Month: May 2018

leadership dot #2156: bite

May 11, 2018May 7, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

The arrival of the warmer weather is accompanied by the presence of ticks – those pinhead size insects that, when infected, can cause Lyme disease in humans. Lyme is serious stuff. Even with treatment it negatively impacts those who contract it for at least six months, causing fatigue, joint pain, headaches and even partial paralysis. Over 300,000 in the United States are diagnosed with Lyme each year.

Fleas are also out in full force, and those little bugs can transmit Bubonic plague to humans. The Plague sounds like an ancient disease – and, in fact, did kill over 50 million people in the 14^th century – but it is still active today. Over 650 people year contract it and 100 of them die each year from the bacteria.

Even though they spread the diseases, the health of the ticks and fleas are not impacted. That which harms humans does not bother the bugs, thus, it allows for perpetuation without negative consequences to the host carrier.

I think about the parallels between fleas and ticks and the parasites who infect the culture of an organization. Often, they are tiny and inconspicuous – you may need to aggressively ferret them out to find them, but their small bites do tremendous harm to the organism. There is treatment, but no cure, and even with treatment the impact lasts for many months. Initially, you may think your actions have eradicated the problem, but it often lingers.

Just as you need to be diligent about watching for ticks and fleas and properly extracting them when found on your clothing, so it is true with the gossip-spreaders and negative-energy infectors in your organization. They may be small, but do not underestimate how debilitating their bite can be – even when you don’t notice it has happened.

Source: Wikipedia

leadership dot #2155: stay

May 10, 2018May 7, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I know several people who are in the process of changing jobs. All of them are moving on to what seems like great opportunities for them, but they leave an incredible hole in the life of their current employer.

It takes a long time to find someone to just do the job that is vacated. It takes even longer to find someone to know the job. The nuances of how the job is done, what is important/what isn’t, details that only the person doing the job knows – a lot of knowledge walks out the door when an employee leaves.

My dissertation studied the importance of employee training and development and at my defense, I was asked how I would pay for it. My answer was that it was cheaper to keep someone than to replace them. It is estimated that it costs $2000 just to replace a fast food worker. Imagine what the loss is for a professional.

Sometimes employees leave for great reasons and you should support their move. But many times employees leave in part because you haven’t done enough to challenge or support them. It’s a delicate balance to provide new opportunities and maintain a reasonable workload and it requires continual attention and feedback.

Yes, it takes a lot of time to be a great supervisor but work as hard to keep your stars as you will have to do to fully replace them.

leadership dot #2154: voice

May 9, 2018May 6, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Yesterday I wrote about the nightmare-waiting-to-happen parking situation on Main Street. I would bet that once the full impact of the scarcity is realized, there will be protestations by people who want something done about it.

Where were these people when the building permit was being reviewed? Most likely, they were oblivious to the fact it was even happening.

It is ironic that all of the money and attention is paid to the prominent elected positions when so much of what really impacts people happens at a much lower level. Committees and boards comprised of mostly volunteers often create the rulings that affect the average citizen. Zoning boards members are not elected but decide if multiple businesses can be on the same block with only 10 parking spaces. Even in higher offices, appointed staff members draft legislation for elected officials to vote on, but it is the behind-the-scenes author that shapes the details and truly determine the real impact.

And yet at the working meetings, it is rare if anyone shows up to voice an opinion. People don’t pay attention until something is passed that they don’t like and then they come to complain. How much more effective it would be if different voices were heard in the beginning. If there was an efficient system to let people know what was on the docket, not just what is a foregone conclusion via the minutes.

Government goes to those who show up. Yes, it takes an effort to know what is coming but making changes is much easier on the front end. Do your work to be informed or do your work to protest. You pick when you want to use your voice.

leadership dot #2153: zoned out

May 8, 2018May 6, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

The hair salon that I frequent is located on the dead-end block of Main Street. When they first moved there, the building was surrounded by vacant buildings and a few low key mom-and-pop businesses. I am sure the seller was delighted to find a buyer for that part of the block.

Fast forward a few years and the area is experiencing a revival. Next door to the salon a new Escape Room is being built. Across the street, a warehouse is being converted into a microbrewery. A new restaurant opened on the corner. All good developments…

…unless you want to park your car nearby.

The salon already has been challenged with parking, and this is before the brewery or escape room even open with their presumably large customer draw. I fear that it will take longer to find a place to park than it will to have my hair cut.

But personal inconveniences aside, I wonder about the inequities in zoning practices. It always pains my environmental heart to see the rows and rows of blacktop parking that remains unused at the big box stores or mall. Why are some businesses mandated to have more spots than they could conceivably use while others are allowed to open with none dedicated to their clientele (the salon included)?

Apparently, all stores must ascribe to a formula of X number of spaces per X square foot. The difference occurs because the stand-alone stores must provide all those parking spots themselves whereas the businesses on Main Street can count on-street parking to meet their quota. The problem arises when the brewery, salon, restaurant and escape room all count the same spots as available to them.

Just as Main Street is changing, so should the zoning requirements. Regulations that look good on paper sometimes have a different impact when they are implemented. Be willing to change your formula when reality indicates tweaking is warranted.

leadership dot #2152: decouple

May 7, 2018May 6, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

So many new products and services come about because of an additional feature or enhanced component but think about the success stories that are because of what they subtracted.

Acute care centers created a whole new level of medical treatment when they did without the extensive services that an emergency room can provide. Southwest captured the vacation traveler niche when it did without in-flight amenities and complex booking procedures. A whole category of budget hotels became popular by foregoing room service, restaurants and concierges. Planet Fitness focused on the average person who wanted to stay in shape and left the serious bodybuilders to go elsewhere.

Dry shampoo is a whole new market that left the water behind. Pepper focused on whole peppercorns and fresh grinders without worrying about the salt component to the spice set. Salt created its own niche with a push for sea salt as a premium product. Our local movie theatre made a name for itself for its popcorn as much as for its movies.

Opportunities abound when you decouple items that are traditionally paired and focus on creating a uniqueness with one component. The next time you’re looking to provide something new ask yourself what you should leave out to achieve it.

leadership dot #2151: coloring book

May 6, 2018May 5, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Treat bags are standard fare at birthday parties for young children, but what do you give as a favor when the party is for an octogenarian? And what do you give the birthday girl herself?

One family solved both problems by custom-designing a coloring book featuring friends, family and memories of the guest of honor. She loved it, of course, but it also made for a fun memento for those in attendance.

Sometimes, the perfect present or favor isn’t out there and you have to create your own. Whether it be for a special birthday, company anniversary, team milestone or any other date you wish to commemorate, consider coloring your way into a nontraditional gift solution.

Thanks, Lucy!

leadership dot #2150: insights

May 5, 2018March 16, 2021by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Dr. Temple Grandin is an internationally known expert in the field of autism. She has written a dozen books on the topic, speaks widely about the condition and has been featured in a film.

Just knowing those facts, guess what her “day job” is. Therapist? Psychologist? Doctor? Professor?

If you guessed professor, you would be right, but what I doubt you suspected is that she is a professor of animal science at Colorado State University. In addition to being an expert on autism, she is also well known for her work in cattle handling!

You may think the two are unrelated, but Dr. Grandin has used her own autism to have insights about the environment in which livestock live. She has created protocols for reducing visual distractions and adding enrichments in the animal environment and championed many improvements for more humane livestock handling. Her autistic sensitivity has translated to how to improve conditions and animal behavior. On second glance, autism and animal science seem like a natural connection.

How can you pair a diverse set of interests or insights to shape the world in ways that others cannot fathom? Your unique combination could be just what is needed to see the world more humanely.

Source: “Speaker: A little bit of autism gives you an advantage” by Bennet Goldstein, Telegraph Herald, April 27, 2018, p. 3A

leadership dot #2149: grab

May 4, 2018May 2, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I was one of the 121 crazies who waited in line for donuts yesterday, and I’ll bet that I was the only one who had an opportunity to purchase them but left empty handed.

I came to the truck so excited about the rare opportunity to enjoy these over-the-top delicious treats. I had fantasies as I anticipated what they would taste like and I had eagerly planned on indulging. But when I got to the front of the line, I learned that they were sold only as a “mixed dozen”. In other words, a grab bag.

I know that I could have spent my $16.50 and found someone to eat the donuts I did not want. Or, more likely, I know one friend and I could have eaten the whole dozen. But at the last second before purchase, I had a moment of clarity where I realized I was playing by the rules of their game and not making the purchase of the type or quantity that I wanted. I passed.

Grab bags were fun when you were a kid – when the element of surprise outweighed any sense of frugality or practicality – but as an adult, they have less appeal. Customers want what they want when they want it, and if they are going to take a risk on an unknown, there should be some compensation through a reduced price or increased quantity.

Think twice before you get carried away over a purchase. Just because there is a long line, it is a special sale, you have a coupon, or it is only available for a limited time doesn’t mean you need to grab it.

leadership dot #2148: emergency

May 3, 2018May 2, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Talk about being able to create an experience: the out-of-town donut shop brought its “Emergency Donut Vehicle” to our city today. It’s a retrofitted ambulance, so we were greeted with sirens and lights when it turned into the parking lot – and they were greeted by 121 people in line before it opened.

The outside of the vehicle added to the festivity with their spaces for long john storage, emergency jelly pump, sprinkle storage bins and icing bandages. Overall it made for an out-of-the-ordinary noon hour for dozens of people in line as well as the dozens back at home or in the office who were able to partake in the dozens of donuts being distributed out of the “ambulance.”

I did not stay until the end, but the clerk said that last time they were in town, the packed-full vehicle was sold out in a half hour. What a way to generate business.

I doubt that if they had a bakery in town that it would have created this much buzz on this particular day. While they may have steady sales, people would not wait an hour in line and buy multiple dozen donuts at noon on a regular basis. Today’s levity succeeded because of the novelty and scarcity.

Think about how your organization can make something you provide less accessible. Is there a way for you to create demand because of the difficulty in obtaining a product or service? Should you shrink an element of your distribution in order to ultimately expand it? Would something be more popular if it was limited?

Maybe a manufactured emergency is just what the donut doctor ordered for you.

leadership dot #2147: scapegoat

May 2, 2018May 1, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

The aftermath of yesterday’s flood won’t just leave behind water-soaked boxes and soggy possessions; what will linger after everything has dried is doubt. I know already that there will come a day when I am looking for something and I will wonder: “Is it here somewhere or did it get thrown out in the flood?”

Experience has shown me that doubt is a great energy drain. I have some files upstairs in my office and some in the basement, and I find myself too easily giving up the hunt for something because I believe it is in the other location. This necessitates a search in the second place, only to have me return with more diligence to find the item where I thought it was initially. Had there not been doubt, I would have persisted and found it in far less time. Doubt also happens whenever I do a serious purging, when I travel or when I do anything to disrupt the natural order of my routines.

Whenever you have a plausible scapegoat – whether that be a person, a place or any multitude of options – our natural tendency is to jump on doubt as the default response. Strive to minimize the opportunities for doubt to creep into your organization. Doubt-busting examples could include: specify one person responsible for a project so there is no question who needs to do that task; have designated spots for key items so people can tell at a glance whether something is available or not, and keep records and documentation to add clarity to decisions.

Your time is better spent on something besides futile wondering.