January 2025 – Page 3 – leadership dots

leadership dot #4498: ordering

January 11, 2025January 7, 2025by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I have been unsuccessful in my quest to buy new winter shoes this season. I have found several pairs I like, but all of them are only available in small sizes, even online. The same is true on clearance racks — lots of “extra small” and “small” sizes always remain.

I wonder, in this age of big data, AI, and enough computing power to go to the moon, why manufacturers and retailers haven’t figured out a formula where the small sizes constitute a smaller part of the order. Excess inventory doesn’t help anyone.

Back in the day when I was ordering t-shirts for campus events, we had a formula that we followed to order just a fraction of smalls and plentiful XLs which could be repurposed into nightgowns or worn by a multitude of sizes. We kept track of usage and leftover inventory to tweak our quantities for the next event. Doing the same for what you order just makes sense, whether that be t-shirts, office supplies, catered meals, print assets, or janitorial supplies. Only over time can you consistently know what you’ll need to avoid your version of leftover smalls.

leadership dot #4497: watch and learn

January 10, 2025January 7, 2025by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I started watching The Resident, where a first-year intern complains to the nurse practitioner about the gruff manner of Conrad, the third-year resident to whom he has been assigned. Here is her response to him:

“Let’s say your car has a rattle. So you take it to a mechanic and this guy’s kind, polite, eager to help. For two days, he runs every test in the book. And then he calls you and says it’s gonna set you back a thousand bucks. So you max out your credit card and on your drive home, guess what? You hear the same rattle. Or, you could take the same car with the same rattle to another mechanic. And this guy is rude, dismissive, arrogant, but he tightens a bolt, fixes the rattle, charges you five bucks. Problem solved. Watch and learn. Conrad’s the guy who tightens the bolt.”

It reminds me of the adage that in every job you should either earn or learn. Ideally, you’d learn from a nice guy but you can put up with a lot if you’re learning from someone who is less than pleasant. As a good friend says: “Nice is nice, if what you need is nice.” If you need to learn, maybe nice is negotiable.

leadership dot #4496: successes

January 9, 2025January 8, 2025by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Yesterday’s dot (#4495) shared the Idea Graveyard, a special place for ideas whose time had not yet come. The flip side of that is celebrating the ideas that were significant successes. The same Innovation Center lines its walls with banners — like championship banners in a gym — highlighting the products they developed that have gone into production and generated sales. It’s a stunning visual reminder that for all the dead ends and ideas in the graveyard, there have also been many winners.

What do you do to recognize your successes — not just in the moment, but in a way that allows people to internalize the cumulative progress you have made? Wins are forgotten over time as they are absorbed into the fabric of how things are done. Think of how you can make your impact visible — or at least tracked in ways that can be revisited. Innovation and change management is a tough process with many setbacks and ideas that go nowhere. Keep the motivation alive by reminding everyone that sometimes you do win the game!

leadership dot #4495: graveyard

January 8, 2025January 6, 2025by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

My class toured a local manufacturer’s Innovation Center to see theory in action. One of my favorite parts of the center was the Idea Graveyard — a designated space to store innovations and prototypes that did not make it into production. Rather than throwing them away, they remain visible and accessible so that someday, they may be incorporated into a new project.

It’s a beautiful reminder that “failure” really means “not yet.” Sure, those ideas weren’t the right ones at the time, but that doesn’t mean they were failures. By keeping them alive, it shifts the innovations into neutral and signals to the inventor to keep trying rather than giving up.

Instead of giving a hard “no” to ideas that won’t work in the moment, consider creating your own graveyard or holding ground. You never know when you’ll be able to use them as a stepping stone to something great.

leadership dot #4494: ignoring

January 7, 2025January 6, 2025by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

It seems like a good strategy to ignore something that is not your concern but we fail to acknowledge that the act of ignoring saps energy, too.

You can attempt to block out the crying child at the next table but your focus remains on that instead of your conversation. You can try to forget about the task your colleague should be doing but isn’t, but it likely never leaves your mind. You can work to avoid thinking about that blunder you made but ruminating will take up more mental space than what is in front of you. You can tell yourself that you’ll forget about that thing you could have done but didn’t, but you can’t completely let it go. I try to ignore when the dogs are barking but can never fully concentrate until I get up and see what is causing the commotion.

It’s hard to truly ignore something without it lurking in the back of your consciousness. The more you try to forget about it, the more brainpower you deplete. Far better to address something head-on instead of pretending to let it go.

leadership dot #4493: guac

January 6, 2025January 5, 2025by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I was the target of a marketing campaign from Chipotle, urging me to come in for a Free Guac before the end of the year. I must have received five emails from them, including one on the 31st, reminding me it was the last day to claim my bonus.

It worked and I went…only to learn that they were out of guac! Even worse, they “did not make any today, sorry.”

It’s the classic case of one part of the organization not communicating with the other. How many times have you done it? Not letting another department know that you changed a code or a policy. Not letting one parent know that the kids’ lesson is canceled and you’ve made other plans. Not letting your boss know that a meeting was rescheduled so you are working on another project in the meantime.

Nobody works in isolation. When you make plans, launch a campaign, or start a project, first consider those who will be impacted by your actions and clue them in on what’s happening. Being out of guac is a minor consequence that is a symbol of the downstream implications.

leadership dot #4492: DOThis

January 5, 2025December 24, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I’ve noticed several entities utilizing the letters in their organization’s name as part of their marketing.

The City of Chicago promotes flyers to ChicaGO Midway Airport
The local ENT provider touts their service as ExcellENT
St. Louis Airport (STL) encourages people to take the FaST Lane to Terminal 1
And STL notes that recycling is vaSTLy better than landfills

The play on words (or play on letters) is a clever way to anchor their messages and make them memorable.

If your organization has letters in its name or offerings that could be transformed into a catchphrase (like Leadership Dots’ SuperSTAR Supervisor STAR model), take advantage of the opportunity to DOThis.

Thanks, Meg!

leadership dot #4491: digitizing

January 4, 2025December 24, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Kodak blew it when it failed to capitalize on the digital camera, but it is trying to leverage the Kodak name in a new area beyond film. The company is now promoting its digitizing services, transferring videos, movies, prints, and slides into formats that are more easily viewable on today’s technology.

For the older generation, who likely has family treasures in these formats, the Kodak name will be trusted. The advertising certainly reflects that, including: “Protect your memories with the brand that invented film,” and “Following in the footsteps of millions who trusted Kodak to develop their film by mail.”

Think about what you were known for and consider whether you can leverage your reputation or assets in a way that addresses modern needs. Maybe Kodak can digitize your organization’s past resources to make them accessible today!

leadership dot #4490: encouraged

January 3, 2025December 23, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

With the growing use of AI, it’s easy to become lax in our word choices and let the algorithms do the writing. But a sign at Walgreens undoubtedly was written by a human—one who took care to intentionally use the word “encouraged.” It’s a subtle distinction but much more action-oriented than “available” or even “welcome.”

Words matter. You’re encouraged to think carefully about which ones you choose.

Thanks, Meg!

leadership dot #4489: customization

January 2, 2025December 22, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

There are few stores that master customization like QT. I stop in every time I am near one of their locations and always marvel at how many choices they offer.

A toppings bar with coleslaw, sauerkraut, banana peppers, pickles, tomatoes, jalapeños, pico de Gallo, salsa verde, salsa roja, and onions — free to season your dog or burrito
A condiment station that offers smoky BBQ sauce, BBQ ranch, Sriracha ranch, chipotle, buffalo sauce, honey mustard, jellies, red peppers, parmesan, and the usual ketchup, mustard, relish
Smoothies in cherry, blue raspberry, pineapple, tiger’s blood, sugar-free watermelon, sour apple, melon berry, lemonade, and peach
Freezonis (slushes) in 12 flavors and dozens of pop options with flavor boosters. They even provide a choice of which style of ice you prefer

Smartphones have led people to expect everything to be customizable. People want things how they want things. QT may not offer every single option available but it provides far more choices than its competitors, and it seems to be working. QT stores are always busy and people seem to buy more than just gas.

Perhaps you can look at what you offer and consider whether you can expand the opportunities for people to create their own version. A selection of package prices where people add elements of interest? A way for people to choose color, size, or delivery options? Adding times or formats to a service you provide? Even if your standard offering remains your leader, people will like it more if they choose it themselves.