Month: February 2023

leadership dot #3858: nearby

February 18, 2023February 17, 2023by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

If you took the 60-second CPR challenge mentioned yesterday (dot 3857), then you know that after calling 911 the next step is to ask someone to find an automated external defibrillator (AED). At one time, these devices were reserved for hospitals and EMTs but due to the urgency when they are needed, AEDs have been positioned at much more accessible locations.

This used to mean malls, stadiums, or office complexes where large numbers of people gather but now you can find AEDs in a variety of public places. For example, in Coralville, Iowa there is an AED mounted to a streetlight that is near a bus stop, mall, and interstate. If an accident occurred near there, someone could grab it and help to reestablish a heart rhythm before paramedics could arrive.

Another AED is located in a repurposed phone booth in Durham, UK. With pay phones no longer in use, the iconic red booths have become AED stations. They are by design visible and already positioned in convenient places, making them a perfect adaptation as times change.

Pay attention to the locations of AEDs in the spaces you frequent and if your search is unsuccessful, maybe consider purchasing one for your building or helping to raise funds to position it nearby. The time to have one is before you need it.

Thanks, Wendy!

leadership dot #3857: timely

February 17, 2023February 15, 2023by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Even if you’re not a football fan, most people are aware that an NFL player collapsed during a game in January and required resuscitation on the field. That player, Damar Hamlin, is now pairing with the American Heart Association to promote CPR education and solicit donations so that others may be saved by CPR as he was.

It’s a smart partnership and kudos to the Heart Association for jumping on the opportunity. They are using Hamlin as a spokesperson to promote their 60-second video teaching hands-only CPR techniques and challenging people to tag three of their friends after they do so. If their campaign is successful, it could not only raise millions but also save lives.

When the Association did its annual planning, Hamlin wasn’t on anyone’s mind and certainly wasn’t included in their strategy. But someone recognized that plans should be living documents and evolve as circumstances change. Creating a campaign around a very visible event where CPR was the hero was not only timely but smart.

Take two lessons from this dot: first, use 60 seconds to gain a lesson in CPR, and second, be alert for opportunities to leverage something new. Timing is everything in both cases.

Thanks, Meg!

leadership dot #3856: continental

February 16, 2023February 15, 2023by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I’m a volunteer usher in our performing arts center and to help us perform our duties we’re given a “cheat sheet” indicating the location of the balcony seating layout, odd and even section numbering, and zones for each ticket. Every time I usher, I need to refresh my memory with this diagram so that I can accurately seat patrons.

When I attended Six out of town (dot 3855), it was striking as to the simplicity of the auditorium layout. Even though I was a first-time attendee, I could easily find my seat without usher assistance. The theater has what I have come to learn is “continental seating”, with no center aisle, balcony, or boxes. Rows are indicated by letter and numbered straight across — making it easy for anyone to locate their spot. And without a center aisle, it adds in some prime middle seating and trades the space for enough room in each row for people to walk by without everyone else having to stand to let them by. I am a fan!

Have you made your space more complicated than it needs to be? Can you make changes to make it more intuitive for first-time visitors to find you? Have you dedicated prime space (i.e. the middle seats) to purposes that don’t warrant it? You may not have an architect with such an egalitarian vision or have the opportunity to reconstruct your space but you likely are able to rearrange desks, seating, and where resources are located, or adjust how traffic flows in your area. Doing so can be the ticket to better service for your clients and more efficiencies for your staff.

Thanks, Emily!

leadership dot #3855: links

February 15, 2023February 14, 2023by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Over the weekend, I was fortunate to see Six The Musical — a modern telling of the story of the six wives of Henry VIII. It’s more like a pop concert than a stodgy history lesson and, in addition to being enthralled with the music, color, costumes, and dance, I was so in awe of Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss who wrote it. Never once in my history class did I think that the story of “divorced, beheaded, died” could be so uplifting!

While an undergraduate at Cambridge, Marlow was selected to write an original musical to be performed at a fringe festival and Six became his submission. He had the inspiration while in a poetry class, which reminded me of Andrew Lloyd Webber who turned T. S. Eliot’s poetry into the Cats musical. Webber also turned Bible stories into Jesus Christ Superstar and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Lin-Manuel Miranda turned Alexander Hamilton’s biography into a cultural phenomenon.

Do only geniuses make connections? No.

I remember sitting in a restaurant with a friend who was lamenting about her lack of ideas for a column she had to write, and I know I face the same dilemma every day about where to find a topic for a dot. But the answer lies in Six, or Hamilton, or Cats. Inspiration is all around us: in what we read, what we watch, and what we experience in our everyday lives. The geniuses have strengthened their “connection muscle” so that they recognize and embrace concepts or relationships that are just waiting to be linked together, but everyone can (and should) seize the opportunity to do so.

You never have to generate an idea from a blank piece of paper or screen. Look at what already exists and challenge yourself to see how it can evolve into something else. You, too, can create links to make something new.

(And go see Six if you have the chance — 80 minutes of high-energy fun!)

leadership dot #3854: valentines

February 14, 2023February 13, 2023by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Happy Valentine’s Day!

The printed expressions of valentines were first promoted by Esther Howland in the 1800s. She made fancy lace-filled cards from her house in Massachusetts and began selling them. The idea caught on and now 145 million valentines are sold in the U.S. every year, generating $1 billion in sales. We’ve come a long way since Howland’s handmade beauties.

Whether you have another love, love a friend, or rely on puppy love, today is the day to celebrate connection. It’s not too late to send a greeting to someone who means something to you and let them know that they matter to you. Love feels in short supply these days; don’t be stingy with sharing yours, especially today.

leadership dot #3853: two minutes

February 13, 2023February 10, 2023by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

As I have shared (dot 3774), I handwrote 3000 postcards last fall to encourage “irregular voters” to get out to the polls for last year’s elections. Each one of them required about two minutes to complete.

I learned from that process that we have a lot of two-minute increments in our lives and you actually can accomplish something productive in that period. Refill a prescription. Make a dentist appointment. Schedule a meeting. Start a load of laundry. Fill out a survey. Reply to an email. Send your own postcard to say hello to a friend.

I have become much more conscious of not wasting those precious few moments while I wait for a Zoom meeting to start or when I’m early for an in-person gathering. You don’t have to be productive every single minute, but making the most of the little increments allows you to accumulate more chunks of quality time. Who doesn’t want that!?

leadership dot #3852: roots

February 12, 2023February 10, 2023by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I read about a tradition in the United Kingdom whereby a traditional court hearing — complete with a jury and a black robe and wig-wearing judge — takes place every year to assess whether the British coins met their established standards. Known as the Trial of the Pyx, it has occurred every year since the 12th century and is designed to keep the coinage uniform, free from counterfeiting, and within regulatory requirements. Nearly 8000 coins are tested over three months before a verdict is provided to the master of the mint. It’s a unique tradition but one of many that keep history and heritage alive in Britain.

What does your organization do to anchor the present to its earlier roots? Some organizations celebrate or have the day off to commemorate their Founder’s Day. Others feature displays or photographs that showcase key figures in the development of the organization. Some only look back on anniversaries or at times of leadership transition.

Keeping your history alive can help team members feel a sense of belonging and connection to a bigger purpose. You probably don’t have an elaborate tradition that dates back centuries but I’m confident you have an aspect of your organization’s development that is unique. Be intentional about carrying out a tradition that recognizes what has made you be you.

leadership dot #3851: flush

February 11, 2023February 10, 2023by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I have never understood why it is necessary to have signs in the stalls of every public women’s restroom reminding them not to flush sanitary products in the toilet. You can’t do this anywhere; you’ve never been able to do it; it does not matter what product you are using — and yet, the signs are omnipresent.

For once, someone was able to make a sign that communicates the message but does so in a memorable way. The Citzens Bank Opera House signs read: “Please do not flush feminine hygiene products, wipes, hopes or dreams down the toilet.” If you must have a sign for this purpose, this is the one to have.

Someone made the extra effort to put some thought into a routine message — making it both catchy and classy. The next time you need to post a sign, let the one who does that be you.

leadership dot #3850: resiliency

February 10, 2023February 9, 2023by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Two days ago we were basking in the glory that is 47 degrees in February. Yesterday, we received six inches of snow.

In the Midwest, we’re used to such volatility with the weather but we seem to forget about variances when making organizational plans. Too often, we build them based on linear trends, forgetting that the future rarely looks like the past.

The key to success isn’t predictability, it’s resiliency. When you’re tempted to make your projections based solely on what has come before, remember the weather. You’re better off being prepared for whatever comes rather than trying to forecast it.

leadership dot #3849: doing more

February 9, 2023February 8, 2023by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

A colleague has been asked to assume the duties of another person during a vacancy in that position. She is happy to do so, but when I asked her what she was not going to do in her own job she did not have an answer.

It is important when you are assigned extra responsibilities — whether temporarily covering for a person, handling an extra project, or addressing additional volume — that you stop for a moment to consider the big picture. What gives? You may eliminate some tasks altogether, you may put some things on the back burner, or you may do projects with less thoroughness than before, but something is going to be done differently.

It’s helpful to assign those priorities with intention. Perhaps your current job duties are more important than the new ones you have acquired, and they should take precedence. Or maybe your current job should be put on hold and all your focus shifted to the new tasks. I remember when I was VP for Enrollment and our admissions director left. I asked my boss how much of my time should be spent in the interim director role and he said 90%! If you don’t have an incoming class, it has major implications for the whole institution, so I moved my office and delegated or delayed my other duties for a year.

What you shouldn’t do is think you can handle everything. Working a few extra hours is one thing but doing so every day isn’t a sustainable strategy. When things get piled on, it’s worth a moment of assessment and reflection before you dig in.