Month: December 2024

leadership dot #4487: rent

December 31, 2024December 22, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

If you’ve ever moved, you know that acquiring boxes to transport your possessions is expensive and a hassle, and then you’re left with a mountain of cardboard when you unpack. A new company has envisioned a better way, by renting plastic tubs and dollies to move everything in reusable totes. Stack delivers the totes to your current address and picks them up at the new one, eliminating the waste and difficulty of collecting the boxes yourself.

In the new year, consider what you can rent instead of buy and resolve to own less. Libraries are great resources for baking pans, tools, exercise equipment, games, puzzles, musical instruments, sewing machines, audio-visual equipment, and more. Neighborhood social media groups also provide an avenue to borrow items rather than buying. Garage sales, thrift shops, and estate sales are the next best thing to renting.

We’ve all amassed more in the past month — through gift-giving, Black Friday sales, or post-holiday shopping. Make 2025 the year of acquiring less.

leadership dot #4486: for hire

December 30, 2024December 22, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplett1 Comment

I saw a Facebook advertisement for a service that will take your trash cans out (and return them) for a monthly fee. Initially, I thought this was a crazy idea — who would pay for such a simple task — but the more I thought about it, I realized that there are many people for whom taking the bins out may not be easy. This service can assist elderly or disabled people who live independently, and it may work for people who travel frequently and aren’t home to do it themselves.

The ad lists several other reasons for engaging them: you don’t have to go out in the cold, you don’t have to remember to take them out, and it’s one more thing off your to-do list. Who knew that taking out the trash had so many implications?

The premise of the Bin Buddies service is that someone else will do something you don’t want to do. For example, there are services to pick up dog poop, hang Christmas lights, maintain pools, or exterminate pests. Think about what else falls into that category that you could do for others. For me, it would be wrapping presents! Maybe you could have a side hustle by scanning old photos, airing out campers, or putting away the holiday decorations. If you’ve got time, someone else probably will pay you to save them theirs.

leadership dot #4485: new uses

December 29, 2024December 22, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplett1 Comment

As I walked through holiday markets and looked online for gift-giving this year, I was struck by the creativity of artisans who make beautiful things out of castaway materials. Whether it be from metal parts, antique kitchen utensils, books, or broken jewelry, they keep things from landfills and turn them into art. It’s a move that is environmentally and aesthetically smart (and hopefully, financially beneficial, too.)

Before you send something to the landfill, think about ways you can give new life to existing possessions or whether you can donate them to someone else who can. Maybe a crafter wants those old buttons, doors, watches, sea shells, or teacups.

When my parents died, we worked to find people or schools that were delighted to accept donations of their fabric, floral supplies, lumber, and paper. We even gave extra diabetes strips to a grateful veterinarian to use with dogs.

My mom always said: “Someone’s trash is someone else’s treasure.” Put in the effort to donate it before you ditch it.

A table in our high school library — fashioned from old books

leadership dot #4484: removing barriers

December 28, 2024December 22, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Sure, you could spend your time in an airport people-watching or playing on your phone — but if you’re at Chicago’s Midway airport, you could do something productive on your layover and learn CPR!

Midway is one of several airports, convention centers, malls, and museums that has a Hands-Only CPR machine. The kiosk includes video tutorials and a dummy on which to practice, teaching people the fundamentals of hands-only CPR in only 5 minutes.

Kudos to the American Heart Association for making this life-saving skill so accessible. The technique has been modified to a hands-only format, eliminating the hesitation of giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to a stranger. They have put kiosks in populated places, allowing people to learn the skill without having to sign up for a class. The kiosks provide training without charge.

Follow the lead of the Heart Association and keep working to remove barriers one at a time. And if you come across one of the kiosks, take a few moments to learn CPR. It really could be a matter of life and death.

Thanks, Meg!

leadership dot #4483: conveniences

December 27, 2024December 22, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Most people don’t have a choice of which airport to use. There is one closest to them for departures, and the arrival destination determines where they land, so airports seem to have no incentive to make things better for their travelers. We’re lucky that most airports don’t see it that way.

In Lisbon, Portugal (LIS), they have made life more convenient for people traveling with children. The airport offers free strollers for use — a welcome addition for those whose own equipment is checked. They also provide a playground and a special kitchen area where parents can warm up formula or other food for the kids.

LIS management knows that the children are not the purchasers, nor will they even acknowledge the enhancements provided for their benefit. But the more stress-free the travel experience is for grown-ups, the more likely they are to purchase future tickets.

Airports could operate like bus stations and function purely as holding stations for people transferring from one transport to another. Fortunately for those who travel, they have recognized that by paying attention to the experience, the entire trip is more pleasant for all. It’s a reminder to be the best you can be at what you do, even if customers don’t demand it.

Thanks, Meg!

leadership dot #4482: user experience

December 26, 2024December 21, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I am old enough to remember when cars did not have cup holders (inconceivable, I know!). Back in the day, most people didn’t have drinks with them 24/7 so holders weren’t needed. For those going on trips where they might take a coffee or pop in the car, people had to use these flimsy plastic holders that stuck in the windows and precariously held the beverage. Today, cup holders are as standard as the steering wheel as manufacturers recognized that most people have a bottle or cup with them almost every time they drive.

The airline industry has been slow to make the same changes, but Air France got the message. Their seatback trays are designed with a cup holder — simple, yet very convenient and effective to keep those little plastic cups from scooting right off the trays.

Some shopping carts have also adapted to provide cup holders, but Wegman’s noticed that people also want their phones accessible so they equipped their carts with phone holders as well.

Before all these little improvements become standard, they set the innovators apart and make the user experience more convenient in subtle yet appreciated ways. Pay attention to how people interact with what you’re providing and make adjustments accordingly. Cup holders aren’t flashy, but they make a world of difference.

Thanks, Meg!

leadership dot #4481: Secret Santa

December 25, 2024December 21, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Of all the things I did this year to get ready for Christmas, my favorite has been playing Santa for my neighbor. They have three young Santa-believers…who have been known to snoop for presents. Too bad they won’t find anything this year because I volunteered to hide their Santa gifts in my basement until they were asleep last night!

And, as long as I had all the goodies, I volunteered to wrap them. Their inquisitive, on-the-border-of-suspicious oldest won’t recognize the paper or the handwriting. My neighbor was thrilled — she said her friend told her she won the “neighbor lottery”!

And I was delighted to have another opportunity to wrap — something I love to do. It’s the merriest thing I have done this season and it cost me nothing.

Whether you are celebrating a Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah today, I hope you, too, receive priceless gifts of joy.

leadership dot #4480: decorated

December 24, 2024December 21, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

You may believe that your house is decorated to the nines for the holidays, but you’ll have a hard time topping Louis Vuitton. The iconic retailer covered the entire outside of its New York City building to look like one of their classic pieces of luggage.

Vuitton could have decorated their building with tinsel and colored lights, but they opted to stay on-brand and do something different. It has paid off, as it has become the must-see building in Manhattan.

Whether decorating for the holidays, preparing marketing materials, or furnishing your office, you don’t need to follow conventions. You’ll get more mileage out of authentically being you.

Thanks, Rich!

leadership dot #4479: acknowledge

December 23, 2024December 21, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

A colleague received an unexpected note when she boarded her Delta flight. The flight attendant handed her a card with a handwritten message thanking her for choosing the airline for her travel.

I’m sure they only do this for flyers with a higher status level but it still is an impressive gesture. Too few customers are thanked for their business period, let alone via a mechanism that wasn’t mass-produced.

As 2024 comes to a close, consider what you have done (or could still do) to thank others for how they benefitted your year. Customers, colleagues, neighbors, and service providers have all contributed to your ability to do what you do. Take a cue from Delta and acknowledge that you noticed.

Thanks, Lucy!

leadership dot #4478: bowl

December 22, 2024December 21, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Being chosen for a college bowl game used to be an elite honor for a handful of teams. Today, there are 44 bowl games with auspicious names such as the Cure Bowl, Rate Bowl, 68 Ventures Bowl, Idaho Potato Bowl, Pop-Tarts Bowl, First Responder Bowl, and Duke’s Mayo Bowl. It seems the only thing missing is the infamous Tidy Bowl, the subject of so many jokes.

While the Rose, Orange, and Cotton Bowls may retain some of their prestige, the month-long parade of games dilutes the impact for everyone. Now a bowl game is little more than a money grab by the hosts. Seventeen teams are 6-6, meaning some bowl teams could end the season with a losing record.

Better to have created an atmosphere of post-season play that isn’t linked with an honor. Have the same games but as festivals across the country. Instead of the Celebration Bowl, make all but a few true celebrations with a football game as part of the lineup.

You can’t have both prestige and proliferation.