Month: December 2019

leadership dot #2745: holiday genre

December 21, 2019December 20, 2019by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I just finished The Christmas Shopaholic novel and it occurred to me that the holiday has spawned an entire genre of its own. There is a whole section of Christmas-themed books at the Library, both in print and audio. Radio stations devote their entire playlist for weeks to Christmas music. Hallmark has a cottage industry with its holiday movie series, but many others on television as well as in the movie theater base their plots around the Christmas theme. When taken as a whole, it is an amazing amount of art produced with one holiday at its core.

Consider whether this presents an opportunity for you or your organization. Maybe you can create your own Christmas-based story or video to add to the offerings. On a personal level, maybe you can craft a gift basket of books, music and movies that celebrate the occasion and use it as an actual present or as the prize in a raffle. Perhaps you can organize a holiday-art swap and exchange Christmas favorites so that others can expand their themed consumption next year. Or maybe you can start with Christmas as a theme for your next writing prompt since it appears to stimulate others’ artistic production.

Whether you create it or consume it, take a few moments in the craziness of the next week to enjoy some of the holiday magic that authors, artists and musicians have compiled for you.

leadership dot #2744: genius

December 20, 2019December 20, 2019by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Contrast yesterday’s dot about abysmal service at Best Buy with the Apple Stores and their Genius Bar. For those unfamiliar, the Genius Bar is where the technology experts take appointments to solve problems with hardware, software or just user capability. When I recently had to make a visit, my laptop was fixed and cleaned in 15 minutes, all while I sat on a stool and gazed out lovingly at the many other Apple products that I would like to buy.

When something goes wrong with a product, it’s a point of frustration and anger with the user. Apple has anticipated that things will not be 100% perfect and created a way to make the repair process as pleasant as possible. In fact, by doing so at the Apple Store, they turn what could be (should be?) a negative event into a sales opportunity. Now that’s genius.

Think about your product or service and where the failure points may occur. What could you do to minimize the impact that they have on your clients? Can you add extra attention and focus on helping things go right after they have gone wrong so that you net a positive outcome from an otherwise unpleasant experience?

Direct your geniuses to address the pain points, rather than the ongoing functions. Those who handle the hiccups well enhance their customer loyalty more than when things remain smooth.

leadership dot #2743: bad apple

December 19, 2019December 17, 2019by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

My friend bought a new iPad and we went to Best Buy to purchase a case. When the salesperson came up to us in the Apple section, we explained what we wanted. Even though we showed him the tablet that we had just purchased, his first comment was: “I hate Apple.” Seriously?

He proceeded to show us cases and tell us what was wrong with them, finally conceding that they did not have any in stock that fit the iPad we had. We were more than happy to leave.

I hear all the time that brick and mortar retailers are facing two challenges: 1) more people are shopping online and 2) it is difficult for them to hire good help. I think the two problems are related. Why should I put up with a condescending salesperson in person when Amazon is happy to outline the features side by side and deliver a case that fits right to my door? We went to the store to get assistance and, ideally, an expert perspective of which product was right for my friend’s needs. We did not go to have the choice of a brand-new product belittled.

If the service is great, it will draw people into the store. I think about how nice it is when I shop at small boutiques or places where the clerks are actually helpful. If you have front-line service staff working for you, do some secret shopping and learn whether they are helping or harming your sales efforts. One bad apple can spoil the already-fragile in-person retail experience.

leadership dot #2742: goodwill visit

December 18, 2019December 17, 2019by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

At a meeting of the local city council, an economic development representative from the neighboring community was on the agenda. It was a goodwill visit – just providing updates and not asking for anything at this juncture – but it went a long way to prime the relationship so that it is solid when the time does come for a favor.

Here are some examples of how he did so:

Showered great appreciation to the mayor and city administrator for the time allocation on the agenda
Shared highlights of economic development success – and gave the council credit as “part of a team that worked together.”
Showed deference to all the city officials, referring to them by their formal titles
Promised that he would be “candid and unvarnished” in his report and answers to questions
Answered with “excellent question” to all of his queries
Ended with the statement: “If you are ever feeling down, call me to make you feel good. Seriously, you folks are great. Keep doing what you’re doing.”

He spoke for less than five minutes, but that time was well invested. The council knows who he is, knows that he knows who they are and that he sees them as partners in the economic development efforts. The next time he does need something – and surely, he will – he’s starting from a positive position instead of from scratch.

Think about the relationships that may benefit you down the road. The time is now to invest in them, rather than waiting until you need a favor. Make it a resolution to do a goodwill visit and purely show appreciation to one of your partners, with no immediate requests.

leadership dot #2741: changes

December 17, 2019March 16, 2021by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

A photo circulated on Facebook showing nurses offering a choice of cigarettes to a patient in a hospital. The picture was taken in the 1950s when smoking was seen as the norm, not as a health hazard. Today, of course, cigarettes are not even allowed on the medical campus, let alone provided to the patients.

There are many other examples of how we act differently as new information becomes available. Car seats are required for children instead of allowing them to scandalously ride in the driver’s lap as I did as a kid. Elevated desks are becoming more mainstream to counteract the effects of too much sitting. Reusable water bottles and bags are commonplace as people aim to reduce plastic consumption. Diets have shifted to include more organic foods and less red meat.

What has changed in your profession or organization that warrants a new way of work from you? It’s one thing to monitor trends, but the real benefit comes in when you change your behavior to respond to the new knowledge that you have gained.

leadership dot #2740: biggest variable

December 16, 2019December 11, 2019by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

An engineer submitted proposed costs to the city council for some trail enhancements. He then noted that the biggest variable was the price for tree removal, openly admitting that the actual cost could be significantly higher than the amount that was currently listed.

All estimates are a guess and the final figures often vary from what is first approved. I like the engineer’s method of calling out the “biggest variable” as a way to help council members understand the level of risk that they are undertaking and to help them gauge total cost projections by monitoring the tree removal line item.

Think about how you present your proposals that, by their very nature, include uncertainties. Can you increase your chances of approval by breaking down the variables that could fluctuate and calling out the places that are the highest risk? Your ability to distinguish that all factors are not equal will demonstrate your expertise and understanding and give the decision-makers more confidence to proceed.

leadership dot #2739: decorations

December 15, 2019December 12, 2019by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Most organizations decorate for the holidays but few pay attention to how those embellishments align with their brand. An exception to this is ChickFilA. Their wreaths, tree and even garland is done in the consistent cow-like black and white with cow ornaments everywhere.

I’m sure that headquarters coordinated the purchase and design of the supplies and invested a bit of extra time and money in doing so but the effort reinforces the ChickFilA brand and allows each franchise to remain consistent within the entire chain.

The same idea can be accomplished for a lot less money as illustrated by this photo that circulated on Facebook showing how nurses expressed their identity in their decorations:

Source: Facebook CNA and Care Givers November 30, 2019

Take a look at the holiday symbols around your organization. If they were placed in another setting, would others know they were yours? Do they communicate your message in addition to adding a festive element for the season? Do they represent you?

The 2019 season is wrapping up, but the time to think about next year is now. Take advantage of hindsight and after-Christmas sales to utilize your décor as another vehicle to reinforce your brand.

leadership dot #2738: opt to act

December 14, 2019December 12, 2019by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

There is no One. Big. Thing. that can solve the climate issues that we are facing but many people doing many things is a good first step. Toward this end, outdoor outfitter REI is encouraging people to participate in a weekly Opt to Act challenge to incorporate more environmentally-friendly practices into their routine. “On their own, none of these 52 actions are going to save the world,” reads the REI website, “But each week offers a chance to incorporate more eco-friendly behavior into your everyday life. And if we all start being better, together, we can do a lot of good.”

The outfitter has prepared a checklist suggesting actions people can take each week. Most require only modest effort, such as using public transportation to one event this week, set your thermometer one degree lower this week, count the number of single-use plastic items you use this week or go meatless one day this week. I think it illustrates that helping the environment can become part of your habits and doesn’t have to involve a major sacrifice or lifestyle change.

Access the checklist here and Opt to Act responsibly in 2020.

leadership dot #2737: ingredients

December 13, 2019December 12, 2019by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

During a delicious Greek meal, the owner came out to chat with the customers. After we lavished him with praise for the cuisine, he shared his secret: “It starts with the ingredients,” Angelo said. He imports feta with 70% sheep’s milk and Greek yogurt from Greece and uses virgin olive oil in making his pitas. It makes a difference!

The Naughty Greek certainly isn’t the only restaurant of its type in the Twin Cities but it does a thriving business because of Angelo’s attention to the inputs. I think the same thing is true in organizations: it starts with the ingredients – aka the hiring process.

If you have great people and a strong onboarding process, you can distinguish yourself from other organizations producing the same product. Taking the time, and often the expense, to thoroughly interview and train staff pays untold dividends in the long run. These employees can contribute value in ways that you did not initially imagine and seize new opportunities to enhance the organization.

Shortcuts are always available, but in cooking and in hiring it’s best not to take them.

leadership dot #2736: digital

December 12, 2019December 11, 2019by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

So much for the handwritten note – the latest trend in employee recognition is to issue a digital BadgeBot that people can post on their Twitter account. I’m personally not a fan but apparently, there are others who would find this sort of pat-on-the-back appealing.

There are benefits: digital badges allow the sender to include a picture or even short video sharing with the world the accomplishment of the honoree, and they certainly give new meaning to the idea of “public” recognition when the public includes access to the whole world via the web.

For me, a note of appreciation still is the way to go. I like to give a one-to-one acknowledgment of the person’s contribution as it seems more heartfelt and personal. But leaders need to understand the generational differences and preferences of their staff. As part of learning about those your supervise, seek to gain understanding about the type of recognition that is most meaningful to them: public vs. private, time off vs. monetary compensation, and small Purple Clovers that show you know them.

No matter how you do it, recognizing the good work of others is one of the most important things you do as a supervisor. Don’t let uncertainty about the method prevent you from sharing your message.