Month: January 2026

leadership dot #4843: contingencies

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Out my office window, I can watch the squirrels try to access their buried nuts. They planned ahead and stored their food, and they even know where it is hidden, but due to the layers of snow, they are often unable to reach their specific treasures.

It reminded me of other scenarios in which people created contingencies, only for circumstances to foil their planning. The Tulane University admissions office stored duplicates of all its prospective student data in a building at one of the highest points in New Orleans to keep it secure. Unfortunately, Hurricane Katrina flooded all access points to the area, leaving the hilltop inaccessible.

The New York City Office of Emergency Management had a central location to coordinate communications and direct resources in the event of a disaster. It was a well-thought-out plan, except that the headquarters were in 7 World Trade Center and communication was through an antenna on 1 World Trade Center.

It appears that ever-changing circumstances require us to have contingencies for our contingencies. Don’t rely on just one point of access to your nuts.

leadership dot #4842: curiosity

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It’s a myth that the leaders have all the answers. They may need to make more decisions, but effective leaders are as skilled at asking questions as at answering them.

Especially for new leaders, the temptation is to decree rather than to discern, but curiosity is one of the key skills needed in today’s world. As Stephen Covey wrote, “Seek first to understand.”

Wise leaders pay attention to their question-to-answer ratio and ensure it slants toward the inquisitive side. Have you asked a good question yet today?

leadership dot #4841: to win

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I write this from the floor of my living room, sitting on one dog bed in an attempt to comfort my dog lying next to me on another bed. She’s recovering from doggie ACL surgery, but the rehab is not going so well. She wants to be comforted by Mom, so here I am.

I’m her de facto physical therapist and am in unknown territory. If she’s limping, does walking help or hurt? Do the exercises do more harm than good? Should I let her leg rest or continue with the therapy?

I thought of a scene in the Crazy Rich Asians movie where the teacher beats the student in a gaming scenario because she is playing to win, while he is playing not to lose. It’s a shift in mindset that makes you more risk-averse and causes you to miss out on opportunities.

When I found myself holding back and second-guessing, trying to do no harm, more than to help heal, it was time to schedule another X-ray to validate how I should proceed. Play to win.

leadership dot #4840: originals

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Often, one of the most popular items at silent auctions is an experience you can’t get anywhere else. Airbnb is bringing what was once exclusive to the masses.

The company now allows guests to book additional experiences and services beyond lodging. In addition to tours, workshops, and outdoor adventures, guests can book chefs, massages, and trainers to provide services to their Airbnb. But the real place that the company has leveraged its power is in providing “Originals” options to guests.

People are now able to book experiences such as:

  • Exploring Notre Dame with its restoration architect
  • Having afternoon tea with the Royal Butler
  • Wheelchair curling with an Olympian
  • Carving marble with a third-generation sculptor
  • Learning mixology in a Spanish speakeasy
  • Building strength with a former NFL player
  • Exploring a museum with its curator

Airbnb realized it could provide more than just a place to stay, and instead of offering car rentals or restaurant reservations like others do, it curated a collection of experiences that set it apart from traditional hotel bookings. It’s rare to create growth in a logical, yet unclaimed category, but Airbnb seems to have pulled that off. What’s not being offered is often far better than more of the same.

leadership dot #4839: showcase

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It helps build a sense of history and belonging when an organization can share the accomplishments of past members.

Many libraries feature a section of local authors. Colleges often highlight the awards or publications of their faculty. Businesses may showcase the patents or innovations of their designers. Athletic facilities create hall of fames. Galleries add works by regional artists to their permanent collections.

In a unique twist, Notre Dame University curated a collection of alumni products by featuring a display of wines that are “part of the Notre Dame family.”

Consider whether your organization could recognize a group of members, leaders, or even customers with a display that highlights their contributions to your legacy. Doing so may inspire the next generation to contribute.

leadership dot #4838: a decade

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Today marks ten years since I began working for myself instead of on a campus. I can’t believe it has been that long.

When I reflect on the past decade, I’m struck by how much I have forgotten. I used to be an expert on college enrollment and knew all the nuances of so many regulations and processes. Not anymore. Of course, I still remember all the fundamentals, but no longer retain the details.

I hear about others in the same scenario. My friend is a physical therapist, but in her administrative role, no longer sees adult patients. When another friend asked her for advice about their surgery rehab, she was unable to help them, saying, “I haven’t worked on a knee in 15 years.”

There are countless people (myself included) who have or had careers in fields other than their college majors. People change jobs and take years of institutional history and knowledge with them. We all need to keep learning to counterbalance what we forget.

leadership dot #4837: sustaining

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Ahh, the allure of “new.”

I see it all the time: people get excited about starting something and become enamored of the next new thing. Maybe it’s proposing a new initiative, jumping on the latest bandwagon, or creating another committee to address an issue. Everyone is gung-ho at the start, but rather than digging in when things get mundane, initiatives are abandoned in favor of another shiny new idea. Organizations are then left with a host of projects that fizzled out due to a lack of continued resources or enthusiasm.

Donors love to fund innovation, and people like to work in energizing start-up environments, but impact often occurs in the more routine, sustaining phases, where ongoing effort produces lasting results. There is only so much money and energy to go around, and “new” requires a disproportionate infusion of both.

Take a hard look at what exists that is worthy of further investment. It may not be sexy to focus on sustaining something, but it may be where the greatest value lies.

leadership dot #4836: realization

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My class has been reading material from Harvard Business Review that covers the difference between aspirations, mission, vision, strategy, and values. Much of it devolves into a semantics debate, but the essence is clear: you must envision a future state and develop a method to get you there. “Achieving an aspiration requires a strategy,” Casadesus-Masanell writes. It “should involve both heads and hearts.” (This sounds a lot like yesterday’s dot (#4835), where leadership is plumbing and poetry — there seems to be a theme here.)

Another way to describe this was made in a much more pedestrian manner through a social media meme that read: “One Day” is a dream. “Day One” is a decision.

As we begin the new year with lofty resolutions and dreams of a better future, do the hard work of implementation to realize those goals. Aspirations, dreams, and poetry require strategies, decisions, and plumbing to become reality.

Sources: Setting Aspirations, Mission, Vision, and Values by Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Harvard Business Publishing, and Meme from Action for Happiness

leadership dot #4835: plumbing & poetry

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“Leadership is plumbing and poetry.” — James March

In her book, Strong Ground, Brené Brown shares this quote that I believe captures the essence of the elusive leadership skill. “Plumbing” refers to the tasks of the role, the coordination and implementation functions that keep the trains running. “Poetry” highlights the intangibles that allow leaders to create a vision and inspire people with it. Both are required for a leader to truly be transformational.

Think about which aspect is your strength, and which side you need to strengthen to enhance your own leadership. It’s needed now more than ever.

Quote from On Leadership by James G. March and Thierry Weil as quoted in Strong Ground by Brené Brown, 2025.

leadership dot #4834: so that

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With any leadership or supervisory transition, there are bound to be changes introduced. To help those affected by the new ways of working, it is helpful if the leader sets the context for the adjustments.

Examples include:

  • “We’re altering this process so that…”
  • “We need to revise how we do X because…”
  • “We’re making an adjustment to X in order to…”
  • “We’re experimenting with X to see if…”
  • “We’re trying to accomplish X by doing Y.”
  • “We hope to see X when we do Y.”
  • “This is why we’re making the change.”

Just as toddlers don’t like the “because I said so” rationale given to them by exasperated parents, neither do team members react well to demands not placed in a bigger picture. You can save some pushback by helping your staff understand how a change fits into where you’re coming from and where you’re trying to go.