Month: March 2017

leadership dot #1745: fewer

March 12, 2017March 10, 2017by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Southwest Airlines is famous for its cost-saving moving of purchasing only the same Boeing 737 planes for its fleet. By standardizing the aircraft, they were able to save millions on bulk orders of replacement parts as well as requiring only one set of training for its mechanics and pilots. Simplicity just made operations easier.

Apparently fast food restaurant Fazoli’s did not get the memo.

When I was cleaning off my table, I had a hard time stacking the dirty dishes — because there were so many different types of them. As I left, there were six different sizes at a place that barely has that many different dishes on their menu. Are they all really necessary?

Before you specialize — in forms, dishes, services, products or just about anything — pause for a moment to calculate the cost of the complexity. Does the gain from “an additional” really outweigh the benefits of keeping things more simple? Have you considered the implications down the road of maintaining/updating/servicing/storing the different piece? Fewer really is greater in the end.

leadership dot #1744: spot on

March 11, 2017March 10, 2017by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

One of the biggest challenges in home decorating (at least for me) is figuring out the paint color. A 2″x2″ paper sample in the hardware store does nothing to help me know if I am going to like that color when it appears on my wall. Apparently, I am not the only one with this problem.

Lowe’s has developed an ingenious product, Spot On, that allows you to temporarily put a sample on your actual wall — without buying the gallon of paint or even without ruining the current paint that is there. The Spot On kit provides you with all the materials to paint special temporary decals that you put on your wall to gain a much better idea of what the paint actually looks like in your home. It’s still small, but it is giant compared to the paint chip and it is actually paint, not paper — all good things.

Think about how you can allow your clients to sample your product before they must fully commit. Can you offer an introductory session before a full course? Maybe you can have a reduced price for a taste of something? Can you provide just a piece of your product/service to allow customers to authentically test it? I think Lowe’s idea is spot on, and a great model to follow to make the buying process less stressful.

leadership dot #1743: just one more

March 10, 2017March 8, 2017by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

In most situations where we find ourselves saying: “Just one more,” we’d be better off if we quit before then. Yes, there are those who motivate themselves to do one additional push-up, to run that extra lap or to finish another task, but mostly “just one more” becomes a justification to extend our pleasure to a point of excess.

“One more” usually means reading another social media post instead of sleeping, having another cookie although we have already had two, putting down another bet at the table when we have broken even, ordering an additional drink after we’ve had plenty or playing another round of computer games rather than being productive. When we gain pleasure from doing these things, the hit of dopamine comes and overrules the rational logic telling us to stop.

“Just one more” is a curse — a sure sign that we have set meaningful boundaries that are about to be violated. The short-term impact can be minimal, thus rationalized away, but the cumulative effect of ignoring parameters can have serious negative consequences. One bet, one drink, one pound, one hour later and the momentum takes us into undesirable territory.

Create your limits before the temptation is knocking, and then stick to them. If you hear that voice in your head urging you to give “just a little,” know that it really is a disguise for giving up a lot.

leadership dot #1742: hopeful

March 9, 2017March 8, 2017by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

If I asked you how much extreme poverty has changed globally since 1990, what would you answer? An increase or decrease and by how much?

Compare that to respondents in a Glocalites survey who answered:
decreased more than 25% = 1% of responses
decreased 25% = 12% of responses
stayed the same = 18% of responses
increased 25% or more = 70% of responses

The 1% were correct. Extreme poverty has decreased more than half over the last 25 years according to the Annual Letter by Bill and Melinda Gates describing the work of the Gates Foundation. The Letter is full of several positive results, many of which are unnoticed by the U.S. mainstream.

For example, the number of new cases of polio/year was 350,000 in 1988 and last year was a total of 37 globally (not 37,0000; just 37 — all those in high conflict areas of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria where it is too dangerous to do immunizations.) Why should this matter?

I think that optimism is in short supply these days, and to have proof of substantial results should be encouraging to all of us. It shows that staggering, global problems can be solved — that it may take millions of dollars and decades of work, but that positive change does occur. Optimism also builds momentum as people want to be associated with winners and success — the more that people believe efforts are having an impact, the more likely they are to personally support the changes.

If you need a dose of hopeful news (made more credible as it is balanced with a dose of realism), read the Annual Letter. Bill and Melinda conclude with their optimistic prediction: “We’re confident of one thing: The future will surprise the pessimists.” That’s the best news I have heard in awhile.

[For more on this read the Fortune magazine commentary: What Bill and Melinda Gates see that Donald Trump Doesn’t by William Taylor, February 17, 2017: “You can be a Gates fan, a Trump fan, or a fan of neither, but it’s impossible not to be struck by how differently these supremely powerful people see and explain the world. I’ll leave it to you to reckon with the implications of these differences for your business, your approach to leadership, and the future of the planet.”]

leadership dot #1741: women’s day

March 8, 2017March 7, 2017by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Today is International Women’s Day — a “global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.”

Every woman could cite an example of gender bias, often unrealized in the moment by anyone besides herself. But until the subtle differences are made conscious, it becomes difficult to impact change and achieve equality in pay, behavior and norms.

In a recent case my class read, Alex Sander was a hard-charging, driven executive who was the sales leader in the group. Alex’s assertiveness was not liked, but accepted as a trade-off for top performance metrics. But the conversation changed when it was revealed that Alex was, in fact, a woman. Suddenly that same behavior seemed too aggressive and a behavioral issue. While it made for great class discussion, it makes for a lousy standard in the workplace.

Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg has said: “That little girl’s not bossy — that little girl has executive leadership skills.” (It’s one of the the e-cards the Massachusetts Conference for Women prepared for others to send to women today.) Sheryl could have been talking about the fictional Alex Sander — or someone you know. Use today to heighten your sensitivity to differences in how women are treated — by others and by you — and make a commitment to do better.

#BeBoldforChange

leadership dot #1740: pack of wolves

March 7, 2017March 6, 2017by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

For my organizational behavior class, I am always on the lookout for examples of systems thinking. The more tangible I can make the concept of interconnectedness for my students, the sooner they understand that culture is entwined with every other aspect of the organization. It then makes it much more productive for us to discuss the role leadership plays in creating the desired climate.

The latest example I have used is from nature, specifically how the release of 14 wolves in Yellowstone National Park resulted in myriad of changes in the area. Components of the ecosystem were impacted in ways that were unplanned and unexpected, highlighting once again how everything on the planet ultimately relies on others for survival.

Watch this four-minute video to learn about “one of the most exciting scientific findings of the last half-century.” If a pack of wolves can have this much impact, just think what a group of humans can do for an organization, community or beyond. How can you band together and howl?

leadership dot #1739: two dogs

March 6, 2017March 10, 2017by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

When I sold my first house, the buyer was visibly nervous at the closing. I assumed her anxiety was due to the financial shock of signing papers for such a large amount, but I was wrong. As I attempted to reassure her, I learned the true reason for her distress.

“Your two dogs were outside when we saw it with the Realtor,” she said. “My young son thinks that they come with the house and will still be there when we move in! He is so excited about moving because of it. I am just nervous about how he is going to react when we arrive and there are no pets to be found.”

We often make assumptions about the motivations behind others’ behavior — whether that be at a house closing, business meeting or political rally. Make it a habit to ask, rather than to assume. You may be seeing the manifestation of something entirely different than what you would guess.

leadership dot #1738: amaze-mint

March 5, 2017March 4, 2017by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

When I checked into the Hilton, I took a piece of candy from the dish at the registration desk. I was surprised to see it read: “The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and it is safe. Proverbs 18:10.” I wasn’t expecting such a message on my mint from the front desk of a major convention hotel.

There were several more dishes, all filled with candy of similar sentiments, and all branded by Scripture Candy: “Reaching the World One Piece at a Time!” Later I learned that they were placed there for the Catholic convention that was in the hotel, but I had to ask to find that out. Nowhere was there any signage or indication of the targeted audience.

All conventions have special touches that appeal to their attendees and I applaud the organizers and hotel for paying attention to such details. But if you are doing something that is out of the mainstream, remember the non-participants who will encounter it. A word of context can go a long way in making your message subtle instead of surprising.

leadership dot #1737: worn wear

March 4, 2017March 3, 2017by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

It seems counter intuitive for a company that sells clothes to sponsor and event to repair clothes, but that is just what is happening at Patagonia. Even more surprising: they are going directly to the consumers to make it happen.

Patagonia is sponsoring a Worn Wear Tour, taking a van to colleges throughout the country and repairing clothes (of any brand) to keep them out of the landfill. No selling involved; just free repairs on articles of clothing, done in partnership with the Post-Landfill Action Network. You can watch a video about the process here.

How can your organization get involved in a project that does the right thing, even if it doesn’t lead to direct sales? What service could you perform that may seem like it works against your business, but ultimately could enhance it? Is there a cause you believe in that you could promote, even if it doesn’t have an explicit business link? Use Patagonia’s Worn Wear Tour as a model for thinking outside the box (or store) to create a project that sews together your passions and service.

Thanks Meg!

leadership dot #1736: things I learned, part 2

March 3, 2017March 1, 2017by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Yesterday I shared four lessons I have learned on my journey from working on a campus to working for myself. Today, I have three additional lessons for your consideration as to how they may apply in your life:

Lesson 5: Be like Shonda Rhimes and “say yes” to opportunities that scare you. The Pecha Kucha l did last year was so far out of my comfort zone. I said yes to write a $2 million grant before I knew what a logic model was. I wrote fund raising copy for the first time. I am teaching a new business communications course this summer. Say YES, and then figure out how to do it.

Lesson 6: Save as much as you can now and live well within your means. Having a nest egg creates a world of options for you and greatly reduces your stress, in both the short and long term. The more you save now, the more freedom you have later.

Lesson 7: There is great value to in-person social connections. I have three friends that have become my “de facto board of directors”. We meet monthly in a tiny pizza joint for “Seinfeld-esque” lunches that have kept me sane. Cultivate friendships outside of work. Initiate these connections. Treasure them.

Whether you remember any of these specific lessons or not, I hope you remember the general theme that you control your own destiny. To paraphrase a Henry Ford quote: “If you think you’re happy or miserable, you’re right.” You can be happy anywhere and miserable anywhere. The choice to make lemonade is up to you.