Month: January 2017

leadership dot #1695: inscription

January 21, 2017January 20, 2017by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Last week when I picked up my mail, I was surprised to see a book delivered that I did not order. When I l looked at it more closely, I saw that it was sent to me from a former student. He was the author — and wrote about his successful, albeit turbulent, journey through law school.

More importantly than that, he wrote a three-page inscription, thanking me for what I did for him while he was a student. “Despite my academic downfalls and periodic bouts with trouble and controversy, you always supported me and often directed me to constructive solutions. (I realize I likely put you through hell.) While I may not have always taken your advice, I respected you and what you tried to do for me with SGA, TKE, etc. You are certainly a big reason I was able to take the lessons I learned in leadership into my profession and life…”

I have not heard from Jeremy in almost 20 years. He did put me through hell as an outspoken student government president. When I last saw him, I would have never imagined he would be the one writing such a heartfelt and eloquent note in a book that he authored. And yet, apparently I made a difference in his life, just as his inscription made a difference for me.

Handwritten expressions of gratitude are incredibly powerful things. Take that extra few minutes today to let someone know the impact they have had on your life. If you haven’t been in touch for a decade or two, so much the better. It’s never too late to let someone know that they mattered.

leadership dot #1694: outsider

January 20, 2017January 19, 2017by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Imagine that you worked for an organization most of your life. During this time, you held various roles to broaden your skills. You took on more and more leadership responsibilities, tackled the tough projects, did some of the grunt work and gained experience in a broad range of departments. In the analogy of the military, you “earned your stripes.”

And then the top job came open and you applied. You had the experience and skills. You had proven yourself loyal to the organization. Many in the organization wanted you more than the other candidate.

Yet, someone from the outside got the job instead. Someone with no experience in your organization. Those hiring did not know this candidate or have evidence as to what he could do, but some thought an outside perspective could be valuable. He had no concrete plans for how to make things better, but the bravado in the interviewing process earned him the job anyway.

And now you have to work with him.
And live with the consequences of his actions.

There is a flood of emotion as you find yourself in this spot, but it comes down to two choices. Leave the organization or work like the dickens to make it better. Our Declaration of Independence reminds us that we are endowed with certain inalienable rights: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Fairness is not one of them.

So like it or not, the outsider has the wheel and we need to become involved to keep him from steering us all over the cliff. Get to work.

leadership dot #1693: windows of awareness

January 19, 2017January 18, 2017by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

In class last week, I taught my students the concept of the JoHari Window of Knowledgeablity, a model that helps frame personal awareness in four quadrants:

1> Things that are Known to Self and Known to Others — In this “Open” quadrant are the facts, behaviors and emotions that are freely expressed. You know my name, if I am laughing with you, are aware that I am happy and if you know me for long, we’ll both know that I am introverted.

2> Things NOT Known to Self and Known to Others — In this “Blind” quadrant are things that others know about you that they have not shared. Perhaps they thought your presentation was poor but did not provide negative feedback. Maybe you offended someone and others are talking about it amongst themselves but not to you. Perhaps you are being considered for a new position, so your behavior is being scrutinized. The goal is to create a culture of trust and feedback so that you can move items from this window into the Open quadrant.

3) Things Known to Self and NOT Known to Others — The “Hidden” quadrant represents feelings or emotions that I may not have shared or facts about me that you do not know. I may appear calm before a presentation, but you do not know that I am nervous inside. I may appear pleasant in a meeting, and you are unable to tell that I am silently seething. Again, familiarity and trust allow more information to be revealed and items to be moved from this quadrant.

4) Things NOT Known to Self and NOT Known to Others — In the “Unknown” quadrant are reactions and emotions that have yet to manifest themselves. None of us know how I would react in an emergency or respond to a loss. We are both unaware how I would handle a new situation or assignment. A person may be surprised at how they fulfill the role when they become a new parent. The response remains unknown until the situation arises that moves the information into one of the other quadrants.

The JoHari model helps people become aware of the intentionality of sharing — and of learning — information about themselves. It encourages self-disclosure just as it encourages listening and creating safe environments where the Open window can be enhanced.

Think about what is in each quadrant of your window and what you can do to minimize the blind for yourself and others.

leadership dot #1692: germs

January 18, 2017January 17, 2017by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Our local grocery recently installed an acute care clinic inside the store, ironically located next to the health foods aisle. This has made me crazy.

What is an acute care clinic? A magnet for parents with sick kids. Why is the clinic in the store? So the parents will “pick up a few things” while they are there anyway — meaning that sick kids will have ample opportunities to spread their germs all over the food I am buying.

I believe that health care should be delivered in clinics and not in grocery stores. Bakeries, delis, meat counters are all food-related, but the acute care does not belong.

Consider whether your organization has strayed too far from its core purpose. Are you considering expansion just for economics without considering the downside? Are you spreading germs as you spread yourself too thin? Don’t get sick in an attempt to make your bottom line healthy.

leadership dot #1691: rich

January 17, 2017January 15, 2017by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I recently listened to a speech by Kevin O’Leary, one of the “sharks” on the television show Shark Tank. (For those who do not know, Shark Tank provides aspiring entrepreneurs an opportunity to pitch their idea to potential investors [sharks], exchanging capital for equity in the new company.)

O’Leary made an interesting observation that what Shark Tank participants were truly seeking was freedom. “Success in business sets you free,” O’Leary said. “Entrepreneurs in pursuit of personal freedom.”

I had not really equated freedom with business ownership, but the two are definitely entwined. The amount of control I have over my time — and the HUGE life benefits that brings — far outweighs anything I ever anticipated. We always equate money with success, but if this past year has taught me nothing else, I have learned that having money is overrated if it consumes your life to earn it.

Save as much as you can. Live modestly. Be frugal and avoid excesses. Construct your life in such a way that you can live from earnings that allow you time to enjoy life. As the sharks know, you are far richer when the equation between freedom and funding is in balance.

leadership dot #1690: march

January 16, 2017by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

The speech that really brought Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. into the spotlight was his infamous “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington in 1963. King galvanized the 200,000 participants at the rally to demand civil rights for all Americans and the March became a powerful symbol for unification and hope.

Another March on Washington will occur this Saturday, and thanks in part to the power of social media, the crowd is expected to be much larger. Men and women of all ethnicities and ages — will stand together in solidarity to support the human rights of all people. The Women’s March on Washington was organized in response to the insults and degradation of women and minorities by the incoming administration and is designed to foster connections and grass roots change much like the March on Washington did in 1963. Hopefully, there will be a modern-day Dr. King that can inspire and rally hundreds of thousands to work for change in today’s era of civil unrest and inequality.

Whether you are in Washington to participate or whether you partake in one of the local marches (happening in every state and many local communities), I hope you let your voice be heard. As that “overrated” Meryl Streep so eloquently said: “Disrespect invites disrespect, violence incites violence.” Model respect and non-violence as Dr. King did, and do your part to make his dream a reality.

leadership dot #1689: stranded

January 14, 2017by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Last week, the last leg of my flight was cancelled. American could not get me another flight until the following day, which would have left me stranded at O’Hare for 36 hours. Instead, I rented a car and drove the three and a half hours home in weather that did not seem to warrant air travel disruption.

I learned the news about the cancellation when I landed, so there never was a gate assignment and a group of people gathered that were heading toward the same destination. I wished there was a way to get in touch with the others on my flight, as I was sure that at least some of them would have been happy to ride along with me.

A software developer should create a new app for similar situations. You would type your flight number into the “Stranded” app, and show that you wanted to share a Plan B transportation with others. Or maybe it is more broad than that and just becomes “Ride Share” so you could use it at the airport, but also at other events, like wanting to share rides home from a sporting event or concert. Either way, if someone responded, you could connect via the app to find a location to rendezvous and take it from there.

With today’s air travel entwinement, being stranded happens regularly. Why doesn’t someone do more to minimize the cost and disruption of such occurrences? And think about your organization and points in the process where things frequently do not go according to plan. How can you have an alternative ready to seamlessly step in and mitigate the problem?

Don’t leave yourself or your clients who are stranded to handle the resolution on their own.

leadership dot #1688: small batches

January 14, 2017January 8, 2017by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

You’ve heard of craft beers and microbrews for alcoholic beverages, but now the concept is happening in the non-alcoholic realm. Craft sodas are growing in popularity, with ever-increasing varieties and flavors. There is even a clearinghouse website to categorize, review and rank all of the niche beverages: Five Star Soda.

When I was in Illinois for the holidays, I got a glimpse of the explosion at Rocket Fizz — a boutique shop that sells old-time candy and dozens of flavors of specialty pop. You could buy bacon pop, grass soda, key lie pie in liquid form or even a bottle of drinkable peanut butter and jelly. I do not vouch for any of the flavors, but they did make a tempting array of new taste sensations.

Some craft sodas are for the aficionados who want the perfect root beer or cream soda. Others are for the novelty. A few years ago you would have never thought there would be a market for coconut cream soda or pumpkin pie pop or numerous companies crafting their own concoctions. But whatever the cause, the craft soda industry and its accompanying stores, web sites, producers and clients are on an upward trajectory.

How can you take a lesson from craft sodas and create a small batch of a specialized product or service? Can you target the few instead of the many in a way that makes sense for your organization? Is there a way you can craft something new instead of reaching into the well over and over for the masses? Like with sodas and beer, small could be very big for you.

Source: Your next soda should be a craft soda, American Way magazine, January, 2017, p. 18 and FiveStarSoda.com

img_6944-1 — Rocket Fizz, St. Charles, IL

leadership dot #1687: the best managers

January 13, 2017January 8, 2017by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

In addition to running a massive search engine, Google undertakes research projects to better understand human behavior and the performance of their employees. One such study was entitled “Project Oxygen” and sought to identify traits of managers that made some more effective than others.

The study concluded that eight skills that corresponded with the best management. The good manager:

a good coach
empowers and does not micromanage
expresses interest and concern in subordinates’ success and well-being
is results oriented
listens and shares information
helps with career development
has a clear vision and strategy
has key technical skills

This does not seem like rocket science. To be an effective leader of your staff, it seems to go a long way when you treat your people like people and care about them personally. It doesn’t mean you have to be buddies, rather genuinely respectful and trusting.

Take a look at the list above and assess where you could improve. Better yet, ask your staff which area you should add to your new year’s resolutions. You and your organization will both benefit if you practice the above eight skills until they become part of who you are.

In Smarter, Faster, Better by Charles Duhigg, 2016

leadership dot #1686: ribbit

January 12, 2017January 8, 2017by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

There are definitely days when I stare at the computer dreading that I need to write a blog — staring for as much time as ultimately takes me to write the darn thing. I think I need to adopt Brian Tracy’s philosophy and start my day by eating a live frog.

Actually, it was Mark Twain that said if you started each day by eating a live frog it would probably be the worst thing that would happen to you all day so good to get it over with! Brian Tracy just brought Twain’s logic into the new millennium.

A frog, as the logic goes, is your most important task of the day. And if you start by accomplishing your one big task, not only do you check that off the list, but you save time by not avoiding it. Tracy suggests that developing a habit of “eating the frog” right away will pay countless dividends over time. He offers these five steps to master the skill:

If you have to eat two frogs, eat the ugliest one first. (in other words, start with the hardest task and stick with it to completion)
If you have to eat a live frog at all, it doesn’t pay to sit and look at it very long. (so stop staring at the computer and start writing!)
Take action immediately. (develop the discipline to begin and work toward results)
Develop a positive attitude. (success will help you become addicted to accomplishing more)
No shortcuts. (practice eating frogs every day)

I have eaten 1686 frogs now, and you would think that they would begin to taste better, but that is not always the case. Perhaps I need to review Brian Tracy’s ebook on the subject and adjust my palate. I hear frog legs are a delicacy!

What frog should be on your morning menu?