Month: September 2018

leadership dot #2298: bell curve

September 30, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

There was a time when Walter Cronkite was the most credible voice in America. If he said “that’s the way it was” the majority of people believed him. They may not have agreed, but most thought what he said was true. Oh, how we need a Walter.

A friend and I were having a debate over one of the many political issues of the day. I have a strong opinion based upon my sources of news and he has similar passion because of what he has read. The problem comes in when neither of us can prove that the source is neutral.

Is there a modern Walter Cronkite that is a voice that can be trusted or an agreed upon outlet that reports facts with minimal bias? At one point in time, presidents or ministers had the corner on believable messaging to the masses, but today even those positions have become partisan and tainted. Social media exacerbates the rumors, innuendos and false reporting which just perpetuates the divide.

In 1987, the Federal Communications Commission eliminated the fairness doctrine and in 2011 it was finally removed from policy. This law required licensed stations to “both present controversial issues of public importance and to do so in a manner that was – in the FCC’s view – honest, equitable and balanced.” We need that law back.

There is growing venom for those who believe differently and no voice in the middle that shares commonalities instead of extremes. We need a Bell Curve media who reports the middle instead of the soundbites that inflame. In fact, I think we need a Bell Curve Party instead of the polarizing two that we have now.

How can you acknowledge the middle today?

leadership dot #2297: continuing ed

September 29, 2018September 28, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

At a garage sale, I stumbled upon the “Smith-Corona Ten-Day Touch Typing Course” – a gem from 1961 that includes a workbook and five records to accompany the lessons. It boasts that you will “hear it on the first day…type it perfectly on the 10^th…on a Smith-Corona Portable “(i.e. manual, non-electric typewriter). I can just picture the teen girls sitting by their phonograph pecking away.

Besides the nostalgic rush that it gave me, it highlighted that we have been learning at home for decades. Most people continue to learn well beyond their formal schooling, but instead of doing it with 33-1/3 RPM records, now we count on sites like Acumen+, Udemy, Udacity or edX to provide how-to lessons for millions.

The desire for practical education has always been present (and hopefully always will be). Whether it be a language, DIY home skill, crafting, business expertise, food preparation or something else, I hope you carve out a slice of time this weekend to learn something new. If you can learn to type in 10-days with no visual aids, just think of what an interactive online class can provide for you. The world awaits!

leadership dot #2096: extractive

September 28, 2018September 27, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I attended a racial equity training yesterday where local leaders learned engagement strategies to pilot projects about race. As you would expect, one of the six steps in the process was community engagement. For this section, the presenter really pushed us to outline a process that was an on-going partnership rather than a one-time encounter.

“It is key that you develop a relationship that is not extractive,” cautioned our Race Forward facilitator – with extractive meaning that you go into a community, extract feedback, then go away only to come back claiming to have the answer. Community members who are impacted need to be involved beyond just providing feedback to become engaged in developing the solutions.

I think extractive encounters occur throughout many organizations. Companies run focus groups and made subsequent decisions based upon the one-time opinions of a few. Leaders conduct town hall meetings and take action based on that slice of feedback rather than cultivating on-going communication with employees. Politicians seek input around election time but seem to disappear the remaining portion of their term.

As you seek to learn from your stakeholders, design your process to be an exchange rather than an extraction. Your community engagement will be far richer for it.

leadership dot #2295: blank page

September 27, 2018September 26, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Many people may find a blank page stimulating and open to possibilities, but I find it intimidating. Having the freedom of an empty canvas is not liberating to me, rather it is often paralyzing. As a result, I utilize many strategies to ensure that my page is not blank for long. Once I get something on the page, the subsequent words tend to flow.

To avoid finding your mind and fingers idle as you stare at your computer screen or piece of paper, begin by using another document as a template. I utilize old proposals as a starting point to write a new one, and even if the topics are unrelated, there is always a heading or formatting that I can carry forward to begin. I open old agendas or minutes and modify them rather than typing anew. Before publishing, I write the dots in Word and always paste tomorrow’s dot number and date on the next page so I have initial content instead of nothingness. When I write a grant, I’ll create the document with just the questions and work from there to fill in the answers.

Another strategy is to cut and paste material that you can repurpose rather than creating it from scratch. If you presented on a topic, use that session description or handout to start a newsletter article on the same subject. Repurpose descriptions from your annual report into a portion of your grant application. Modify your job descriptions to become your ad – then your onboarding document – then your evaluation form.

If you have a major writing project ahead, start now to make notes – and collect the Post-its or slips of paper in a folder – that you can assemble and type up when it’s time to begin your work. You’ll be working from a skeleton of an outline from the start instead of wondering what that first point is.

The first word is the hardest one to write. Set yourself up for success by having the beginning already on the page.

leadership dot #2294: muddy

September 26, 2018September 25, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

A new supervisor was reluctant to be too direct with her employee for fear of coming across as too harsh. No one likes to be the bad guy!

I encourage a reframing of the mindset from “harsh to “clear”. It isn’t being too harsh when you provide clear parameters and expectations. It is a gift, not a punishment when you communicate what behaviors are positive and which ones are lacking (and why). It is helpful rather than detrimental when there are clear timelines and metrics about performance.

A lack of clarity doesn’t make the employee your friend; it makes them confused and out of alignment with what you need them to provide. And while it is oh-so-tempting to start off by trying to be “nice” as a supervisor, all your ambiguity does is muddy the water about your expectations.

I am reminded of my favorite Marcus Buckingham quote that I have shared before but it never grows old:

Effective leaders don’t have to be charming or brilliant
What they must be is clear.
CLARITY is the essence of great leadership.
Show us who we should seek to serve,
Show us where our core strength lays,
Show us which score we should focus on
And which actions we must take,
And we will reward you by working our hearts out
To make our better future come true.

Remember that it is so much easier to keep the water clear than to make a futile attempt to remove the mud from it.

Source: The One Thing You Need to Know by Marcus Buckingham, 2005.

leadership dot #2293: spheres and pyramids

September 25, 2018September 21, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

In his book It Worked for Me, Colin Powell uses the imagery of spheres and pyramids to describe professional development – and the need to incorporate a broad perspective in leadership training. Powell describes each unit as a pyramid, with each person inside as a sphere. As people gain responsibilities within the unit, their spheres grow in size until they reach the outside border of the pyramid. “Once that happens, the only way to keep growing and rising is to expand outside the pyramid,” he writes.

The problem arises when all the development that has occurred has focused only on the environment and skills required inside the unit (pyramid). Once someone ascends to a higher leadership role, suddenly they have a need to know other skills, such as supervision, strategy, or visioning that they may not have needed or learned within the boundaries of their previous role. The senior leader needs to understand competition, regulations, investments and trends in ways that the spheres in the original pyramid do not. Those who expand beyond their narrow boundaries suddenly are competing for resources in a much larger arena and need to master the political climate effectively in order to secure their needs.

As a supervisor, you can help develop your staff by exposing them to the world that exists outside of their current pyramid – even if they aren’t involved with it yet. Staff may be interested in going deeper with their known skill set, but learning may be richer if they are exposed to industry trends instead. Rather than having your accountant attend another tax seminar, push them to participate in a global economic summit. Send your human resources staff to a technology conference to learn how the world of work is changing. Allow your junior staff member to receive supervision training to prepare them for roles outside their pyramid in the future.

Don’t limit yourself or your staff by restricting professional development to the boundaries that exist. The growth is on the outside.

Source: Chapter 8: Spheres and Pyramids in It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership by Colin Powell, 2012.

leadership dot #2293: not your circus

September 24, 2018September 21, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I have a colleague who was watching with dismay some of the changes happening at her former place of employment. Decisions were being made that were in contrast with the direction she would have chosen and it was painful to her to think about the implications without being able to influence them.

“It’s not your circus, not your monkeys,” I said, quoting a popular meme.

“Yes,” she replied. “But I put up the tent.”

It is challenging to want to control things over which we have no control, and futile to waste energy trying to do so. As I wrote about on Friday, our impact and legacy live on far beyond our tenure in an organization. But our emotional attachment needs to remain in the past, not in the present.

“It is very difficult, if not impossible, to relinquish and attach at the same time,” wrote Erin Hilderbrand. They are wise words to live by.

Let yourself walk away from the old circus and focus your gifts on raising a new big top. Because you pitched the last tent well, the show will go on – without you – and your new monkeys need all you have to give.

Source: Summer People, by Erin Hilderbrand, 2010, p. 113.

leadership dot #2291: beetle

September 23, 2018May 25, 2022by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

In The Culture Code, author Daniel Coyle recounts the story of when Senator Bob Kerrey ate at one of the Union Park restaurants owned by famed restaurateur Danny Meyer. Inexplicably, the salad of Kerrey’s guest had a bug nestled in the lettuce.

The next day, Kerrey was at another of Meyer’s restaurants and his salad came out with a small piece of paper that said: “Ringo”. The waiter told Kerrey: “Danny wanted to make sure you knew that Gramercy Tavern wasn’t the only one of his restaurants that’s willing to garnish your salad with a Beatle.”

And now, all these many years later, the story lives on – not as an example of how horrible the restaurant was to have bugs, but rather how well the incident was handled.

Things will go wrong. The question is whether your clients will be talking about your beetle or your Beatle in response.

Source: The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle, 2018, p. 202.

leadership dot #2290: falling

September 22, 2018September 21, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

When I went to bed Thursday night it was 80 degrees. Just 24 hours later it was 49 degrees when I turned off the lights. Over the course of a day, it went from an extended summer to unquestionably fall.

It was hard for me to comprehend the dramatic change in seasons but it really shouldn’t be. As my sister has said: “If the country has taught us anything this year, it is that everything can change and change quickly.”

I think about the tenuous nature of people’s reputations and all those who have gone from hero to disgrace with the revelation of new facts. I think about single incidents that have defined people or companies and their brand equity has fallen overnight like the temperature.

Building is a slow process but falling happens fast.

leadership dot #2289: altered trajectory

September 21, 2018September 20, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplett2 Comments

I recently was at a restaurant and saw several college students wearing team apparel from my former school. While I was at that university, I played a significant role to get their team approved as a new sport and I doubt it would have been established this year without those efforts. I thought about how those students did not even notice me, let alone know me, but through the work I was involved in, it changed the course of their lives. Not having that sport would have likely meant them not going to that college — which would equate to a different (not necessarily better or worse) trajectory for their future.

Maybe this situation struck me because it had such a clear connection to actions with which I was involved: I chaired the committee and now players are here. But I think of the thousands of actions we have all taken that have impacted lives without us having a clue.

Perhaps the party you held resulted in a marriage and children for two attendees, and their grandchild becomes the one to cure cancer. Maybe a phone call that you made delayed a departure and averted an accident. Whether it was the side business that you started, the independent contractor you hired, the volunteer position you held, the friendships you cultivated or the creative works you put out into the world – all of these actions have impacted others in ways that we will never know.

What is certain is that all of your behaviors are having an impact whether it is clear to you or not. Don’t rely on the tangible or visible to measure your worth. Just by being you you’re altering the course of history.