Month: October 2018

leadership dot #2309: gaining commitment

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

I am assaulted everywhere I look by political signs that tell me no more than the name of the candidate and their desired office. But as Election Day draws nearer, I was reminded of a model I used frequently in marketing that outlines the various methods to influence audiences depending upon the desired outcome of the interaction.

To create awareness, the proportion of mass media and direct messaging are the highest. Yes, those political signs have made me aware of who is running; I know the ballot by heart! But to achieve comprehension, mass media loses its significance and small group or person-to-person methods are more effective. To cultivate conviction, the proportion of personal contacts becomes even more relevant and finally, to earn commitment it must be achieved almost exclusively through person-to-person.

Even if you’re not in politics, you are most likely in the business of influencing others. This model can help you effectively align your efforts and your resources to achieve the result you seek – without putting a barrage of signs on every corner.

Source: Institutional Image: How to Define, Improve, Market it by Robert S. Topor, Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, 1986.

leadership dot #2308: communication

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

Our Arts Council recently hosted a band from China as part of a five-week/five-state WorldFest tour. The group did not speak a word of English and thus were accompanied by a translator for the entire trip. I cannot even imagine how exhausting it would be to spend a month in a country where you can’t understand a spoken or written word: no watching of television, reading signs or menus, listening to conversations or being able to navigate on your own.

Hearing communication through a translator highlighted the intentionality of communication when its process is difficult. It takes time for people to ask questions, hear a translation, have the band answer the question and then to receive a translation back. Instinctively, the questions became more succinct, the lead-up and chatter eliminated and the focus became only on the essential. It became a transaction rather than a conversation; a sharing of facts more than feelings.

We have the luxury of being able to communicate with each other directly and yet we often squander the opportunity. We fail to take the extra moment for some relationship-building banter or even bother to share how we are feeling. We don’t have to strain to understand what is said but sometimes speak without first truly listening as is required when a language barrier is present. Or we don’t ask for a bit more clarification although it could be easily provided without translation.

The Chinese group made great efforts to be able to communicate with its audiences. Take the same care to communicate with yours.

leadership dot #2307: exit

October 9, 2018October 7, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I think life is like an interstate that has many off ramps. When we describe our journey, we usually only consider the exits we took, but there is a similar impact from the times you did not leave the main road. It’s easy to reflect on the things that we did, but we are also shaped by the choice not to take many actions in life.

I’m teaching a class this term and I love it, so I began wondering why I was so late to the teaching game. I didn’t really begin teaching academic classes until a few years ago – and then I remembered that in the Nineties I was asked to teach a class, but my boss wouldn’t give me permission to do so. I never really considered it again until, many years and several institutions later, a faculty member became pregnant with twins and they needed me to teach. I have been a regular instructor ever since. Not teaching 20 years ago is one of those decision points that influenced many subsequent outcomes down the road.

I had this epiphany about (not) teaching while I was driving, and as my mind wandered I recalled numerous examples that would have had a ripple effect of consequences had I done something instead of passing on the opportunity. I turned down the chance to chair a convention which made me available to serve on the board. I haven’t touched my dissertation since the day I turned it in, closing off chances to present and publish in a new field. I didn’t take pre-calculus in high school so became a journalism major in college instead of marketing because of the calculus requirement for business majors. The list goes on.

The next time you’re on a drive or have the chance to do some reflection, consider just the exit ramps you drove by in your life. You may or may not regret staying on the path you took, but a big part of who you are comes from the roads you didn’t travel.

leadership dot #2306: for the birds

October 8, 2018October 7, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

An eagle’s nest is an impressive site. It can weigh up to 200 pounds and is quite imposing up in a tree. But instead of causing awe, one eagle’s nest caused dismay to county officials who are insistent that a new road to the landfill be located in that precise location.

The plan is to relocate the nest so the chosen path can be cleared for the road. Relocating a nest has been done — in 2014 in Texas — but that was due to the nest being located near high voltage power lines and not just for human convenience.

Before anyone can relocate or possess any part of a nest, they must obtain a permit from the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The job in Texas involved 50 agencies and took two days. And yet the county still believes it is better to move the nest than to reroute the proposed road.

Sometimes organizations come across the equivalent of an eagle’s nest. While the job of the leader is usually to reduce barriers to allow people to complete a project as planned, it’s also worth evaluating whether boldly forging ahead is for the birds.

Thanks, Curt!

leadership dot #2305: believe it

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

I received a newsletter in the mail yesterday with a page 1 story: “The City is currently installing cameras around the city and we would like to encourage you to do the same.” It’s bad enough that there are public cameras everywhere; now they want to add to it by advocating that private homes add to the footage. Do we really need to record everything everywhere?

We are becoming dependent on seeing it before we believe it. Police officers have to wear body cameras because it wasn’t enough to have them in the cruiser. Sporting events have multiple professional photographers trained to capture the play in front of them, yet there is still dissent as to what really occurred. Sexual assault victims aren’t believed because there is no “proof” of what happened.

Crimes happen in locker rooms, bedrooms and churches – should we install cameras there, too? Where does it end?

No matter how many cameras are out there, it will never provide a comprehensive, authoritative view of what happened. Yes, they may help in an accident investigation. Yes, they may help to solve a crime. But not everything that occurs needs to be recorded for it to be accepted as fact. Sometimes words from a survivor are worth more than a picture.

leadership dot #2304: art around us

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

On my recent tour of historical buildings, the guide said that “architecture is art that is all around us.” I think that art is all around us, and architecture is just one of the ways it is expressed.

An artist at the Farmer’s Market proved that talent is not limited by its medium. While we often think of art as using a traditional tool such as paint or pencils, one of the vendors was giving henna tattoos and the designs were as beautiful as many paintings. I wouldn’t normally think of henna or tattoos as an art form, but in this case, they definitely were.

I have seen gorgeous sunsets lately and the trees are starting to turn their fall shades of red and gold. That, too, is art that is all around us.

Art does not live exclusively in galleries or museums. See the world with artistic eyes today and come to appreciate that which surrounds you.

leadership dot #2303: multipurpose

October 5, 2018October 4, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Another building that I saw on the architectural tour was the Fischer Building – an 8-story structure that was the tallest building in Iowa when it was constructed in 1894. Because of its height, fire safety was a real concern as firetrucks were not yet equipped to reach “skyscrapers”.

As a result, the architects took extra precautions to make the building as fireproof as possible, relying heavily on the use of terra cotta. Not only does this material allow for decorative accents on the outside, but it also serves as a flame retardant. Terra cotta covered the exterior of the building and was used as part of the interior flooring and column coverings.

You may not be in the construction business or have to worry about fire-resistant materials, but everyone can learn from the multi-faceted aspect of the Fischer building’s construction. How are you creating content, services or materials that can serve a dual purpose for your organization? Can you create beauty out of something that needs to be functional? Have you put extra effort into your product so that it endures for almost a century?

I am sure there were cheaper and easier ways for the Fischer’s construction, but fortunately for us, the architect avoided them. Infuse the same pride in whatever you are building today.

leadership dot #2302: solid

October 4, 2018October 3, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

On a recent architectural tour of one of the historical buildings in our city, we saw blueprints and pictures from its 1922 construction. At the time, steel was a revolutionary product and steel construction was met with much skepticism. How could those flimsy frames hold up a whole building? Wouldn’t it fall down in a storm? This particular building was a bank, so the perception of stability and strength was even more important.

To mitigate any negative impacts on its business because of the choice to use the more economical, efficient steel, the architect took several steps to give the appearance of being solid and secure. The bottom portion of the structure was covered with a veneer of solid pillow-top stones that made the building seem as if it was constructed out of large rocks. The upper floors had an outer coating of brick, even though the frame did not rely on that material for its support. Windows were made smaller, as was required in brick structures, even though the steel would have allowed for much greater glass expanses. It worked to assure customers in 1922 and remains a functioning bank today.

Your space is conveying subtle and unconscious signals about your organization. What is it saying? Do you need to take steps to realign your physical presence with your values and intangibles? Do your building and brand align? Or maybe you have moved too far in the direction of efficiency and away from what matters to your clients?

Just because you use steel doesn’t mean your building has to look like it. It may be worth the extra effort and expense to project a solid image for your organization.

leadership dot #2301: crazytown

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

Alia Innovations (a nonprofit seeking to create an “unsystem” to drive transformative change in the child welfare world) shared a model with its Innovation Cohort that is relevant to all organizations undergoing a change process. (Download the diagram here.)

The process of change occurs over time. At the start of a change effort, an organization has the majority of its processes and policies from the current (or what will become old) way of doing things. Eventually, as the transformation progresses, new ways of behavior will be infused, but a total change has not yet occurred. This leaves the organization coping with old and new simultaneously – a transitional period affectionately referred to as “crazytown.” Those involved with the change must deal with ambiguity and sometimes conflicting processes until the new way of doing becomes the norm.

As part of a transformation effort, organizations must decide what to let go of to move beyond the “old way” and to consider what to add in order to establish the “new way.” It can be a time of awkwardness and vulnerability as the change process evolves but being aware of the transition (and acknowledging this with all those involved) can help normalize the confusing time during the middle of the process when the old and new overlap.

Change is never smooth or linear. By using Alia’s Organizational Change model, it may help your organization recalibrate its expectations and have the fortitude to survive the “crazytown” heart of the process.

Thanks, Amy for permission to share!

leadership dot #2300: new perspective

October 2, 2018September 30, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I saw a billboard that has stuck with me that read: “is the most valuable perspective the one that you don’t have?” I wonder if that is true.

I am not sure that I agree with their premise, but I do believe that a different perspective helps you to clarify your own view and creates a new level of understanding. Hiring a consultant can point out a broader frame of reference and help you to place your work in context. Maybe you are better than you were, but not nearly as far ahead as others in your field.

Traveling can raise your consciousness about things you took for granted and allow you to see the differences in architecture, culture and style of living that you would not have noticed had you home. After seeing the differences, you may come to appreciate what you have in ways that you had not before and prefer your current environment over the one you sampled.

Working with others outside your usual circle of colleagues can also broaden the number of options to solve a particular problem or help you to address the issue in a new way. The view of others is not always the right one but hearing opposing opinions may help everyone come to understand the rationale behind your conclusion.

Don’t remain insulated just because you believe you are right. A new perspective might open your mind to a new way of thinking or it could add validity to your current thoughts.