Month: July 2026

leadership dot #5003: confidence is key

July 9, 2026July 8, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

One more trip out of town to celebrate at my niece’s graduation party. Enjoy the last of the dots from the Minot State University’s leadership class.

Today’s dot was written by Jonathan Pearce.

One of the most important things a leader needs is confidence.

Whether that be confidence in yourself, decisions you make, or in your followers. Without it, your capability and actions as a leader may seem hollow or untrustworthy.

Confidence isn’t something that is gained or lost in an instance, however. You can’t magically have enough bravado to run for president, nor can an embarrassing event strip you of it. It is something that is built up and possibly torn down over time. To improve and protect your confidence, you need to put yourself in new scenarios that test your capabilities.

It could be as simple as taking a new route home or visiting a new town. Or maybe even something as complex as creating a club or organizing an event. To be a good leader, you must always be willing to venture outside of what you are comfortable doing.

You must also have the confidence that you are making the best possible choices available to you. These decisions may not always be easy ones: firing an employee, asking a club member to leave, announcing massive changes to an organization. These are things that need to be done at some point for a group to function properly, and a leader who second-guesses themselves when it comes to these decisions may be seen as less reliable.

A leader needs to have confidence; if they don’t believe in themselves, why should their followers?

leadership dot #5002: grumble

July 8, 2026July 7, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I was in a hospital gift shop where the two volunteer clerks were engrossed in conversation about the sparseness of the vending machine outside the store. “We should be in charge of that,” said one. “It’s terrible that there is nothing for visitors to eat when the cafeteria is closed,” said another.

They were both right: the vending machine had a meager selection of non-nutritious offerings, and if it were to be the source of your only “meal,” it would be seriously lacking. But in their attempt to provide better service to the hypothetical customers, they completely ignored the one in-person customer they had. Moreover, the conversation did not include any hint of action steps, and I got the sense that they were complaining, rather than improving.

Think about your response the last time something irked you. It’s easy to post a grievance on social media, complain to a confidante, or curse to yourself, but taking steps to resolve it takes some work. Your response may be as simple as using a city’s portal to report a need or sending an email to someone who can address the issue, or it could be more involved, such as preparing a proposal for the action you recommend. But the key is to do something to make things better, rather than just grumble about it.

leadership dot #5001: trucking

July 7, 2026July 6, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I work with many smart people who struggle to write a resume that captures what they bring to an organization. Often, their materials focus solely on job duties rather than on who they are as people and the skills they can offer.

To help make the mental transition, I ask them to imagine that they were suddenly put in charge of a trucking company. Clearly, none of them have experience in transportation, but you can see the wheels turning (ha!) when I suggest this. While they would not know any of the nuances of the industry, they would know how to lead people, craft a vision, run a meeting, assess the culture, etc. Most of them could be quite successful in the role.

Then, I tell them to consider their resume and cover letter as if they were applying for the trucking job, highlighting their transferable and overall leadership skills. To me, the experience they bring in their field is a bonus.

Separate who you are from what you have done and promote that in a job application and interview. The work is changing so fast that organizations need to hire great people based on who can handle what comes, not who succeeded in the past.

leadership dot #5000: !!!

July 6, 2026July 5, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplett1 Comment

There is a controversial proposal before our city council, and those in favor argue that “it can always be repealed if it doesn’t work out.” It’s hard enough to stop doing anything, let alone when there are no established or agreed-upon criteria for what “not working out” looks like. Once something is started, momentum and inertia alternate roles, but it keeps going unless there is a built-in stop mechanism.

For me, dot #5000 is that mechanism. I’ve had a decade-and-a-half of “daily” weighing on my mind, and have been looking forward to pushing the 5,000 reset button. It’s time to write when I have something to say, rather than when I’m staring at the screen because I have a deadline to publish something. I’m not stopping dots entirely, but moving to five days/week (no weekends), and maybe not every.single.day. during the week either.

Advice columnist Carolyn Hax has also recently reduced her daily schedule, writing that it’s “not all or nothing.” I like that intermediate compromise that keeps dots alive, and my love of doing them alive, too. I hope you continue to learn from reading them.

leadership dot #4999: touch me

July 5, 2026July 4, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

This donkey at the entrance to the Detroit Museum of Art is the only piece of art that patrons are allowed to touch. It was purchased specifically as a demonstration piece to show people what happens with repeated touching — the black grooves and nuanced texture have disappeared from the spot where hundreds of people have rubbed.

The donkey is much more effective than any signs could be. It is “proof” that little touches do add up to cause irreparable damage to art, and will hopefully discourage visitors from giving in to the temptation to feel pieces in the museum.

Instead of signs that often go unread, how can you make your point in 3-D?

leadership dot #763a independence day

July 4, 2026July 3, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I wonder how the practice of calling this day the Fourth of July started.

I never hear anyone refer to it as the Twenty-fifth of December; it’s always Christmas.

People don’t say the Eleventh of September; it’s always September 11th.

It is New Year’s Day, not the First of January.

Or Valentine’s Day, not the Fourteenth of February.

Why isn’t today most commonly called Independence Day?

Think about where the emphasis falls, whether you say Independence Day vs. Fourth of July. The first helps us to remember the reason for the celebration.

Choose your words carefully and speak with intentionality. Language is a powerful tool.

Originally published in modified form on July 4, 2014

leadership dot #4998: void

July 3, 2026July 2, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I’ve always been a big fan of the hot dogs at Portillo’s, the Chicago-based restaurant known for its wieners and Italian beef. For many years, the chain had only a handful of local locations. Consequently, there was always a line, maybe a wait for tables, and it was always a beehive of activity. Attendants would call out order numbers with little sayings: “One zero three, come see me,” or “Three ninety-two, I’ve got food for you.” The whole vibe just created energy.

And then Portillo’s expanded—fast and furious, far out of Chicagoland —with seemingly as many franchisees as they could sign. I was in one of those out-of-state locations at the peak of the lunch hour, high noon. There were barely any other people there. No little ditties to call out my order. No lines, and I had a whole section to myself. It just wasn’t the same. The food was still good, but the experience wasn’t.

It was a reminder that the culture is as important as the product, and you need to pay attention to both. Expanding beyond a culture you can replicate does more harm to your brand than good.

leadership dot #4997: halfway

July 2, 2026July 1, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

July 2 seems like an odd day to reflect or make resolutions, but it’s actually the perfect time. Today, there are 182 days both past and forward on this year’s calendar, making it an appropriate day to take a moment to assess where we are.

Think about the days in 2026 that have gone by. If you left things undone or unsaid, consider whether it was by design or default. Did you accomplish those goals you set at the beginning of the year, and are you where you had hoped to be by this point?

Then look ahead and think about how you want to use those upcoming 182 days. How would you have it be on December 31, and what can you do now to get there, both personally and professionally?

Think of July 2 as a rest stop on the highway of life. Pull over for a few moments, bask in the summer sun, and assess your life’s plan. If you need to make a detour, you can do so now and use the second half of the year to reach your destination. Happy pondering!

Thanks, Brian!

leadership dot #4996: trashed

July 1, 2026June 29, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I was at a baseball game, and when I finished with my snack, I threw the paper basket on the floor under my seat. There, it joined the wrappers, cups, and uneaten food from everyone in the row.

I would never even think of leaving trash on the ground at a park, concert, or really, anywhere else. I even carry out my refuse at a movie theater, but the norms at a baseball stadium say it is acceptable (even expected) to leave the garbage behind.

It was a reminder of the power of organizational behavior. You can create norms that have people pick up after themselves and leave no trace behind, or ones that let people throw everything on the floor. If you don’t set clear expectations for the behavior you want, people will default to the most convenient, less demanding outcome.

Be explicit about the type of culture you want to create. One piece of (metaphorical) garbage easily leads to more of it, whereas a lack of it also models the expected behavior. Don’t trash your culture by letting undesirable behavior go unchecked.