Month: October 2024

leadership dot #4407: preparedness

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

Not only was it terrible that hurricane winds ripped the roof off of Tropicana Field, but it was made even more devastating because that was the temporary shelter for hundreds of emergency workers and linemen brought in to assist in post-Milton damage. It reminded me of New York City during 9-11 when their emergency operations center was located at the destroyed World Trade Center, and of Tulane University whose vital records were housed on high ground which became surrounded by water and inaccessible during Hurricane Katrina. These organizations all made crisis plans, only to confront unexpected circumstances that made their contingencies worthless.

It’s a reminder that emergency planning should include not only a Plan A but B and C (at least). Things we take for granted like electricity, internet, cell service, and running water may not be available. It’s worth gathering in advance duplicate copies of important information and hard copy contact information beyond what’s on your phone, and equipping multiple people with access to key resources. Your crisis may not be on the scale of Helene or Katrina but it’s likely some disaster will befall you or your organization.

A meme said: “Don’t ever think it can’t happen to you.” Best to prepare now for when it does.

leadership dot #4406: lessons learned

October 10, 2024October 9, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

For a class assignment, students had to interview a leader who had been involved in a change effort. These leaders’ organizations varied widely, including a software company, an academic department, the military, city government, banking, and a retail store. Although the context was diverse, several themes emerged that applied across all of the change efforts:

The change effort took longer than expected. Universally, everyone said it required more buffer time, more testing, more revisions, and longer to achieve buy-in
In retrospect, all the leaders would have spent more time on internal communication to help people understand the process, rationale, and desired outcomes
Akin to that, they would have invested more time in the “human side” of the effort
The leaders would have sought more bottom-up feedback earlier in the process to learn about details and implications that those further removed could not see/anticipate
The process required adaptability and was not as linear as initially conceived
Listening was a key skill — to give voice to ideas, fears, questions
Several leaders recommended implementing change in phases — doing things rapidly instead of gradually caused more resistance
It was important to provide encouragement, incentives, and recognition for the small wins along the way

None of these are new ideas, but for the students to hear them from a leader of their choosing gave the concepts more credibility and weight. If you’re about to embark on a change effort (and who isn’t?), give some thought to external input about the process before you jump in. Having your team hear lessons from someone outside your area may help reshape how you craft the process upfront instead of in retrospect.

leadership dot #4405: always open

October 9, 2024October 8, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

A Facebook Reel shares the story of Denny’s restaurant and the chain’s leadership deciding to close on Christmas Day. What would be a simple decision for most businesses had a cascading impact on the restaurant, previously open 24/7. Since Denny’s had never closed, they did not have procedures in place regarding how to close — turning off equipment, cashing out the registers, etc.

More importantly, most managers did not even have keys to the front door, necessitating new locks for 700 of its 1200 locations!

I wonder if leadership considered any of this when they made their benevolent decision, and whether they would have still made it had they understood the costs and implications. I also wonder who on the team had the forethought to ask questions about locks and closing procedures before Christmas Eve so that policies could be written and locks installed in a timely fashion.

The Denny’s example is a good reminder that those closest to the implementation should be consulted upfront on significant decisions. Identifying details and challenges early in the process could alter the outcome or at least allow time to execute it effectively.

Reels video by Vin Teller. Thanks, Meg!

leadership dot #4404: career paths

October 8, 2024October 7, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Alex Dixon, a guest speaker in my class counseled the students that there were two different forms of jobs and that they would be wise to know themselves well enough to choose the one that best suited their skills.

In his view, a job either requires you to write research reports or take pop quizzes.

In a research report-type job, you attempt to answer the bigger questions: Is this a good strategic move? Should we greenlight the project? Should we buy this company? Is this the right time to do this?

In a pop quiz-type job, you determine the specifics: How much should we pay for this company? What are assets worth? Do we need one person or two to do this function?

It’s the difference between investment bankers and stock market traders. Both are important but require different patterns of thinking, varied levels of timing, and well-suited temperaments for the work.

Know yourself enough to pick the career path that best aligns with you.

leadership dot #4403: state line

October 7, 2024October 4, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I live at the junction of three states and it’s always interesting to me how crossing the state line impacts some things but not others. My driver’s license is still valid, but I can’t vote. I can buy marijuana in one place but not the other. My cans are worth 5 cents on one side of the bridge but recycled for nothing across the river. The language is the same, and many stores are the same, but gas taxes and women’s rights vary depending on location.

It parallels the differences in organizations where some policies are company-wide and others are determined by the department. While it makes sense to have both consistency and variation, the trick is to be clear about it. Everyone knows where the state lines fall — especially when there is a bridge to get there. Have equally clear distinctions about your policies and norms.

leadership dot #4402: broken

October 6, 2024October 4, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I’ve noticed that at some tourist places, the organization tries to capitalize on the passion of their visitors to sell them items that would normally be discarded. Zoos and animal parks sell chewed-up toys that appear to be trash but are in the gift shop for $5. Warm Springs Farm where the Clydesdales are raised sells used horseshoes for $125. Baseball stadiums offer used balls at a premium, other places sell flags flown on significant dates, and institutions offer bricks or building remnants when tearing down a space that engenders loyalty.

All these things have had a useful life and have fulfilled their purpose for the organization, yet they are promoted as desirable and unique treasures in a second-hand state.

My mother always said: “someone’s trash is someone else’s treasure.” Before you toss things you consider worthless, give it a second look through an entrepreneurial eye. Maybe someone else not only wants — but is willing to pay for — the opportunity to own it.

Broken enrichment toy, $5

leadership dot #4401: tipping

October 5, 2024October 4, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Much has been written elsewhere about tipping and how it has gotten out of hand — but at the Old Spaghetti Factory in St. Louis, it really has gone off the deep end. Instead of options for the typical 15%, 18%, and 20% tips, its payment system offers options for 22%, 20%, and 18% (in that order!), plus the outrageous 30% and 40%. Who leaves a 40% tip?!

The fine print says: “Did you receive elevated service? Add a super tip!” It reinforces that a 20% baseline tip has become expected and if you receive what used to be considered elevated service for your waiter to earn that, you need to double it today.

Ironically, there is a button on the app for a “custom tip,” so if you were feeling uber-generous you could leave the excessive amount, so there is no need to make people feel like cheapskates with the 30% and 40% options. If you’re in a business that has tipping, here’s a tip for you: Keep your choices grounded in reality and pay your employees well enough so that they aren’t dependent on delusional tippers to make a living wage.

Thanks, Meg!

leadership dot #4400: gardeners

October 4, 2024October 3, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

A leader needs to act like a gardener and spend time tending their plot.

Sometimes, the gardener works to pull weeds. This is akin to putting out fires and tending to small but seemingly urgent tasks. Others can see the weeds and often point them out to the gardener, demanding immediate attention to rid them. Weeding may fill all the time and give the illusion of accomplishment, but it doesn’t create anything.

Other times, the gardener works to plant and cultivate seeds, growing culture, capacity, and outcomes. Gardeners working the soil need to be intentional and fight to make time to do so to prevent other priorities or diversions from prevailing. This work may not show any results in the short term and therefore, is often neglected, but this is the action that yields the desired outcomes.

If the gardener spends all of their time pulling out weeds, the garden may look beautiful for one season but will be unable to sustain long-term growth. The need to focus on the future will never be urgent in the moment but it is essential over time.

Pulling out a few weeds helps the garden’s appearance but planting is the core reason the garden exists. Ensure your gardening time is appropriately spent.

leadership dot #4399: demanding

October 3, 2024October 2, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I have been inundated with emails urging me to sign a petition for this or that “demanding” action. You hear the same proclamation used in the political arena, with people “demanding” that Congress act on an issue, and I’m sure it has been spoken around the labor negotiation table, where workers are “demanding” concessions from their employer.

I don’t think the word does the speaker any favors. In most cases, the one demanding is not in a position to compel action nor do they have leverage to cause the other party to do so. Congress is not beholden to any group of angry citizens and their negativity probably shifts the sentiment away from them instead of toward their goal.

Pay attention to where you see — and especially where you use — the word “demand.” Unless you’re writing a ransom note in a kidnapping, there are more effective words to express your desire for change.

leadership dot #4398: columns

October 2, 2024October 1, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

The most distinctive architectural feature on the University of Missouri campus is an array of six columns, prominently towering on the campus green. The columns are all that remain of Academic Hall after a fire in 1892. The Board of Curators President then proclaimed: “Let these columns stand. Let them stand a thousand years.” For the past century, the university has posted the quote across campus and lifted the columns up as a “testament to our shared history and a symbol of collective strength.”

Nearby Westminster College, experienced a similar fate when Westminster Hall burned down in 1909, leaving only columns to remain. They, too, have left them standing and now all new and graduating students pass through them as part of a cherished campus tradition.

Undoubtedly, some wanted the pillars removed lest they serve as a reminder of the tragedy, but wiser heads prevailed. It is always easier to move toward the future when people don’t feel as if they have to lose all of their past.