Month: September 2026

leadership dot #5055: balcony

September 22, 2026September 21, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

A strategy recommended for leaders leading adaptive change is to get on the balcony rather than the dance floor (see dot #1181). Having an overview of the situation allows them to gain perspective and assess the full system instead of seeing only one part in their current view.

The Detroit Police Department understands the importance of this overview and creates a literal balcony to achieve it. The Department uses special police lift stations at special events where crowds gather. By having officers high above the action, they can more easily assess a situation and direct help where it is most needed.

Soccer players create a metaphorical balcony, relying on their center midfielder and goalie to have a holistic view of the field and to share their perspective with the rest of the team. Other players may be focused on the ball and immediate play in front of them, but the center mid’s role is to see the whole field and relay strategy to their teammates.

While implementation requires hands-on engagement, assessing strategy requires a hands-off perspective that only comes from stepping out of the narrow fray. Find ways to create your own balcony before you jump in and act based on a limited view.

Source: Balcony/dance floor concept from Leadership on the Line by Heifetz and Linsky.

leadership dot #5054: hot seat

September 21, 2026September 20, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

When you’re a low-level individual contributor, your primary job is to keep your boss happy. You may do that by keeping customers happy too, but your overall focus is pretty narrow.

As you climb the ladder and have a wider scope of responsibility, you have more stakeholders, and the higher the position, the more the work becomes managing the interests of others. A CEO has to balance the desires of employees, customers, suppliers, the board, regulators, and community interests. A superintendent tries to find a middle ground between teachers, staff, students, parents, the board, unions, legislators, and the public. A nonprofit leader must manage donors, national foundations/funders, staff, financial advisors, and community needs.

The more stakeholders are involved, the more likely they are to have competing interests. When people wonder why leaders are paid higher salaries, much of it is because of their skill in balancing multiple demands — knowing what to prioritize, what decision to make, and being able to successfully articulate to the other parties why their preferred course of action did not happen.

Many think of the leader as being at the top of the organizational hierarchy. In reality, they’re the ones smack dab in the center, getting input and taking heat from all sides. If you aspire to move up, start by practicing being in the middle.

leadership dot #5053: life stages

September 18, 2026September 17, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Most people are conscious of the evolving developmental stages in children or pets, but fewer consider the life stages of an organization.

A recent board training reminded me that nonprofits (among other organizations) move through stages as the organization evolves.

Stage 1: Vision: where a founder(s) sees a possibility and imagines how an organization can fulfill it
Stage 2: Start-up: the organization becomes a reality and begins implementation
Stage 3: Building a foundation: Where processes allow the organization to grow
Stage 4: Maturity: The focus shifts from an entrepreneurial beginning to one of sustainability
Stage 5: Change: Requiring a refocus and review of the original mission and how to meet it
Stage 6: Dissolution: When the need has been met or the infrastructure to proceed ends

Organizations don’t move through stages linearly; instead, they may move back and forth between earlier stages as personnel, the environment, and circumstances change. I think of leadership dots and the decision to rethink the number of days I publish (stage 5), allowing the organization (me) to continue (stage 4). Without this renewal, I think I would have been close to stage 6.]

Where is your organization today? Assessing your organization through this lens may clarify where to focus and what resources you need to thrive.

Source: Board Bootcamp, Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque

leadership dot #5052: resources

September 17, 2026September 17, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I think about all the times we do things ourselves instead of taking advantage of available help, and I wonder why. Sometimes money is an issue, but often enlisting a professional feels like admitting defeat or going against our identity as someone who can do it on their own. It’s odd to feel guilty about using resources, but I think it often happens.

Examples include:

Believing you should be able to train your puppy yourself instead of taking it to obedience lessons
Thinking it’s just that you don’t have the willpower to diet on your own vs being prescribed GPL-1 medications
Feeling that you should just know how to handle supervisory situations instead of hiring an executive coach for help
Believeing you must spend hours doing your own analysis for it to be real instead of deploying AI to compile a project for you
Thinking you should be able to see organizational issues and solutions yourself rather than needing to bring in a consultant
Expecting that you should be able to bring your home’s vision to life on your own rather than needing an interior decorator to pick out colors and furniture
Feeling like you should have the internal discipline and knowledge to regularly work out on your own instead of hiring a personal trainer
Struggling with over-the-counter meds rather than making a doctor’s appointment

Using resources is a sign of strength, not weakness. You don’t always have to take the hard road.

leadership dot #5051: patents

September 16, 2026September 15, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

An ad appeared in my Facebook feed offering framed watercolor prints of “Timeless Patents.” I had never thought about some of the things featured, but it makes sense that someone had to be the first to create or standardize something we take for granted every day.

Examples include:

An 1891 patent for a toilet paper roll and the size of perforated sheets — still in use today
The universal dimensions for a running track
The configuration of a snare drum
The dimensions and numbering protocol for a football field
A self-closing [tooth] paste tube
The basketball rim and net size
The design of playing cards
The standardization of a toilet seat
The design of a tennis ball

Designing a toilet paper roll may not have been glamorous, but Seth Wheeler’s work has lived on. In over a century, no one has developed a better design for this everyday product.

Your work doesn’t have to be fancy to make an impact.

Screenshot example of a Timeless Patents print

leadership dot #5050: slights

September 15, 2026September 14, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

If you’ve participated in any type of DEI training, it’s likely that you are familiar with the concept of microaggressions — small, often unintentional actions or language that are offensive to others. By understanding the history or context behind these microaggressions, you can avoid using them and communicate more respectfully.

The same premise applies to slights against women. Taylor Black compiled a collection of microfeminisms that may cause you to rethink whether you have unknowingly been favoring men over women in your speech or actions. Examples include:

I work at a school, and when I have to call parents to pick up their sick kid, I call the dad first.
I ask my kindergarten students what dad cooked for dinner last night and get very shocked if they say their mom cooked.
I introduce my friends and their husbands in that order and add a superficial adjective before the husband. Like, this is Jane and her beautiful husband, Joe.
I call male politicians by their first names only.
I’m a yearbook editor, and for all the women’s sports, I simply have the sport’s name. But for the men’s, I put boys’ in front of each of them, i.e., soccer and boys’ soccer.
Whenever a dad says he’s babysitting the kids or watching the kids, I say, Oh, so you mean you’re just parenting?
I’m a travel agent, and I always book the flights to pair the child with the husband.
I ask men, “Do you work?” instead of “What do you do for work?”

I admit that some of these hit home (Kamala or Hillary, anyone?), and it raised my consciousness about other ways that I make assumptions that stereotype women in lesser-than ways. Continue to learn about micro slights that can have macro impact, whether about gender, race, or any other distinction. We all have opportunities do better.

Thanks, Meg!

leadership dot #5049: bulldozer

September 14, 2026September 13, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

There is a difference between what you say and how you say it. People who come across as bullies may have great ideas, but resistance to their tone often overshadows their message. Those who speak more than they listen may find themselves ignored, and shouting is rarely effective. People who want to make change are usually more successful when they ask questions and seek input, rather than make declarations.

Even if you wear your bravo with pride, there are few roles where being a bulldozer is an asset, especially on a team. The method matters.

leadership dot #5048: 25 years

September 11, 2026September 11, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

A few weeks ago, I had a conversation that reminded me where I was on the morning of September 11, 2001. My colleague and I spent a moment reminiscing and were able to recall in vivid detail where we were, how we felt, and how we handled the aftermath.

A third, younger person on the call had no firsthand recollection and knew of the event only through others, just as I know of Pearl Harbor or World Wars. We spent a few minutes telling our stories, and hopefully, they brought the events to life more than just reading about them in a history book or watching a documentary about that tragic day.

I recommend you observe today by sharing your story — preferably with someone too young to have lived it — as a way to keep the memory alive. Share the horrors but also the good that resulted that day, as recounted in the Come From Away musical, the heroics of the passengers on Flight 93, or the intense patriotism that followed.

The terrorist attacks on September 11 were a seminal event that affected everyone. Leverage your experience to keep the story alive.

Flight 93 National Memorial, Shanksville, Pennsylvania. A panel for each passenger, located along the fatal flight path.

leadership dot #5047: more appealing

September 10, 2026September 9, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

A Budweiser Clydesdale, one of the most pampered animals on Earth, chose to eat the food of the horse in the next stall instead of his own. It was the exact same hay, in the same quantity, served at the same time, but Simon preferred to reach through the grate instead. His feeder was more convenient to him, but the neighboring hay was more appealing.

People sometimes act like Simon and make decisions that defy logic. You can spend your time lamenting about how their behavior doesn’t make sense, or how it “should” be different, and try to alter their actions — or you can accept that sometimes people opt for the other bucket.

Let people choose which grass is greener.

leadership dot #5046: untied

September 9, 2026September 8, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplett1 Comment

I tied my shoes three times this morning…

…and each time, my puppy untied them.

Why did I think that the next time would be different? I didn’t change my location or my behavior, yet I was annoyed when I got the same result. Admonishing my puppy did nothing either, since to her it was a fun game.

The next time you are frustrated by metaphorical shoe untying, remember that you are the one in control. It’s much easier to change your behavior than to expect someone else to change theirs.