Month: June 2025

leadership dot #4648: with altitude

June 10, 2025June 6, 2025by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Coors Field, home of the MLB Colorado Rockies, does not have much going for it. The stadium is 30+ years old and fairly generic, and the team is in last place in their division. What they do have is altitude — and they have made the most of their one distinguishing feature.

Formerly known as Mile-High Stadium, the field has a row of seats that are located exactly one mile above sea level. The Rockies have installed purple chairs to highlight the designated row, and they promote merchandise proclaiming “Baseball with an Altitude.”

It would be nice to have a legacy of winning or a modern stadium with unique features like fountains or a stingray petting pool, but the Rockies have altitude. I’m not sure it’s enough to overshadow the team’s abysmal record (now 12-50), but it does set them apart with a feature that no one else owns.

Everyone has a distinction. Identify yours and hit it out of the park by boldly claiming it.

leadership dot #4647: obscured

June 9, 2025June 6, 2025by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

On my trip to Rocky Mountain National Park, I drove the winding, precarious Trail Ridge Road as far as we could before snow forced its closure. We reached the scenic overlook spot two miles above sea level and got out at Rainbow Curve to take the requisite picture. Here is the result — it appears as if we are in front of a white backdrop instead of a stunning mountain scene.

Sometimes visions are like that, too. You have something in mind — a goal to achieve, and you work toward it, but it may be temporarily obscured or out of reach. You know you’re right there, but it may just be hidden from view.

Rather than give up on your dream, have the patience to wait for the clouds to lift.

leadership dot #4646: valet

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

Boulder, Colorado, is a bicycle-heavy city, with many residents using bicycles for both primary transportation and leisure. Organizers of an art fair took this into account and established a Free Bike Valet just outside the festival’s grounds, allowing people to ride and stroll through the booths unencumbered. It was a great service used by many.

Think about the logistics that would be most convenient for your attendees. Maybe you need a “stroller valet” for a kids’ program. The pet expo may offer limited “pet valet” services to allow owners to visit booths without their overstimulated dog. The marina could offer a trailer valet to expedite the boat owners’ enjoyment of the water.

We often think of valets only for cars at restaurants, but the concept has a much broader application. Meet people where they are and allow them to have the convenience without the cumbersomeness.

leadership dot #4645: timed

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

When I woke up in my hotel room and saw a piece of paper under the door, I assumed it was a copy of the bill. Instead, it was a flyer offering me a reduced rate if I stayed an extra night. “Wait! There’s more to explore,” it read. “Why make tonight your last night?”

We had flight plans and did not capitalize on the offer, but it got me thinking about how this message was timed. It wasn’t offered when we made the reservation or when we checked in; rather, it appeared in that last minute when many were surrounded by the beautiful mountains and feeling like “I hate to leave.”

Think about how your messages are timed. Do you communicate bonuses too early in the process or miss the opportunity altogether? Think about the Courtyard and slip your offer in at just the right moment.

leadership dot #4644: advocacy

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

Advocacy is a critical skill that many employees either don’t know how to do or don’t practice enough. While it’s admirable to double down and work without necessary staff or resources, to take on extra responsibilities, or to plod through less than ideal conditions, those are all short-term solutions to a larger issue.

Instead of clearly stating your needs to someone who can effect change, people continue to absorb frustrations, perform less efficiently, or fail to make enhancements to their work. They rationalize their inaction with excuses like “We don’t have the budget,” “It will never get approved,” “I don’t have the time to pitch a plan,” or “It has always been this way,” effectively denying the request before it is ever made.

Supervisors are not mind readers. If there is a problem, especially an ongoing one, it is incumbent on the staff member to articulate it along with their recommendations and rationale. Whether or not the proposal is immediately approved, it serves to raise awareness and plant the seeds for future changes.

Advocacy is not whining or complaining without purpose, but rather it is thoughtfully relaying the situation and a possible change that would make things better. Don’t self-sabotage with your silence.

leadership dot #4643: mindful

June 5, 2025June 4, 2025by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Once you begin talking about making a transition, the momentum moves in that direction, making it harder to retain the status quo.

For example:

Once you consider getting a new job, you’ll find more things wrong with your current job
If you see divorce as a plausible option, it becomes harder to think about reconciliation
When you start thinking of selling your home or moving, you’ll likely become restless with where you live
Once you get in your mind that it’s time for a new car, you’ll find that you are less satisfied with your current ride

It may seem harmless to dream about making a change or to ponder your options, but do it with the awareness that continued noodling may make it harder to turn back.

leadership dot #4642: mentally prepared

June 4, 2025June 3, 2025by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Last week, I picked up my new puppy. She’s the seventh one I’ve raised in my lifetime, so I knew what I was getting into. In advance, I was filled with more anxiety than glee — all.the.work. The lack of sleep for the first few weeks. Potty training. Chewing on e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. The cost and hassle of multiple vet visits for shots and spaying. There is a whole list of downsides that I considered before I met her (when I instantly fell in love).

It occurred to me that getting another puppy is a good example of the Dunning-Kruger Effect (dot #2975). Dunning-Kruger plots confidence vs. knowledge in the field. When knowledge is low, confidence is high — “how hard can this be?” When knowledge is high, confidence is tempered — “it’s complicated and won’t be easy.” When my sister got her first puppy, she was totally unprepared for how much and for how long her life would be upended. The same was true for my first round, but by the seventh, I knew what to expect and was mentally prepared for a patience-testing assimilation.

If you’re new at anything, be aware that your enthusiasm can blind you to the nuances. You don’t know what you don’t know, and when you learn it, your confidence bubble will likely burst. Then, as you gain experience, ride the dip that follows the initial bluster and stick with it. Puppies grow into dogs and are so worth the wait!

leadership dot #4641: first thing

June 3, 2025June 2, 2025by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

A friend sent me the following advice that he learned at a conference, and it has been on my mind since I read it.

“What’s the first thing you look at when you get to your office? If it is…

Email, then other people are driving your day.
To Do List, then you are driving your day.
Vision Statement (or something that is a reminder of your vision), then your vision is driving your day.”

I know I am guilty of looking at my email on my phone before even entering the office, and right after that, I am checking my calendar (often driven by others as well). Mark Moore’s simple framework has me considering the cadence of my morning — or ending the evening before. What’s most important for me, rather than what others would have me do?

Maybe his taxonomy can reorder the start of your day as well.

Thanks, Brian!

Source: Mark Moore at the Solomon Foundation Pastor’s Conference

leadership dot #4640: stylebook

June 2, 2025May 22, 2025by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

When I wrote my thesis, my advisOr made me change all my references of advisEr to the “-or” spelling. Today, that would require just a few clicks on the computer, but in the dark ages when I wrote it, it required the re-typing of 120 pages. I was not happy.

It’s situations such as these that the Associated Press Stylebook is designed to prevent. The Stylebook sets the standard for how journalists of all types reference, punctuate, or spell thousands of items. Are juveniles and minors interchangeable terms? Should you show the faces of incarcerated people? Does editor in chief require the use of hyphens? Do you call a ship a “she” or an “it”? Are morning times written with AM, A.M., a.m., or am? Is it the Gulf of Mexico or the Gulf of America?*

Initially, the idea of a consistent method of reporting sounds simple, but the more you get involved in the nuances, the more tricky it becomes. It reminds me of the Dunning-Krueger curve (see dot #2975), where those with less experience have more enthusiasm, and the experts struggle because they wrestle with the hard questions.

Every organization should have a style guide to create consistency across its publications and posts. It may only have a few entries, but communicating the standards upfront can save time and editing later, and enhance professionalism. Is beth triplett capitalized? Consult leadership dots’ Styleguide to know for sure!

P.S. Happy 13th Anniversary, leadership dots! Whoever thought I would still be writing 13 years later?

(Answers: No, No, No, it, a.m., Gulf of America (it extends beyond the U.S. borders, so no one person has the authority to change the name. Mount McKinley to Denali, yes, because all within U.S. borders.)

leadership dot #4639: odds

June 1, 2025May 22, 2025by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

A Facebook post caught my attention. “[NBA] Teams trailing 7+ in the last 50 seconds of the 4th Quarter or Overtime in the playoffs are 4-1702. The Pacers have 3 of those 4 wins — and they’re all this year.”

Think about the statistical improbability of that stat — and then remember it when you think the odds are against you. On Any Given Sunday, anyone can win. Don’t give up!

Source: TSN