Month: June 2024

leadership dot #4313: disclosure

June 20, 2024June 19, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

A local organization has presented a summer concert series in the same park for 32 years. At Sunday night’s show, they announced that “due to circumstances beyond our control,” this would be the last season. That was all that was said.

Of course, it was the buzz during intermission and after the show — with people wondering aloud why the organization was “thrown out” and “how the park staff could be so stupid.”

The newspaper the next day clarified that there were financial and logistical concerns over holding the concerts, which have grown to hundreds of people each week. The organization was unable to pay what the park wanted to charge for additional services and so it was decided to part ways, allegedly with no hard feelings.

For our community, this is a big deal, and the rumor mill went crazy trying to guess the cause that ended this decades-long entertainment. Everyone would have been better off if a one-sentence explanation had been given instead of the vague announcement. “Here are the high-level facts, we’re ok with it, and you should be, too.”

There are certainly times when disclosure is not possible, but if you’re able to share information, please do. Instead of the story being breaking news in the paper the next day, it’s better to make it old news by sharing what you can from the start.

leadership dot #4312: civics test

June 19, 2024June 18, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

In addition to showing proficiency in writing and speaking English candidates for US citizenship must answer a set of civics questions that most American-born citizens couldn’t answer. Examples include: When was the Constitution written? Who wrote the Federalist Papers? What territory did the U.S. buy from France in 1803? Name two Indian tribes. What states border Canada? What did Susan B. Anthony do? Name three of the original 13 states. Name two national holidays.

If one of the questions was “What is the meaning behind Juneteenth?” I think most people would fail the test. Those who know nothing about the holiday’s significance are more than happy to have the day off. Don’t be one of those people.

Juneteenth commemorates enslaved people learning of their freedom with the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation finally ending slavery in Confederate states. This was two and a half years after the proclamation was signed and those enslaved in states that did not secede did not gain their freedom until the passage of the 13th Amendment six months later.

Take a moment today to learn the history behind why June 19th was designated as a national holiday so you are able to celebrate its significance in our nation. You can find resources here.

leadership dot #4311: meanwhile

June 18, 2024June 17, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

In the novel How to Read a Book (see dot #4310), one of the central concepts is that every story has a meanwhile “the important thing that’s happening while the rest of the story moves along.” It is designed to be a salve for the women in prison, realizing that they are able to write their own “meanwhile” and don’t have to make their crime the centerpiece of their lives.

Author Monica Wood provides this simplistic example to illustrate the concept: “Heartbroken Cinderella sweeping and scrubbing: story. Handsome prince searching far and wide: meanwhile.”

A more realistic example: A person gets cancer: story. The inner strength from fighting the disease makes them a warrior in other areas of their lives: meanwhile.

We all have a “meanwhile” in our lives, whether we acknowledge them or are even conscious that they are occurring. Often, it’s only in retrospect that we know the importance of the simultaneous actions that surface later and shape our lives. It’s one reason reflection is so important; it helps us ascertain patterns of our meanwhile moments.

The Book Lady character in the novel tells the women they have the power to decide what is the story and what is the meanwhile. You have that power, too. Don’t let unfortunate setbacks define you; write your own meanwhile and change the ending.

Source: How to Write a Book by Monica Wood, 2024.

leadership dot #4310: settle

June 17, 2024June 16, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Harriet, a retired schoolteacher, runs a prison Book Club for female inmates in the novel How to Read a Book. Her advice to the readers is to sit with a story for a few moments. “Let it settle first,” she’d say. “Let it settle before deciding what it’s about.”

It’s good advice, not only for Book Club but for many things in life. Let that email settle before you fire back a response. Consider whether that social media posting is based in fact before you forward it. Give your partner grace before you make up a story about what their comment meant. Pause to reflect on whether you’re happy with the direction your life is going.

Information comes at us so fast that just the joy of reading involves slowing down from the usual barrage of inputs, but you can wait a few minutes longer even with that. Let this dot settle before deciding what it’s about — and how you could act on it.

Source: How to Read a Book by Monica Wood, 2024 (delightful story — recommend!)

leadership dot #4309: sneeze

June 16, 2024June 15, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I would guess that 99.9% of the tear slips to open tissue boxes get thrown away or recycled. It appears that Kleenex thought that, too, and attempted to make the cardboard opening more useful. Without any modifications to the size or the box itself, Kleenex turned the covering into a bookmark.

I imagine that most people will overlook this and still toss it as soon as they open the box, but it was a valiant effort to make the box less wasteful. Is there something your organization produces that has an instantly-disposable component such as an unnecessary envelope or cover page for forms? Maybe you can follow Kleenex’s lead and try to do something more useful with it — or better yet, eliminate it altogether. Efforts to help the environment are nothing to sneeze at.

leadership dot #4308: quarter

June 15, 2024June 14, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

In addition to being known for its low prices, Aldi grocery stores are known for their quirky policy of charging a quarter to rent a shopping cart. Crafters even make special keyrings for Aldi loyalists to always have a quarter handy!

You can get the quarter back when you return the cart, but frequently the exchange happens person-to-person in the parking lot instead of at the cart rack. A person unloading their cart often says to the arriving customer, “Keep the quarter” instead of exchanging cart for coin.

I’ve noticed that it changes the tone of the whole shopping experience. There is a niceness and neighborly consideration that doesn’t happen at other stores, and people pay more attention to those around them in the lot.

The Culture Code author Daniel Coyle writes, “Culture is a set of living relationships working toward a shared goal. It’s not something you are. It’s something you do.” Even things as small as sharing a shopping cart or foregoing a quarter can work to shape an experience. Never discount the impact of your small actions on the overall culture.

leadership dot #4307: show up

June 14, 2024June 13, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Whether in my position as a university leader, my housemate’s role as a city councilman, or as a member of a volunteer organization, there have been so many events that we have attended simply to show our support. We may not have stayed long but we wanted to be visible and have our presence tangibly indicate the backing of the people and the project. We call it “waving the flag.”

More often than not, I don’t want to attend the event, but support can’t be phoned in. It requires showing up and experiencing the program firsthand, as well as acknowledging those working the event in real-time and in person.

The next time you have something you could attend, consider whether it’s something you should attend. My bet is that your presence will be noticed — and appreciated.

leadership dot #4306: can’t imagine

June 13, 2024June 13, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I recently interviewed school counselors in elementary, middle, and secondary schools and each of them commented on how they thought they were the right fit for their students’ age group, and how they couldn’t imagine being a counselor for the other levels.

In a similar situation, I encountered a candidate for office who couldn’t imagine how I volunteered to handwrite 5,000 postcards to encourage voter turnout, but I couldn’t imagine putting myself out there to be the candidate.

There are hundreds of tasks that we could do but would be miserable at them. The more self-awareness you have, the more likely you’ll feel like the school counselors and postcard-writer who are matched with the job that best suits them. Spend the time reflecting on your skills and interests so you can’t imagine doing anything else than what you’re doing.

leadership dot #4305: student

June 12, 2024June 11, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

One additional thought from former Iowa Women’s Basketball Coach Lisa Bluder (see dot #4304) —

Bluder’s goal in coaching was to “teach the game of basketball, not be a play-caller.” This meant that the Iowa team spent as much time understanding the strategies as they did in scrimmages and celebrated the assists in practice as much as in the game. As a result, the players learned to see the whole court and take advantage of opportunities as they arose.

It also helped the players have greater versatility. Kate Martin, former Hawkeye who now plays for the WNBA Las Vegas Aces is playing point guard, a position she never played in college. Her Aces coach said, “She’s going to be prepared. She’s going to study. She’s probably overstudying, actually.” Martin is being a student, rather than just practicing free throws — because that’s what was drilled into her by Bluder.

Everyone who is a supervisor or coach can learn a lesson from Bluder’s philosophy. ‘Tis much more gratifying to be a teacher than a micro-manager — and apparently, much more successful, too!

Source: Aces impressed with rookie Martin after first start by Callie Lawson-Freeman for the Las Vegas Review-Journal

leadership dot #4304: team chemistry

June 11, 2024June 10, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Former University of Iowa Women’s Basketball Coach Lisa Bluder was asked how she created team chemistry with superstar Caitlin Clark dominating the media. Bluder was quick to give credit to Clark herself for being a team player and not acting like a diva, but she also had some important lessons that apply in all kinds of settings.

“Chemistry is created every single day,” said Bluder. “It’s a daily effort, not a seminar. It is something that we worked on for years, long before Caitlin came to Iowa.”

For example, one of the team’s values was respect. This involves respecting the other players, the officials, etc. — but also respecting yourself. “The voice you hear the very most is the one in your own head,” Bluder explained. “You need to find a way to flick the negativity out when it creeps in.”

Bluder believes a key factor in creating chemistry is holding others accountable if they do something that doesn’t mesh with the values. She said she continually tells the team: “If someone holds you accountable, you need to listen to them, or they won’t hold you accountable again — and that makes you worse and the team worse.”

Chemistry is something that every group needs, even if your team doesn’t go anywhere near a ball. Allow yourself to be coached by one of the game’s greats and enhance your chemistry by holding others — and yourself — accountable to your values.

Source: Lisa Bluder: Leveling the Playing Field with Sally Jenkins, Washington Post Life, June 10, 2024