Month: October 2020

leadership dot #3040: get noticed

October 11, 2020October 9, 2020by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

There are so many messages out there vying for our attention that signs are often lost in the clutter. To grab people’s attention, the Park Rangers at Indiana Dunes National Park injected some creativity and humor into their notices.

For example, one read: “Exit Here to Avoid Dragons”; another “Use a seat cover. Bailey (the dog) wishes he could.” All their signs conveyed their message in a similar manner. It may have taken extra time to create the levity and the graphics that accompany it, but in the end, I’ll bet that the signs were read far more often than their generic counterparts. And isn’t that the point?

The next time you need to post a sign, think twice before falling back on the generic all-type version. We live in a visual world and your signs should reflect that if you want your audience to notice your notice.

leadership dot #3039: un-judge

October 10, 2020March 16, 2021by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

We’ve all heard the expression “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” yet too often we do the equivalent with people and make judgments based on one aspect of their life. The Human Library, a nonprofit based in Denmark, has combined the two concepts to create a Human Library in an effort to break down stereotypes and reduce prejudice. The goal of the project is to “un-judge someone.”

Volunteers apply to be “a human book” to represent a stigmatized group (eg: unemployed, ADHD, homeless, sexually abused, alcoholic, convert, Muslim, young mother, etc.) and then participants at a Human Library event can “check out” the book to have a 30-minute frank conversation with the person to see them beyond the label. The goal is to create a learning platform that defies stereotypes through difficult questions and understanding.

The Human Library has been fostering connections since 2000 and is now active in 80 countries. If an event is not held near you, perhaps you can adapt the idea and create something similar on your own. Having authentic conversations with any “other” goes a long way to helping to humanize them and create empathy around the differences, something we could all benefit from in these polarized times.

leadership dot #3038: cascading

October 9, 2020October 8, 2020by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I’ve witnessed too many situations where a weak leader at the top has a negative cascading effect throughout the whole organization.

If the top person – whether that be a board chair, president or even department manager – is insecure, they surround themselves with people who don’t threaten them or appear to be brighter than they are. The result is that the incompetence permeates the org chart, with people who are not strong occupying more and more of the positions. And when the incompetence results in policies and practices that defy logic, the good people become frustrated and are either pushed out or leave voluntarily. Either way, the organization suffers.

When you’re interviewing at a company, pay attention to the philosophy of the head honcho, even if you’re several layers removed. Whether intentionally or by default, their priorities trickle down to everyone and their values dictate the actions of the whole organization. And if you find yourself in an existing position with a leadership change, assess the situation early on. A once-great organization can crumble with someone new at the helm and it may be prudent for you to move on instead of hoping the place you loved can survive the turmoil.

Leadership matters. And lack of leadership may matter more.

leadership dot #3037: orchids

October 8, 2020October 5, 2020by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I had to do a double-take when I stumbled upon a display of orchids – placed right next to the door of an industrial freezer. Orchids are sensitive flowers, thriving in temperatures 60-75 degrees and requiring 12-14 hours/day of light – just the opposite of arctic blasts in the dark corner of a big box store.

The size of the space was perfect for the number of flowers that needed to be showcased, so I’m sure some enterprising clerk made the match without thinking beyond that. But where was the manager or anyone with some common sense?

What’s the equivalent of orchids in your organization – something that someone does that is left unchecked because no one thought of the implications? Maybe your organization has a policy that contradicts another practice but no one thought that through. Perhaps you have an office or representative in one location that overlaps with the work of another representative because no one ever spoke up. Or maybe you’re wasting resources because your employees are using poor judgment without any oversight.

Tell the story of the orchids and reward employees who point them out to you. You need to nurture the courage to speak the truth about stupid stuff if you want to grow a healthy culture.

leadership dot #3036: one piece

October 7, 2020October 5, 2020by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I don’t know if it’s because we’re all moving too fast or whether we have truly become more closed-minded, but I am struck by how often people make assumptions about the whole based upon one data point.

Someone may comment on your messaging based on one ad, without taking the overall strategy into account.
You may be judged on one act of behavior, even if it occurred years ago, without being given the benefit of your whole life’s contributions.
The organization could be publicly taken to task because of the actions of one employee, even though there are hundreds of others who would have responded differently.
People may judge you based on one characteristic of your demographics or character without considering your overall person and personality.
Many are choosing a political candidate based on a single issue rather than judging them on their past performance and overall platform for the future.

Michael Jordan drove himself to play at a top level every night because he knew there were people in the stands who would only see him this once and he wanted it to be memorable for them. Even with that mindset going in MJ missed shots and occasionally had an off night, but people deservedly consider his career as a whole.

Before you jump to judgment based upon one story or incident, train your brain to see that as one piece of a larger puzzle. Yes, the information you know is negative but there may be light that surrounds it and outshines the dark.

leadership dot #3035: sustained

October 6, 2020October 5, 2020by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Those with an entrepreneurial spirit or even a sense of adventure take delight in creating change. The early adopters are anxious to try something new or to initiate a program/product/idea that has not been implemented before. There is often much fanfare around the “new” and it generates an energy that is hard to replicate from the routine.

As a result, many people focus on this aspect of the process and, in my opinion, give it disproportionate emphasis. Those who are successful in the long term aren’t as worried about the creation, rather they pour their energies into sustaining the difference. That’s where the real work lies.

Change that is imposed or brought to fruition solo is often overturned, but lasting change requires the buy-in of many. Former Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg said it best: “Fight for things you care about. But do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”

It may be tempting to innovate on your own or to focus on the excitement of having some a soundbite to share, but you may be better off in the end if you slow it down a bit and include others in your quest. The hard work of developing partnerships, overcoming objections, handling setbacks and reworking your proposal is often done behind-the-scenes and without visible reward. Know that your persistence and patience are likely to pay off in the end when, together, you make progress that lasts.

leadership dot #3034: thrown in

October 5, 2020October 4, 2020by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I continually am amazed at how often organizations expect their employees to just “figure things out” on their own.

It happens often with technology: The installation of a new software program may come with an hour of online training, but then you’re on your own to learn the nuances, or suddenly Teams is the mode of communication and it’s treated as if “everyone” knows how to use it. Classes are converted to Zoom and the expectation is that you will find ways on your own to convert your content to provide a dynamic, remote environment, or the Census hands you a phone with proprietary software installed and sends you into the field to follow the prompts. If the technology is the main platform for the work, shouldn’t we have a bit more guidance to master it?

We do it with new supervisors as well. After all the congratulations regarding their promotion, too often new managers are left on their own to figure out how to delegate, hold people accountable, craft a vision and motivate a team. They are thrown into the position because of their talent with an entirely different skill set and more often than not receive no training on the new (and critical) components of their role. It’s not good for the individual or the organization.

Before you expect someone to perform well utilizing a new technology or to succeed with new responsibilities, look inward to assess whether you have provided adequate training, tools and time for the employee. Something that is second nature or intuitive for you may be the result of your experience and present itself as daunting for those thrown in.

leadership dot #3033: box

October 4, 2020October 3, 2020by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

The Dream Summit I referenced on Friday was part of a two-day remote conference. In addition to providing all of the content for free, the first 100 to sign up were sent a box of treasures in advance. What a delight to unexpectedly receive a package of branded gifts: a blanket, mug, doodle pencils, poster holder and the program for the event!

If you’re hosting a remote program, can you model their practice and send something in the mail in advance? The sponsor, American Family Insurance, may have more resources than your organization but don’t consider this an all-or-nothing proposition. In this heavily screen-driven era, anything tangible increases in value. Even a piece of mail – the program, a handwritten note of welcome, a “Bingo” card to play along for keywords – can help your event feel more special.

Give your program an added dimension by including a physical enhancement to your virtual programming. It will help make “just another Zoom meeting” become an actual event.

leadership dot #3032: curses

October 3, 2020October 2, 2020by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

People aren’t the only ones that have let a few curse words fly in recent days. It seems that a quintet of parrots at a British wildlife park began spouting off some unsavory words of their own. Five birds, all from different owners, spent some time together in quarantine and picked up some salty language – that they freely shared in front of visitors. While the adults found the insults humorous, the caretakers didn’t think the cursing would go over well with children around and had to take the birds out of earshot.

I share this story to give you a good laugh – and some perspective. Think of these parrots when you are dealing with your next annoyance or problem at work. Everyone has their own set of problems. Everyone has aspects of their job that they expect to be ordinary but sometimes go haywire. Everyone needs to deal with things that they can’t believe they are having to address. And sometimes you just need to #$%@$ to get through the day!

leadership dot #3031: rerouting

October 2, 2020October 1, 2020by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I just spent most of the past two days at a virtual “Dream Summit” event where a dozen or so motivational speakers shared words of wisdom about how to achieve “inspiration and empowered dreaming.” A theme of the conference was overcoming failure and persisting, even when obstacles come your way.

A poem by Katherine MacKennett shares much of the sentiment:
Now, every time I witness a strong person,
I want to know:
What dark did you conquer in your story?
Mountains do not rise without earthquakes.

In my fieldwork as a Census enumerator, I’ve had plenty of occasions where my GPS has rerouted me as I traverse the Iowa farms. I don’t get upset by this, rather am grateful for the guidance that sets me on the right road. We need to treat bumps in the road to our goals the same way. Expect them. Take the detour. And keep going.

No path to success occurs without challenges. Hearing others share their stories of setbacks, failures, misfortune and changed focus reduces the stigma about such diversions and disabuses the myth that there are some lucky ones who have an easy path to success.

No one has a straight road to achievement. Those who reach their journey are the ones who persist through the rerouting.