a notebook that I use at work, I also have a notebook at home that has become the collection point for various thoughts/reflections/exercises about “what I want to be when I grow up.” In this notebook I have written personal thoughts like a journal, but also pasted notes, quotes and job notices like a scrapbook. I wasn’t sure what it really was.
But then I read an article about “commonplace books.” Apparently these were used hundreds of years ago to help people make a connection between different aspects in their lives. Commonplace books collected recipes, Bible verses, personal reflections and any other observations the owner wished to make. They were called a “unique combination of diary and scrapbook.”
Eureka! Without knowing the term or the heritage, that is exactly what I have been compiling during the last few months. And having my thoughts and visuals all in one place makes it much easier to see trends and patterns, as well as to see how far my thinking has come.
For some, Pinterest serves as a modern day commonplace book. While the personal reflection is not explicitly there, much of what people would write shows up in the quotes they pin or the verses they like. It is not private, but still provides a look into the connections that matter to the owner.
Whether it be in an old-fashioned spiral notebook or in a more electronic format, I encourage you to create your own commonplace book. Entries can be made whenever and however the mood strikes you, but overall they provide a mirror to reflect back what you may not be able to see without the gift of time and perspective.
Like making height markings on a wall, a commonplace book provides you tangible validity of your growth. Your thoughts and personal connections are anything but common; keep track of them to truly see your development.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
Source: Small Changes in Teaching: Making Connections by James Lang in the Chronicle of Higher Education, February 8, 2016
Month: June 2016
#1479 indirect
A woman in a dining room in Cincinnati began choking on her food. A 96-year-old man jumped up and began doing the Heimlich maneuver on her and saved her life.
He wasn’t just any man; he was Henry Heimlich himself, the inventor of the technique to dislodge obstructions from airways.
And even though Dr. Heimlich popularized this technique in the 1970s and it saved countless lives, this was the first time that he had performed it on a person that was actually choking!
I think about all the effort that went into Dr. Heimlich’s work as he promoted it, demonstrated it, perfected it and absorbed backlash from some who question its methods. All while never actually using it in a lifesaving situation.
Think about what you are working on that could aid other people, even if it something that you may not use yourself. Do you have a solution to a tricky problem from your past that is no longer applicable to you, but may help someone else? Have you seen a problem that you might be able to solve (as was the motivation behind the Heimlich)? Can you anticipate a need and work now to fulfill it?
It is best when we share our talents in ways that benefit the greater community, even if we don’t have a direct connection to the good. Strive to help others help others.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
Source: 96-year-old Heimlich’s maneuver saves a life by Lisa Cornwell for the Associated Press in the Telegraph Herald, May 26, 2016, p. 1A
#1478 running
Those of us who were around 20 years ago may remember the Fotomat huts that popped up in shopping center parking lots all around the country. They were kiosks about the size of a toll booth and had a similar drive up window. You drove up, dropped off your film to be developed or drove through to pick up your pictures. Obviously, Fotomats have gone the way of film and developing and are no longer around, but at the time, it was an amazingly convenient service.
A former Fotomat in our town was converted to a drive-up coffee hut. You can stay in your car, order your latte and be on your way. It, too, is incredibly convenient either in inclement weather (which is a plenty here), or with car-seated children, or in many other situations in which getting out of the car is a hassle.
There are the standard drive-up bank windows and fast food restaurants, and now many places have drive-up pharmacies, but I wonder why the drive-up phenomenon hasn’t become more pervasive. Why aren’t there drive-through post offices or copy shops? Or even Chinese restaurants or pizzerias?
Couldn’t people convert old banks into service enterprises with stay-in-your-car convenience? Or just add a drive through window as they do for food or pharmacies — so if you knew which book you wanted, you could stay in your car at the library or bookstore, but if you wanted to go browse you could.
I think there is an opportunity here to add an element of distinction and service in many more establishments than take advantage of it today. Think about your organization: what do people “run in and do?” Perhaps you could reconfigure some space to take the running out of doing errands.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
 |
| Fotomat turned coffee bar |
#1477 truth
“The biggest concern for any organization should be when their most passionate people become quiet.” Daniel Maxwell
I read this quote recently and it really resonated with me. I have always believed that leaders benefit greatly by having truth tellers in their organization. I relied on others to tell me what they really thought about an idea or what was truly going on in our operations. It wasn’t always pleasant to hear, but not knowing about a problem made it impossible to solve.
It is a special skill not only to be able to hear the truth, but to be able to share it in a way that is heard. Truth tellers are not always popular in organizations, or even with their direct supervisors. It is far easier to keep quiet and not risk admonition, but the organization suffers as a result.
This reminds me of another quote: “Leaders who don’t listen will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing to say.” Andy Stanley
Whether you deploy an external consultant to communicate the truth or summon the bravery to do it yourself, truth telling is an invaluable organizational skill. And, in my opinion, truth listening is an essential leadership talent.
Be intentional in creating a culture that allows honest feedback to be spoken — and heard. Ask the tough questions. Embrace less-than-flattering answers. Cherish those who speak the truth to you. Probe about candor in your interviewing. While it may not always feel like it, the truth is your best friend.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
l
#1476 tomorrow
The road through my subdivision involves a fairly steep incline. There is one portion in particular that I can “feel the burn” when I walk the dogs around the neighborhood.
So I was surprised yesterday morning when I looked out my window and saw one of my neighbors doing sprints (yes, plural!) up and down this hill. She would run, check her time, catch her breath, and do it again. All in the morning heat.
I know that my neighbor is a varsity basketball player in college, so presumably is in good shape, but I still admired her discipline and dedication to stay in condition throughout summer “vacation.” It would be easy to slack off or just run the flat route, but she was voluntarily doing some pretty strenuous work with no immediate payoff.
What can you do today that is the equivalent of running the hill for long term gain? Is there a task you can complete at work or activity you can do for yourself that has eventual benefits, even though no one can see them right now?
Invest your time today in something that builds strength in your future. Even better if you do it again tomorrow.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
#1475 tagged
As this blog continues to grow, I was advised that it might be worthwhile to add labels to help people find older entries that may be of interest to them. It seemed logical to me — only a handful of people have read all of the dots, and it made sense to take a step that could add new life to some of the content. If Sandra Brown could re-purpose, then so could I! (see Blog #1455)
What sounded like an easy task became arduous. Just reading 1474 entries took hours (days), let alone deciding what label to assign and then actually doing the manual task of adding the tags. But far be it for me not to finish something that I started, so I am happy to report that all four years worth of leadership dots are now tagged with the following categories:
BRAND: personal or organizational distinctions
CULTURE: organizational health and environment
COMMUNICATION: delivery of written or verbal messages
CREATIVITY: engaging in the creative process
ENVIRONMENT: examples of reduce, reuse, recycle
EXPECTATIONS: aligning expectations
FAVORITES: my personal favorites
HIRING: related to hiring and on-boarding of employees
HOLIDAYS: commemoration of specific days
IMPACT: actions that made a lasting impact
INTENTIONALITY: being intentional about small decisions
LIFE ADVICE: PERSONAL advice for living better
LITTLE=BIG: little things add up to make a big difference
ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS: ORGANIZATIONAL advice
PERSISTENCE: the value of sticking with something and finishing
PERSPECTIVE: system view/altering perspective
RECOGNITION: employee recognition and acknowledgement
REFLECTION: personal observations on the meaning of things
SERVICE: customer service (or the lack thereof)
STARTING: things at the beginning of a task or change effort
SUPERVISION: supervision of employees
THEN & NOW: reflections on how things were vs. how they are now
TOOLS: pragmatic, applicable tools to implement
Now the ball is in your court to use leadership dots as an on-going reference tool, not just a daily dose of inspiration. Tag: you’re it!
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
#1474 scalped
The musical Hamilton has just raised its premium ticket prices to $849 in New York and expects them to be $500-$600 for the touring company in Chicago. At first glance, it seems outrageous for a seat at a musical. I was disappointed that the producers were trying to capitalize on the great demand for the seats and gouge people at that price.
But then I read an interview with Jeffrey Seller, the lead producer of Hamilton, who said that he set the price based on what people are charging in the secondary market. “The average price in New York is $1000 for a $199 ticket,” he said. “That’s $800 that does not go to the creators of the play or the employees of the play. That is just not fair, and it does not help the theatre. Scalping is not illegal. Raising our premium prices is the only tool I have to ensure that the dollars being expended on the play are going to the people who created the play.”
When you look at it like that, it seems that $849 is a fair price. And if someone is going to get $849 in revenue from ticket sales, I’d much rather have it be the geniuses who are involved with the show than some scalper.
A colleague of mine always counsels people to think about the motivations of others, and the Hamilton ticket prices are a good example of this. If you take the time to understand what is driving the behavior, then it makes more sense.
Before you think others are out to scalp you, take a moment to consider why. You may not agree with them, but at least you have the ticket to understanding.
beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
#1473 continuous
I think cleaning your house is similar to decorating it: a) you are never finished and b) the more you do, the more other areas beg to be done.
I spent all day yesterday deep cleaning my house, and could do so again today. I moved the furniture, which exposed that the baseboards needed dusting, and when I knelt down to clean them I saw the inside windowsills were dirty, which of course beckoned me to clean the windows themselves…and on it went.
The same is true with decorating. You paint the walls, so then the furniture looks dated, and then you need a new pillow for the couch and an accent rug to pick up that color, and…you get the idea.
After investing considerable time working on something, it is easy to get discouraged by focusing on what else you could have done. It reminds me of the If You Give a Mouse a Cookie book where it never ends.
The same is true in a work setting where there is always more that could be done. My mantra is to strive for a state where: Everything is better than it was, but not as good as it could be. Always.
You’ll become burnt out if you only look ahead, and you’ll be in trouble if you only focus on what you have done. Try to make continual progress, AND acknowledge that you have made improvements already. Dust those blinds tomorrow while happily looking out those clean windows you washed today.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
#1472 flavor
When I went to pay for my car wash, I unexpectedly was offered a bag of free chips. Apparently the local distributor just started carrying a new line, and they provided a few boxes of free samples. It was a good strategy as the flavors are out of the norm: Peach Habanero, Sweet Maui Onion, Rosemary & Olive Oil, Aged Cheddar Horseradish and Ninja Ginger to name a few.
I’m not sure I would have been attracted to them, even for free, but the clerk at the car wash was extremely enthusiastic about them. He was talking to each customer about his personal taste-testing and results, and encouraging people to take several flavors to try at home on their own. I am confident that his personal pitch made an impact on how many people took bags home, and, if like me, ventured into a new flavor that they are likely to buy in the future.
I think about the key ingredient in this promotion being the car wash attendant, and I doubt he was factored into the marketing plan. Instead of relying on happenstance that he tried a bunch of flavors, liked them and promoted them, could there have been more intentionality in giving him a whole set of chips in advance and taking that extra step to make him knowledgeable? Could the distributor have acknowledged that he played a role in the process and thanked him for doing so?
When you are launching something new, don’t overlook the people who are closest to the customer. Be intentional about the flavor they can add to your pitch.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
#1471 what’s brewing
Have you ever noticed that, more often than not, tea is dispensed from a separate container than all of the other fountain sodas? It comes from a special container that gives the impression it was brewed up especially for you, just moments ago.
I should say that it gives the illusion of that, because if you did some investigation, you’d learn that it is connected to the exact same distribution source as the other beverages around it. It looks like it’s premium, but really it’s just mass-produced tea.
The mind is a powerful tool, and the separate canisters are part of the brand messaging that Gold Peak is trying to send you. I think the only thing premium about it is the price they pay for separate dispensing systems.
Don’t take everything at face value. You don’t need to read tea leaves to discover when something is pretending to be more than it is.
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
Thanks to Mike for the observation!
