Month: November 2018

leadership dot #2349: expanding

November 20, 2018November 19, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

My sister who just completed her doctoral program wrote to me about how busy she was now. “How did I ever go to school?” she lamented. I am sure all of us could share similar experiences. The campaign is over, but the candidate is as busy as ever even though he lost. The project is finished yet we find ourselves with no more free time than we had in the thick of the work. When the holidays are behind us, the calendar will still be full.

All these situations are examples of Parkinson’s law: “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” It’s a behavioral adage adapted to fit personal and organizational life but based on the scientific principle of the ideal gas law which states that gas will expand to fill the allotted space. Parkinson’s law is why we often get more done when we are busier, and when we find ourselves with extra time we rarely use it to “get ahead.” Instead, we spend more time discussing a topic, debating an issue, procrastinating, revising or in general allowing our tasks to expand since we have the time to do so.

The popular Norwegian author Karl Ove Knausgaard applies this principle to writing. He told the New Yorker: “The secret to getting a ton of work done is having a busy life and short deadlines,” he said. “It’s strange that, with three small children and limited time, I wrote so many pages a day while, before, when I spent all the time I wanted on writing, and even lived on isolated islands and in remote lighthouses, I hardly wrote anything,” he says. It is Parkinson’s in action.

Instead of wishing for “more time” take advantage of the discipline and action-orientation that comes from having too little time. Spend a few moments to start on that work that has to be done and revise it later rather than spending hours seeking perfection. Let tasks go that are not essential. Commit to the important things – like starting a doctoral program or running for office – knowing that somehow you will find time to do them.

Just as gas expands to fill whatever container it is in, so our task list grows to fill our available time. Make sure your to-dos are driven by what is important, not by how much time you think you have to get them done.

leadership dot #2348: speak

November 19, 2018November 18, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Sometimes when we speak up – pushing back against a bully, an idea with which we think is unjust or a degrading remark – we are unable to achieve the contrition we desire from the other person. Worse yet, the person we opposed may feel even more emboldened to continue in their demeaning ways since no repercussions occurred despite being called out for their behavior.

To pursue justice, you need to realize that you are the stronger one for having used your voice. Speaking up builds courage and gives you the fortitude to speak up again the next time. Remaining silent does nothing to add to your growth or to address the injustice.

You may not win all of the battles, but you won’t win any that you don’t enter. Keep speaking up to confront those who put other people down.

leadership dot #2347: interpreter

November 18, 2018November 17, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I received a pamphlet with my dental insurance bill informing me that if I had questions, I could call a number and receive assistance. What made it catch my eye is that it offered help in 15 different languages.

I wouldn’t think that Delta Dental of Iowa would provide language access services in Arabic, Hindi, Karen, Korean, Laotian, Pennsylvania Dutch, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Tagalog, Thai and Vietnamese, but interpreters are available without charge for these languages and more. It is a great service for customers, free of charge.

While you may not be able to provide such a broad range of interpreters, is there something you can do to assist those who do not speak English? Perhaps you can provide materials in one or two other languages, provide a FAQ list in multiple languages or collect the names of your staff and key volunteers who could assist in translation.

True service is delivered in a language that can be understood.

leadership dot #2346: postcard

November 17, 2018November 16, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

One of the most undervalued tools out there is the postcard. We all know that writing letters is a dying art and even the act of penning anything by hand is all but lost, but a simple postcard enables you to do both without the heavy lifting a full letter seems to require.

I use postcards as a quick way to say “I’m thinking about you” in a way that is far more meaningful than an email or text. A handwritten hello takes no time at all to do, yet has an impact that far outweighs the investment. It often even inspires the recipient to write back!

To facilitate the process and make it even easier, I keep postcards everywhere – in my purse, car, notepad, briefcase, suitcase – so that if I have an extra five minutes I can dash one out and be ready to pop it in the mail. You can buy large pads of scrapbooking paper and make your own colorful 4×6 creations or buy them in bulk. Either way, it is the sentiment rather than the artwork that makes the difference.

Think of a postcard as a paper hug and send one off – frequently – to those who are dear to you. Love really can travel through the mail.

leadership dot #2345: piddle

November 16, 2018November 15, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

One of life’s little luxuries occurs when we have the opportunity to piddle around – doing (or not doing) whatever strikes our fancy, without regard to a schedule or to others’ needs. Piddle is the equivalent of having permission to pursue metaphorical rabbit trails to see where they lead or getting immersed in something that you normally would not spend the time on. It’s unstructured, serendipitous time that rarely occurs because we schedule ourselves so tightly.

But piddling, for me at least, is a great stress reliever. I may go into the closet looking for something and end up rearranging all of its contents. I may pull out a file and spend an hour re-reading all the articles I have collected on that topic. I may look online for one thing and find myself delving into an entirely different site…all without structure or purpose. Piddling can occur at home or at work, and often leads to not only personal rejuvenation but can also stimulate new ideas or solutions.

As things slow down a bit heading into for what is for many a short week, try to carve out a bit of time that can be yours for the taking. Allow yourself to explore whatever calls to you or immerse yourself in something you would not normally undertake and to see what comes of it.

Stress release and creativity don’t have to be lofty or planned. Let yourself piddle around and see what comes from being in a new flow.

leadership dot #2344: parked

November 15, 2018November 14, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

To support the hoards of shoppers that flock to the Mall of America, the complex also includes 20,000 parking spaces on-site. Many people have trouble remembering where they parked their car at the grocery store or Target, so imagine the confusion that could ensue at a place this large.

Nothing is worse than walking out, tired from a long day, with arms full of bags, only to wander around looking for your car. The Mall attempts to prevent this by implementing multiple memory aids in their parking systems. Each floor is labeled with the name of a state and an accompanying picture to represent that area (eg: a cowboy boot for Texas). Each floor of the elevator is painted a different color. The elevator has an audio that says which floor on which you are entering. There are signs everywhere encouraging people to “remember where you parked.”

Other large enterprises deploy similar systems. At O’Hare Airport, each floor of the parking garage is named for a Chicago sports team. Everything from the elevator buttons to the front of the elevator is painted with the logo of the teams to aid in recall.

Think about what your organization requires people to remember. Are there creative ways to stimulate memory rather than just numbering something? Can you utilize color to assist as a visual reminder? How can you add in audio cues to aid in the process?

You could provide great car-finding assistance on the back end, but it is much more effective to prevent lost shoppers in the first place. Help your version of shoppers find their way home with ease through memory-enhancing tools for the easiest-to-forget aspects of your organization.

leadership dot #2343: collective

November 14, 2018November 13, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Each year, over 40 million visitors come to the Mall of America – twice as many as the Magic Kingdom in Orlando. It is crazy! Some may call it commercialism at its worst; locals are turned off by its enormous size and many find the mere concept of it to be excessive, but the Mall of America really is a visionary enterprise.

The gigantic entertainment and shopping complex was built on the site of the former Metropolitan sports stadium. Instead of seeing a forsaken plot of land right across the road from a major airport (and its accompanying noise), developers took a risk and built a bemouth with 2.7 million feet of retail space plus an amusement park complete with roller coaster plus a million-gallon aquarium plus a wedding chapel. Would you have invested billions in putting such a monster in an abandoned lot, in a state known for its harsh winters, in a location that borders the low population states of the Dakotas and Iowa? Not many would have, but 20+ years later the mall is still alive and well.

There are many specialty stores in the mall, but many are the same stores that you can find all across America. What makes the Mall special is that they are all there together – all 520 of them – so you can find almost anything (if you’re willing to walk a literal mile to get to it). It is a case of the sum being greater than the individual parts.

How can you follow the lead of the Mall of America and capitalize on the value of a collective? A job fair draws more candidates than individual recruitment ads. A craft show attracts more vendors and customers than a solo display. A medical building is more appealing to doctors than renting in disparate places.

And your organization is better off when it is in proximity to whom? You don’t need to be so large as to require your own zip code (like the Mall does!) but together is usually better.

Nickelodeon Universe in the Mall of America

Sources: Mental Floss and Minnesota Fun Facts

leadership dot #2342: options

November 13, 2018November 12, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

The more I hear about the Florida election recount the more some officials seem like petulant teenagers who can only come up with reasons why something won’t work instead of considering other options for how it could.

I understand that it must be a massive job to recount 8 million ballots for three races, but saying it is “impossible” to do by the deadline isn’t exhibiting much creative thinking. Couldn’t the small counties send their machines to the large counties when they are finished or maybe some neighboring states could share? Or perhaps the company who makes the machines provide some emergency assistance. And who said it had to be just the election workers doing the recount: couldn’t a temporary crew be brought in to the metropolitan areas to aid in the task?

Since it is a critical task that has implications for Florida and beyond, it would seem that if they really wanted the ballots to be counted by Thursday they could marshal the resources to get it done.

The next time you or your organization is faced with a daunting task, look beyond the usual ways to solve it. Don’t tell people that you can’t get something done; instead, tell them what you need to accomplish the task within the extraordinary parameters. Unprecedented circumstances require solutions and options that may have not been feasible in ordinary times but can become available to address extreme situations.

leadership dot #2341: campaign

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

Politics has been described as a circus and in one way it truly is: the nomadic nature of the workforce. I have a friend who was a candidate and he spent the week de-campaigning: driving around the county picking up signs, disposing of all the remaining literature in the office, packing anything that may be useful in the next campaign, filing reports and writing thank you notes.

He is one of the lucky ones who has continued in his full-time job while campaigning, but many of the office staffers find themselves unemployed. Their party’s lead candidate lost so there will be no congressional offices to staff or fundraising to continue. They now must either leave the area to go elsewhere for another campaign or find work outside of party politics – at least for a year until the cycle revs up again.

I previously wrote about all the behind-the-scenes work that goes on before a campaign, but never really considered all the post-election operations whether you are elected or not, or for those who were on the staff and not the ballot.

Campaign has a military meaning as well as a political one. As we celebrate Veterans Day today, think about all that happened before, during and after all of our campaigns to keep America free.

leadership dot #2340: armistice

November 11, 2018November 10, 2018by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Today is the 11^th day of the 11^th month and at the 11^th hour, it will mark 100 years since World War I ended. The armistice to end the fighting between the Allies and Germany was signed on this date in 1918.

The day was originally designated as Armistice Day by Britain, but other countries have modified the holiday to Veterans Day or Remembrance Day to honor not only those who served in World War I but also subsequent battle. Now, Veterans Day acknowledges the service of all veterans, living or dead.

In Britain, the country observes two minutes of silence every year at the 11^th hour. Traffic stops, business pauses, public transportation halts and the people of that country pay tribute to those who died and those who were left behind as a result of war.

Even though you might be far from Queen Elizabeth as she lays the armistice wreath, take a moment to reflect today and remember those who sacrificed to make freedom possible.