Month: May 2019

leadership dot #2521: be serious

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Many organizations think they are doing their part for the environment by having recycling bins available in their facility, but the St. Paul River Center is serious about actually being able to recycle or compost the waste from their events. Instead of allowing people to independently decide what is trash and what is not, the Center had staff members at each of its stations directing people on how to properly dispose of their waste.

Far more items were recyclable than I would have expected or done on my own, including silverware and seemingly-plastic salad containers, but I was informed that they were corn-based and could be reclaimed. I have written before that one of the challenges of recycling efforts is the inconsistency in what is allowable in different jurisdictions and as a result, the bins are often so contaminated with incorrect items that the whole container needs to be thrown into the trash. In St. Paul, not only was this fate averted, but the staff who gave directions served as both a customer service and environmental ambassador.

Yes, there was a labor cost, but it was small compared to the environmental savings. The next time your organization touts an initiative, go the extra mile to be serious about implementing it. Do what it takes to truly do what you profess is important.

leadership dot #2520: deal or no deal

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I found it interesting to witness the varied approaches sellers used when hosting a garage sale.

For some, it was all about getting rid of things. These sellers had many items that were marked “free” or would initiate bargaining conversations: “If you don’t like that price, name another.” They had made the effort to declutter and as one seller said: “Nothing out here is going back into the house.”

Others were holding their sale strictly to make money. When I asked if a set of items sold as a combination could be split and sold for less, the answer was: “you can split them, but you still need to pay full price.” This seller wouldn’t negotiate to $120 on a $150 vintage item and would not accept negotiation on anything.

Many fell somewhere in the middle – they may have lowered the price if asked but seemed content to keep anything that did not sell. While they would have liked to have sold more, they couldn’t quite bring themselves to part with possessions at a significant discount. The items still represented value to them, and they retained hope that they could obtain that value at a later date.

What is your philosophy when conducting transactions?

Do you operate from the perspective that the past is the past? You believe that if the item is paid for, use obtained from it, and now it no longer serves a purpose, it is better to receive nothing than to be burdened with the possession. Your focus is on the present where retaining it has negative implications.

Or are you more likely to focus on the future and be willing to wait to receive what you believe is due? Even though no one may be willing to pay your price, you hold on to what has potential.

Both approaches have merit given different circumstances. The key is to know which path you are following before you hang out your shingle.

 

leadership dot #2519: vintage

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Last weekend our town held its city-wide garage sales and I was struck by how the event has gone from a highlight of the spring to something barely noticeable. It used to be that hoards of people would walk the main streets, going from house to house hunting for treasures. This year we practically had to drive between sales because they were so few and far between and the buyers were even more sparse. It was a bust.

I hypothesize that eBay, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and other sites have diminished the allure of a garage sale. Families no longer need to rely on the annual event to unload their unwanted items; they can post them daily and garner some pocket change without the work required to host a weekend-long sale. I was talking with one of the lonely sellers about the phenomenon and she had two other thoughts on why the enthusiasm around sales had dulled: 1) people today are minimalists who don’t want shelves of knickknacks or lots of possessions without a purpose and 2) people are much more mobile, thus purge with each new move instead of accumulating generations of possessions in the family attic. They just have less to sell and have a waning interest in buying something that isn’t the latest and greatest.

Whatever the reason, it is sad that another community-building event seeming has reverted to an online transaction with no personal connections involved. While it may be more efficient to buy and sell via an e-commerce site, there is joy in spending a spring day wandering the neighborhood gathering bargains and treasures for a quarter here and a dollar there.

When you think of “shopping small” think of your local garage sales in that vein. You’ll keep someone’s castaways out of the landfill and amass your own eclectic collection of treasures for a bargain.

leadership dot #2518: double entendre

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I am repeatedly reminded of the complexity of our language when I search for pictures to include with these dots. When I type in “train” I get pictures of both locomotives and weight lifters. “Fall” gives me autumn leaves and a person tripping on the sidewalk. “Print” accesses images of typewriters and plaid patterned materials.

I often don’t even think of all the meanings of one word, for example, “coach” that elicits pictures of a sports coach, executive coach/mentor, motorcoach bus and even Cinderella’s pumpkin coach. “Race” is visually represented by ethnicity, race cars, human runners and racing against the clock.

Using a photo search application is a good reminder of how important clarity is in communication. If typing in one simple noun generates so many different directions, think of the many ways a complex change process or new instructions may be interpreted by the listener – even if the recipient is a native English speaker.

You may think you said what you meant, but you may have also said something that means other things as well. Reinforcing your message with repetition, visuals, two-way feedback and context will go a long way in providing the understanding you can bank on (bank as in “count on/depend”, not a financial institution or shores along a river)!

TRAIN
TRAIN

leadership dot #2517: checklists

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A good way to keep track of all the onboarding details that I wrote about yesterday is through a checklist. I’m a big fan of checklists as a way to remember things that occur over and over without expending any mental energy to do so. You just pull out the list and you’re on your way.

But checklists can also serve to do more than remind of us things. Thought leader Seth Godin wrote about how checklists are actually a way to express our carefulness and to put resilience into our systems. He cites the example of doctors writing their name on the limb that is to be operated on as a way of reducing the errors in surgery.

Checklists can also help others understand the complexity and myriad steps in a process. The National Association of Realtors presented to Congress a checklist of 184 steps that are completed with each real estate transaction as a way to illustrate the professional nature of its membership. The checklist can serve as a tool for both agents and buyers to reduce the details that may be forgotten during a sale.

You can also create checklists to record progress and see evidence that steps are being taken toward a goal. If you check off tasks or activities as they occur, a checklist can become a visual illustration that work is occurring toward a seemingly far off outcome and it can inspire persistence to continue the streak of checking things off.

Whether you use checklists to remember to pack the essentials for your next trip or rely on a checklist to drive your next project at work, the act of listing out the steps lessens the likelihood of any of the tasks being forgotten. If you think you’ll do something more than once – and that covers a vast majority of our work – it’s worth the extra time on the front end to create a checklist to minimize omissions on the back end.

 

 

 

leadership dot #2516: small stuff

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I had an interesting conversation with someone who has just made a career change to become a Realtor. She described the extensive training that went into the process – courses online and in multiple cities, several tests and licensing in different jurisdictions.

I asked what surprised her and she had two answers: 1) that there was a lot of math, “as in a lot” and 2) when she finished, she still had not been taught how to do a listing. She could calculate the area of a plot of land and been tested on zoning regulations but was never shown how to put a property up for sale.

I think that our onboarding processes are sometimes like this – we get so caught up in explaining the big picture that we forget that new employees need to know the most mundane set of details as well: where do I get a key and ID, who do I call if I can’t make it into work, how do I buy things, what is the password for the computer, where do people eat lunch, etc. It is by understanding these small tasks that a new employee feels like they belong and are less of a rookie.

Even before they arrive, anticipate the questions a new staff member will have for Day 1: when should I arrive, where should I park, where should I go when I arrive, what is the typical dress code, what type of HR paperwork do I need to bring, do people eat lunch out or bring theirs in, etc.

If you find yourself in a new situation, the details are what help you build a solid foundation from which you can do the higher-level thinking. Don’t overlook the small stuff when welcoming someone new to your organization.

leadership dot #2515: left behind

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It’s easy to get distracted when riding in a taxi or ride share vehicle so it’s understandable when people leave their phone or glasses in the back seat of the car. But to forget a propane tank or chihuahua? That takes some effort.

Uber recently released their annual list of the Most Outrageous Lost Items – why they track this I do not know, but it made for humorous reading. Items include the propane and puppy, but also a shopping cart, professional-grade hula hoop, a bird, a cheerleading skirt and lion head, deer antlers, a welding helmet, a full fish tank complete with fish and water, and a tray of eggs. More valuable left-behinds include a Babe Ruth signed baseball, birth certificate, and a full set of 18k gold teeth!

Two lessons from this story: 1) double check not only the back seat but apparently the trunk, when disembarking from a rented ride. My mom always had us “go on tour” before we left a hotel or guest room and it seems like instituting a similar practice would be beneficial for both passengers and drivers. And 2) as an organization, if you collect any kind of data, you likely can create a public relations story out of it – the whackier the better!

Source: Dogs to fog machines: Uber’s oddest lost items by Rasha Ali, USA Today, March 6, 2019, p. 3D

leadership dot #2514: color cycle

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As the school year comes to a close, don’t toss those old markers! Crayola offers a free recycling program for schools to send in any and all markers – Crayola brand, other brands, highlighters or dry erase markers – and they will pay for the shipping! The program runs all year long, but at this time of year, it seems especially relevant.

All K-12 schools are eligible to sign up for the ColorCycle program at http://www.crayola.com/colorcycle.aspx. They even provide lesson plans if teachers want to incorporate curriculum around the recycling effort.

Sometimes we avoid recycling because it requires too much extra effort, but this is an easy sign-up process that comes right to the school for pickup. Parents: ask your school to participate today! Daycare centers: partner with a participating school! Teachers: click on the link above now!

leadership dot #2513: relay

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I recently purchased a new carbon monoxide detector and the same day that it arrived I received an email from Amazon offering carbon monoxide detector installation services. While I laughed at the absurdity of needing to hire out such a mundane task, I was impressed with the business model that anticipated the next step after my purchase.

Why don’t more businesses or organizations think that way?

If you register for a conference, the next day you could get a checklist of things to do or ways to prepare for the event. When you buy a car, the dealer could send you a video on how to use all the non-intuitive electronics that are equipped in a vehicle. On the last day of classes, children could receive their supply list for the next term.

In my case, Amazon was both the seller and delivered the follow up, but opportunities for partnerships abound – like a relay race where one organization hands the baton to another for the next step in the purchasing journey. The day your new computer arrives, a partnership with a local firm could initiate a contact to offer software installation and a tutorial. A new puppy could come with a next-day delivery of training tools and cleanup materials from the pet store. A church could partner with a realtor to welcome new families to the neighborhood.

Don’t let the initial transaction be the last one. You can add value to your customers and to your organization by anticipating the next step and making it easy to occur.

leadership dot #2512: rotation

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How much can you change things before it’s no longer the same thing? A hypothetical question circulates in organizational behavior circles: if you replace one plank of a ship, it’s still the same ship, but what if you replace them all? At what point is no longer the same ship?

This question came to mind recently when I saw the Canadian Brass, a group formed in 1970 but that now features only one of its original members, then I saw the FLY dance troupe, formed 22 years ago and now touring with 22-year olds, and when the Harlem Globetrotters came to town, obviously without any of the original 1926 players. How many members can you replace before it is no longer the same group?

Obviously, sports teams continue to play for decades with rotating rosters, Broadway shows replace their casts and bands rotate some of their musicians – all under the same name and brand. Think about your organization – what is the through line that provides consistency year after year? People come and go but for the enterprise to retain its essence, something needs to remain intact besides just the name.

Spending the time to clarify and celebrate what makes you be you is worth the time and effort to do.