Month: February 2018

leadership dot #2074: shipped

February 18, 2018February 13, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Sometimes we are so immersed in the workings of our organization that we take for granted things that others may find special or intriguing. For example, shipping an elephant from Africa may be routine for zookeepers, but those at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha recognized that the rest of us may find the process interesting.

The Zoo made a display of the elephant shipping container and turned it into a fun and educational opportunity. In addition to placards telling the story of the process, guests were allowed to climb inside the container and gain a perspective of the vast size of the elephants.

What do you have in your organization that is ordinary to you but could become extraordinary to someone else?

leadership dot #2073: sender

February 17, 2018February 11, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplett1 Comment

I recently received a major award from my professional association and learned about it through an email. In addition to the announcement and details about the award presentation, the sender wrote: “With the changing times it feels strange to send this [first] via email but I believe we have moved to this as a standard and expected form of communication. Perhaps I can generate a dot on this strange feeling.”

I’m not surprised about it feeling strange to send my notification in this way. He was experiencing the dissonance of using a method he thought the receiver would want vs. a method that felt true to him. It’s like the grandma feeling strange texting her grandchildren or them wincing at writing her a handwritten letter instead of a greeting on Facebook.

I think you can eliminate the strangeness with a decision about authenticity. I choose to send handwritten letters, even to my phone-obsessed nieces and nephews, because it is authentic for me. I welcome their thank-you texts for packages, although I would never send one. I choose to send emails or notes to colleagues instead of sending social media messages as they often do.

While much is written about tailoring your message to your audience, ultimately you, as the sender, should choose a vehicle for that message that is authentic for you. Receiving good news is fantastic no matter what the method and a sender should feel good about sending it, too.

leadership dot #2072: fresh start

February 16, 2018February 11, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Happy Chinese New Year! Many in the U.S. might be oblivious to this date, but the Chinese New Year is one of the most celebrated holidays in the world.

As with any custom, there are numerous rituals, foods, songs and colors associated with the festivities, but the one that resonated with me was the idea of cleaning your house. Legend has it that you need to have your house clean when the new year begins, and by doing so, you sweep away the bad luck and make it ready for good luck to appear. Many families go beyond cleaning to redecorate or add a fresh new coat of paint.

Much of the country is now entering the doldrums of winter. Skies are gray, snow is plentiful and temperatures are low. What better time than using the Chinese New Year to begin anew and prepare your home for the coming of spring. You could do the same in your office: brushing away the winter blues by adding your own artificial brightness in anticipation for the change of seasons.

Use today as a second chance to make a fresh start in 2018.

Learn more about the Chinese customs here.

leadership dot #2071: chart

February 15, 2018February 8, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

When you hear National Park Service, many people think of places like Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon, and picture rangers in wide-brimmed hats like Smokey the Bear. While this is true, the National Park Service is an agency that does much more than protect the 59 National Parks. Scientists, educators, conservationists, engineers and accountants comprise the workforce that maintains 417 different sites: monuments, parkways, seashores and preserves, as well as hosts over 300 million visitors/year.

To help visitors understand the breadth of the Park Service, the Lewis and Clark Visitor’s Center in Omaha has a beautiful display that communicates both the mission and the multiple departments that are organized to support it.

Oftentimes only the “front of the house” areas are visible to visitors or are highlighted in organizational publications. It was nice to see Property Management & Office Services, Safety, Information Technology, Human Resources, Contracting and Fire & Aviation Management as prominently displayed as Heritage Areas, Natural Resource Stewardship & Science and Ranger Activities.

Think about how you can make your organizational chart come to life. It may be worth adopting this idea for your organization as a way to recognize your staff in addition to educating others on the scope of your services. For political or public relations reasons, helping others understand your breadth is always a wise investment.

leadership dot #2070: now

February 14, 2018February 11, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

There is a fine line between convenience and lazy and the distinction is getting more blurry by the day.

First, there was Amazon Prime, but now two-day delivery seems ordinary so they have introduced Prime Now that delivers to many places within the hour. Amazon offers Dash Buttons that allow you to re-order a product with just a touch instead of having to do all that work of looking up the item again.

It wasn’t enough that Siri could send texts or make calls for you; now Echo, Google Home and Alexa can turn on music, adjust temperatures, and look up information at the sound of your voice. Reading email on your smartphone has gone from cutting edge to cumbersome, so it is now available on your smartwatch. Your voicemails are converted to texts so you can access them more quickly.

I wonder what people are doing with all the time that they have saved.

Apparently not going to Ash Wednesday services. A church in St. Louis is acknowledging the desire of some people to do things more quickly by offering a “drive-thru ashing” today. Instead of needing to attend a regular Ash Wednesday service in a church, Manchester United Methodist is reaching out to those on the go by providing ashes in a highly visible lot along a major road. Priests will be available throughout the day to administer ashes to people without them having to leave their car.

Whether you applaud all these conveniences or lament the growing prevalence of shortcuts, “now” has become the new reality. You would be wise to embrace it now rather than later.

Thanks, Lynn!

leadership dot #2069: applications

February 13, 2018February 11, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I would venture a guess that most people use their smartphone primarily for functions other than telephoning, and that listening to music and surfing the Internet are not nearly as used as other applications hosted on the device. Yet, the original iPhone did not have any app options, and, as late as the iPhone3 in 2009, there were no in-app purchases available (all had to be downloaded from the computer via CD.)

Today there are over 2.8 million apps available for the iPhone and another 2.2 million for Android, all accessible with a swipe of a finger. Over $70 billion has been earned from these purchases, and apps are a key reason people have smartphones in the first place.

At the 2007 Macworld Conference and Expo, Steve Jobs famously said: “Today, Apple is going to reinvent the phone.” The first iPhone was touted as a combination of three devices: iPod, mobile phone and an Internet communicator, and at the time, a phone that did more than just telephone was revolutionary.

Even Steve Jobs did not immediately foresee the explosion of supplemental products or the revolution he would create for how apps and software were installed, but this new line of apps and direct download have made the devices indispensable for many.

Maybe you don’t need to invent a new product, rather focus on creating an enhancement or service that complements what exists.

leadership dot #2068: capitalize

February 12, 2018February 11, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

There has been much written lately about Amazon and its impact on the retail industry. The behemoth now accounts for 50% of online product searches and for 5% of total U.S. retail sales*. Its sheer size has intimidated many retailers and others are trying to emphasize attributes that such a giant could never possess.

But Kohl’s has chosen another path: rather than fearing Amazon, it has embraced the company as a partner. Now many Kohl’s stores offer Amazon returns: if you bring in an item to send back, Kohl’s will pack it and ship it for free.

Of course, the move is not purely altruistic. I am sure the motivation is to do whatever it takes to get customers into the store – where hopefully they will be lured into making a purchase while there. Whether it works out that way or not, I applaud Kohl’s for an innovative experiment that acknowledges Amazon’s clout but does not succumb to it.

Think of how your organization can draw parallels from the Kohl’s/Amazon agreement. Can you forge an unlikely partnership that capitalizes on another’s size while leveraging that strength for your own organization? Is there an organization in your industry to which you have conceded the market when you should have rethought your positioning instead? How can you service the customers of another provider?

Kohl’s faced the tiger instead of fearing it. Maybe the same opportunity is available to you.

*Source: The Future of Retail in the Age of Amazon by Austin Carr in Fast Company, December 2018/January 2018, p. 94-114.

leadership dot #2067: holiday of love

February 11, 2018February 28, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Have you noticed how Valentine’s Day is becoming much more commercialized and prominent this year? It seems that every store features an extensive Valentine’s display promoting not only the traditional I-Love-You kind of sentiments but also encouraging people to commemorate the day by sending greetings to friends.

This is more than the classroom valentine exchange. I have seen references to “Gal-entine’s Day” in several locations and heard of renaming the holiday SAD: Singles Awareness Day. It seems that everyone wants in on the action.

As Valentine’s Day approaches on Wednesday, think of with whom you want to share your greetings. It is a great holiday to send someone a note just to thank them for the joy they have brought into your life. Whether it’s a gal-friend, guy-friend, single buddy or paramour, never pass up an opportunity to tell someone that they have made your world a better place.

leadership dot #2066: complementary

February 10, 2018February 2, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I am fascinated with the intentionality of the packaging at big box stores. Obviously, the boxes were designed to enhance the visual when displayed in mega-quantities but it is done in such a subtle way that I doubt many people notice.

Often when we first create a product or service, we consider it on its own merits without taking into account how it interfaces with other products or services we offer. The next time you are proposing something new, treat it as if it were a package. How can you make a smooth connection with existing offerings? Can you do something so that your new addition complements that which is around it? Does what you have designed enhance the overall?

Strive for both and – a product that has merit individually and as part of the whole.

leadership dot #2065: middle

February 9, 2018February 8, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

A colleague commented on yesterday’s post where I shared the list from the Minnesota Women’s March of ways to be engaged in activism. What he appreciated was the fact that there were many options and that it acknowledged not everyone would believe in everything or want to be actively engaged in a full-out common effort.

Many people have become so passionate about issues that there has developed an “all or none” mentality. You are for the Affordable Care Act or against it – precluding the possibility that you may like parts of it and want other components changed. You are for abortion or not, again, not allowing for nuances or exceptions that may shift your view. You are pro-Mac or pro-PC; a fan of charter schools and anti-everything-else, a believer in climate change or not.

More often than not these days, you choose a side.

How much more refreshing if you choose to listen or to “study” as the MN March list suggests. Or to learn more about the issue rather than blindly staking a claim for one position or another without fully understanding it.

In this season of gray skies, embrace the ambiguity that gray brings. You don’t have to jump from one side to the other, merely acknowledge that there is a potential for overlap in the vast middle in between.

Thanks, Brian!