leadership dots

leadership dot #4931: triggered

April 20, 2026April 17, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Everyone has been in situations that created ire and where emotions rise.

The key is what happens next. You may pout or let your anger fester, causing drama as it lingers beyond the immediate interaction, or you can repress it and move on as if nothing had occurred.

What happens less frequently is taking a few minutes to reflect on what caused the emotion in the first place. What triggered your emotion — was it something that was said, or not said? Did the setting contribute to the situation? Was it the timing? Did past circumstances influence emotions in the present? What could you have done differently? What did you learn to help you the next time a similar situation occurs?

Getting past the initial drama is better than carrying it around, but don’t move on without some self-reflection. You can’t regulate what you don’t understand.

leadership dot #4930: outsourced

April 19, 2026April 17, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

As I write this, someone from the Tri-State Poop Pickers is cleaning out the dog waste from my neighbor’s yard. It’s an actual service, one that I can’t imagine paying for, but which is a regular vendor in my neighborhood.

I continue to see people providing services that were once thought unimaginable to outsource. Lowe’s now has a program where its technicians will come to your home twice a year to change the batteries in your smoke detectors. Several services will pick out a full wardrobe for you. Pre-packaged meals are becoming common.

Time is money, on both sides of the coin. If you have a task you don’t like, chances are good that there is someone else who will do it for you. And, if you have time and want to make money, it’s also likely that someone will pay you to do tasks for them. Look at how you spend and earn, and align them with actions that are fulfilling for you.

leadership dot #4929: amplify

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

Ever wonder if anything good came from COVID? Well, here’s something that did.

During the pandemic, artist Hercule VanWolfwinkle drew some silly pet portraits and shared them with his mates on social media. It was designed to make them smile during a dark time, and he thought it would be the end of it.

But it wasn’t. Demonstrating the best of what social media can do, the drawings spread — and spread. He decided to accept donations for his drawings to support two charities that serve the homeless and their pets, setting an ambitious goal of 299 pounds. He has now raised 500,000 pounds from 30,000 donors and has received 80,000 portrait requests, all from “rubbish” drawings he shared just to bring a laugh to some friends.

Never underestimate the difference one person can make. Social media can amplify the good as well as the bad and help people turn “a jokey comment” into a major fundraising effort. What can you do with it?

Screenshot from Pet Portraits by Hercule

leadership dot #4928: well-intentioned

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

It’s a struggle for supervisors when an employee has a good attitude and makes genuine efforts to do the work, yet still doesn’t meet expectations. It becomes even more of an issue when the employee has been coached and still can’t make the grade.

Too often, these staff members are allowed to continue in their roles because they are liked and because it’s always hard to discipline someone who is trying.

But being well-intentioned isn’t the job. You are not paying someone a full salary to accomplish half the work. If you must continually monitor or revise their output, or if improvements aren’t evident, it’s time to acknowledge a major problem, no matter how nice they are. Intent isn’t performance.

leadership dot #4927: levity

April 16, 2026April 14, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

In my class, we were discussing ways to build camaraderie and a positive culture without spending much time or money. This is especially important for organizations with hourly employees who may be unable to participate in out-of-office activities without clocking out.

Studies have shown that informality fosters candor and connectedness, both important qualities for your team. Some ideas for quick ways to interject occasional levity at work:

Have different employees pick their favorite song to start the day
Start with a crazy question, with the winner getting a goofy prize (e.g., the number of feet in the household [dogs = 4])
Have a potluck just with snacks
Hold office pools: for sports, for when the first snow will fall, for when the first 90-degree day occurs, etc.
Have taste tests: Red Vines vs Twizzlers, Pepsi vs Coke, etc.
Post pet photos and guess their owner
Hold a donation drive for a charity
Have employees wear shirts from their favorite team, color, band, etc.
Bring in coffee and donuts to enjoy during morning break
Pick a color, and go crazy with it: (e.g., wear orange, bring in orange foods, use orange in emails)
Play silly games — one office rolls balls down the hall into a box in the boss’s office, again for a “fabulous” prize
Share some of the many different flavors of Oreos or M&Ms and rate them
Play Bingo to see when jargon or catch phrases are used
Repeatedly share 1 can of pop with another person — have a conversation and build the relationship

I’m sure you (and your team) can add many more ideas to the list. The activities may sound silly, but fostering some connectedness is nothing to laugh at.

leadership dot #4926: receptiveness

April 15, 2026April 13, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

In preparation for a class I’m about to teach on negotiation and conflict management, I’m reading a new book, How to Disagree Better. It’s a skill we could all use, myself included.

Author and Harvard professor Julia Minson believes that “receptiveness” is a key in this endeavor, meaning a person’s “willingness to access, consider, and evaluate supporting and opposing information in a relatively impartial manner.” It is centered on this notion of considering other viewpoints, rather than trying to persuade the other person.

Receptiveness is comprised of four components:

1. Emotional Equanimity — the ability to regulate emotions and remain calm when confronted with opposing views

2. Intellectual Curiosity — how curious you are about the rationale and origin of another’s beliefs

3. Respect Toward Opponents — feelings toward those who disagree with you

4. Tolerance of Taboo Issues — your willingness to discuss issues that are sensitive for you

Minson writes, “receptiveness is not about thoughts and feelings, but how you behave towards others.” You are able to assess your level of receptiveness via a (free) assessment, and by identifying which of the four factors comes most easily to you, you can first begin to strengthen your skills in that area.

Whether at home, work, in the political arena, or in the community, everyone encounters others who hold opposing views. Be receptive to learning new ways of receptiveness and make your life more pleasant overall.

Source: How to Disagree Better by Julia Minson, 2026
Assessment: disagreeingbetter.com/survey

leadership dot #4925: outcome

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

Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day, and it brought back memories of my visit to the National Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC. It’s one of the most powerful and moving places I’ve visited, as it makes the horrors of the events feel as real as possible. I specifically remember a huge pile of shoes, each representing a person who lost their lives in the atrocities.

When people think about the Holocaust, many think of the gas chambers. Certainly, they were the culmination, but the annihilation did not start there. According to the World Jewish Congress, the Holocaust began with exclusion, indifference, and silence.

It’s that way with everything, both good and bad: we remember the final outcome and tend to forget all the little steps that led us there. All the decisions, actions, and inactions, those who spoke up and those voices that remained quiet. Every result is the culmination of a series of events that influence where things end up.

Commit to contributing early in the process rather than hoping someone else will represent your views or steer things in a favorable direction. It’s up to you to make a difference before the outcome is inevitable.

leadership dot #4924: confidence

April 13, 2026April 10, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

A recent discussion brought up the concept of emotional confidence vs. executional confidence.

When performing a task or implementing a project, people can appear confident and be perceived as having their act together, but inside, they don’t feel it. While the work comes off well, the one who executed it is full of self-doubt. They are confident in their ability to accomplish the goal, but less secure in their own value.

And if the work is consistently good, it becomes expected, and the affirmations trail off, leaving space for even more doubt to creep in.

Don’t assume that those doing good work know that their performance is strong. Give positive feedback about the outcomes, in addition to praising the person who achieved them. Emotion and execution are two separate things.

leadership dot #4923: pedal power

April 12, 2026April 10, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

If you want efficient movement through the streets of New York City, using a truck isn’t the way to do it. So, rather than use the same delivery system that they use elsewhere in the country, Amazon developed an e-bike delivery vehicle to navigate the crowded streets of the Big Apple.

It would have been easy for them to say that delivery times were delayed due to ongoing congestion, but instead they acknowledged the issue and came up with a creative solution.

Do you insist on staying with the same tried-and-true system that works for most, or are you open to considering new options to address micro-needs? One size does not fit all.

Thanks, Amy!

leadership dot #4922: specialization

April 11, 2026April 9, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

At one extreme, we have Amazon that seemingly sells everything from A to Z. That scale may work for retail purchases, but there are businesses that offer service at the micro end of the spectrum.

Just a few examples:

All of these businesses offer specialized services that allow them to become experts in a niche area.

Think about where your organization falls. It’s harder to stand out in the middle.