Month: August 2016

leadership dot #1542: stylized

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When you think of fashion or style, what retailers come to mind? For me, it would be Ann Taylor, Dillards or Talbots. You may list others, but I would be surprised if Goodwill came to mind. 

Yet, that is how they are positioning themselves these days:


While the back of the house may be piled high with bins of clothing cast offs, Goodwill is rebranding themselves and turning the front of the house into a much more pleasant shopping experience. Some have new storefronts and signage. Others have loyalty cards and frequent shopper benefits. The special sales are drawing crowds. 

If Goodwill can promote its style, think about what your organization can claim. How others see you starts with how you see yourself.

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

leadership dot #1541: love letters

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Those who know me or have read previous blogs know that I am a big fan of handwritten letters. I think that using a pen instead of a computer makes a mighty difference in the impression it conveys and the meaning that it carries.

I am not alone in my thinking. My friend Wendy shared The World Needs More Love Letters site with me, and I became an instant volunteer in their program. The effort, led by Hannah Brencher, encourages people to write love letters (eg: words of encouragement and hope) to total strangers. 

Hannah writes letters and leaves them about town, and she also coordinates the collection and delivery of letter bundles. People can nominate others to receive a packet of 200+ letters, all written by strangers, in response to postings on The World Needs More Love Letters blog. The current entries include Valerie who is facing medical challenges, Jordan who is preparing to transition out of rehab and Anna who is battling low self esteem. Strangers write, letters are collected, and then the lucky person is gifted with a bundle of love. I can feel the power by just looking at the pictures of handwritten notes in stacks, all tied together with a bow.

In this time of turmoil where the news too frequently features violence and hate, I encourage you to contribute a simple letter to counterbalance the negativity. Can you take just a few moments to let someone know that they are not alone in the world, and that we all share a common bond of being human? The World Needs More Love Letters, and it needs you to write one.

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




leadership dot #1540: independent

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I recently was driving and came upon some road work — no surprise, since it is the season for such projects. After the construction, there was the requisite sign indicating that the road work had finished. Nothing unusual about that either.

But a few feet after the sign indicating that road work had ended, there was another sign warning me of road work ahead. Two cars could barely fit in the “construction free” zone.

To me, this is the poster for work that is done in silos without any coordination with others. I suspect that Company A had one project and put up their sign, and Company B had the other project and did the same — both without any regard to the experience for the drivers. No one considered the road as a whole or worked with the others to make it a seamless construction project and less confusing for those traversing down the street. 

The next time you are working on something, take time to consider the impact it has with the environment around you. Who else may be affected by your work? Are there others who need to know what you are about to do and when you are planning to do it? Can you work together to save resources? 

Children are known to put a line of tape down the middle of a room to define boundaries of which side belongs to which sibling. Let your organization be the grown up and blur those boundaries as you learn to share.

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

leadership dot #1539: on second thought

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Euripides said: “Second thoughts are ever wiser.” I think his wisdom applies to second drafts too.

There is much magic in the opportunity to rework a document or message. Often the language becomes more crisp and the awkward phrase is eliminated. Errors are caught that were missed in the flurry of cranking out the initial draft, and in general, round two (or three or ten) is much better than the first.

When you are setting deadlines for yourself or your team, plan time for additional rounds of edits. Even if the first version is good, I suspect it will be better if you spend time reworking the piece. We don’t have this luxury for everything, but for the important messages it is time well spent.

Think of writing like the shampoo bottle instructions and plan to repeat.

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




leadership dot #1538: seasonal

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I’ve noticed that many entrepreneurs who offer lawn mowing services also offer snow removal. At first blush, it seems like a very logical business model: it keeps consistent revenue throughout the year, both involve outdoor work and both tend to similar clients.

But as you think about it more closely, the two operations have one key distinction besides the season. Lawn mowing can occur at any period over the span of days. If my lawn is mowed Monday morning or Tuesday afternoon it is of little consequence. 

Yet when it snows, suddenly every customer wants their driveway shoveled at the exact same time. In the winter, timing does matter — a lot — and thus the human resources and equipment must follow a very different model than in the summer.

Think about how you have designed your organization. Do you assume that your staff can handle the work consistently, without regard to the differences in work flow? Have you made provisions for changes in cycles, as is required with extra shovelers after a storm? Or taken advantage of slower periods when your crew could do other things?

Year round “mow and snow” tending sounds like a good idea, until you come to spring or fall. As with your planting, plan your staffing and work assignments according to the season.

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


#1537 nominees

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While I was watching the Olympics, I realized that every athlete there will carry the identifier of “an Olympian” for the rest of their lives. Whether they win or lose, just being invited to attend is prestigious enough to earn them a new identifying descriptor.

The same is true for Academy, Grammy, Emmy or Tony Award nominees — once a person makes it to the ballot, they are known as an Academy (etc.) Award nominee forevermore. And so it goes with National Book Award finalists and a host of other prestigious recognitions. Just getting on the list earns you distinction for life.

There are other categories of one-time events that change the biographical narrative. Presidential candidates will always will known as such. Professional athletes carry that identifier irrespective of their performance. Often people who are “first” carry that moniker with them for years afterward, even if they are not successful in the attempt.

I think we can all take solace in the realization that not everyone has to be a winner to achieve acclaim or recognition. For some things, what is important is being in the big game, not necessarily on the medal stand. Regardless of winning or losing, their effort was significant enough that it matters more than the eventual outcome.

Your work may not be on a national scale, but you are like the Olympic gymnasts who receive points and recognition based on the degree of difficulty. If you take the easy road with your work, even with perfection you will not be able to score many points, but if you produce something of difficulty, the honorable mention accolades will mean more than a lesser prize.

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


#1536 off stage

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I attended a regional competition for world-class drum and bugle corps. If I could describe these 150-member groups in one word, it would be precision. The flags are thrown into the air at the same height. The drummers hold their sticks at the same level. The steps are all in cadence. It is a well-oiled machine, from the moment they step on to the field until the last performer leaves.

I knew this going in, so it was quite a contrast to see the set-up for the event (which was still occurring when the doors were open). Tickets were all sold as reserved seats, but none of the seats in the football stadium were numbered. Thus, their crew was making a chaotic attempt to number everything, using painter’s tape and printed labels. The labels did not fully correspond with the seats, so then it became a scramble to find a Sharpie to do it by hand. Sections were identified with a letter drawn on a food-service wrap taped to the rails. Let’s say the pre-show was as loose as the actual show was tight. 

The rudimentary system got the job done, but it diminished the overall feeling of the night. If the corps stands for precision — its brand — then the entire operation for their big performance should at least be efficient if not more than that. Attention to detail should permeate every aspect of their organization, not just the few moments on the field.

Think about the back office or off stage jobs that your brand must deliver. Have you applied the same quality standards and expectations to the whole operation? You may not lose points for what occurs outside the spotlight, but you lose reputation, and ultimately that is worse.

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

Tape with labels to create
reserved seating in a
football stadium




#1535 create

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At a recent meeting I attended, everyone sat around the table with their computers open. We had the agenda and supplemental materials on the screen, but members still had their own laptops in front of them.

I was struck by how, at that moment, everyone was using their machine for the same purpose, but as soon as the meeting adjourned these same computers would be put to use for vastly different purposes:

> Mine would result in the creation of additional dots, just as it had for the previous dots by pushing one of the 60 keys over two million times.

> One would be the driver of an awesome graphic design business, serving as a repository to both create the art and to sell it

> Still others would use theirs to develop websites for sports leagues and tournaments

The machine itself can do little without the magic that courses through your fingertips. Think of using them to produce instead of just consume entertainment or art rather than only using them as a functional business tool. 

What you can create today just by tapping on these magnificent machines?

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

#1534 bucketful

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When people think of fund raising, they often have large amounts in mind or think of elaborate campaigns to generate revenue. A Boston food bank takes a much more low-key (ha ha) approach to acquiring a few more dollars towards food.

At the University of Massachusetts, people are encouraged to toss unwanted keys into a bucket and then the metal is recycled for cash and donated to the food bank. This sign reads: “This bucket of keys weighs 18 pounds of approximately 900 keys, and based on today’s market at $1.50 per pound, this bucket of keys generates approximately $27.00 that would go back to your local pantry in need.”
That amount may not seem like much, but it not did it take much effort to raise it either. A little here and a little there all adds up.

Think about the bucket of keys the next time you are looking to raise some petty cash. All of your asks don’t have to be direct requests for money. The key to successful fund raising could lie within a bucket. (Just think of ALS!)
— beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

Thanks Meg for sharing!

#1533 wizardry

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For me, this was the summer of Harry Potter. I had not previously read any of the books, in large part because the volume was so daunting. By the time I was affected by the cultural mania, people were reading Volume 3 and I was a thousand pages behind. I was overwhelmed and opted out.

But this summer, I was looking for a “beach read” and Volume 1 happened to be on the shelf in the library. And even though the books were published between 9 and 19 years ago, it was the last of the seven books that I would be able to read without first being on a wait list.  

In fact, I did read all seven — 4100 pages — in a span of about 10 weeks. I think about how that colored my experience vs. those who read them originally as they were published over the span of 10 years. The suspense did not have to build waiting a year in between books. I did not need to wait in bookstore lines at midnight to get the next volume. I could watch the entire series of eight movies right after finishing the whole series of books instead of waiting for long gaps in between those features too. And yet, I missed out on the immediacy and the camaraderie of the cultural phenomenon. I also missed out on two decades of understanding some of the references that have crept into everyday language!

I am incredibly glad to have read the series and highly recommend it to others. The hardest part is reading page 1. After that, the pages just turn themselves in a brilliantly written story that as much about friendship as it is about dragons.  

The next time I am faced with a daunting task, I will think about reading Harry Potter. I missed out on wonderful entertainment for a decade because I focused on the 4100 pages instead of just the first one. You don’t have to be a wizard to gain the magic that comes from starting!

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