intentionality – leadership dots

leadership dot #5090: correspond

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

I’ve previously written about several brand extensions that have gone amok. Companies seem to slap their name on any product to make a few extra dollars, no matter whether the relationship makes any sense.

But here’s a good example of how one product can naturally evolve to offer another. Virginia Evans’ (fabulous) best-selling book, The Correspondent, is written as a series of letters to and from the main character, Sybil Van Antwerp. So, what comes next? A correspondence kit, with stationery and seals in the design of the book cover. Bravo!

If you’re thinking of offering something beyond your product or service, have a rational reason for doing so. What is a natural outgrowth or complement that your users would enjoy? What actually corresponds with your core? Sybil would be pleased with this one.

leadership dot #5087: faded

November 5, 2026November 2, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I used to be a wizard on the Selectric typewriter, and now I would have a hard time manually correcting a document. I used to be an expert in college recruitment, but that knowledge has faded after a decade without using it. I previously presented workshops on promotional ideas for university events, but they would be irrelevant now in this age of social media.

What have you done lately to upgrade your knowledge in an evolving area? Learned more about AI prompts? Read up on the latest legislation moving through the Chamber? Asked your health professional about new vaccines? Attended a conference to strengthen your network and become aware of trends in your industry?

You’ve got a choice: evolution or entropy. Pick one. Your skills don’t last forever.

leadership dot #5086: fence

November 4, 2026November 1, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Whether you’re a new legislator who just earned your job last night, a long-time supervisor, or an individual contributor, you would be wise to heed the lessons of Chesterton’s Fence.

This principle, coined by G. K. Chesterton in 1929, says that a change should not occur until you understand the reason behind it. His premise is that to make a good decision, you must first understand the past decision that led to how things came to be.

His principle is so named because he described it through the parable of a fence — if you came upon a fence across the road, would you automatically tear it down thinking it was just a hindrance to crossing the road, or would you consider the repercussions of doing so and first learn why it was put there initially. Of course, he recommends the latter.

People often jump to the conclusion that something is useless, stupid, a barrier, or no longer necessary, and want to replace it with something new before they understand why it was once considered a good idea. This often leads to unintended consequences and reversals of decisions or practices.

Before becoming enamored with the new, keep Chesterton’s Fence in mind before you make a change. Taking time to learn the past rationale before deciding could save you time and headaches later.

leadership dot #5085: no excuses

November 3, 2026November 1, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

The musical Suffs tells the story of several suffragettes fighting for women’s right to vote. At the turn of the century, women were being brutalized, jailed, on hunger strikes, and even died in the fight to pass the Nineteenth Amendment. Alice Paul, one of the movement’s leaders, spent 20 years leading the National Woman’s Party, working to pass the Equal Rights Amendment.

TODAY is the day you can make their sacrifices worth it. Posting on social media, venting to others, or even holding up a sign at a rally or two is not enough. It’s all about the vote.

I wrote 5,100 postcards this summer, encouraging voters to cast their ballot on Tuesday, November 3. And now that date is here. If you’re not one of the millions who have already exercised their right, there are no excuses not to cast your ballot today.

leadership dot #5072: buffers

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

Some people require more time to process their reaction, determine ideas, or formulate what they are going to say. If you are one of those people, it helps to develop strategies to give yourself that extra thinking time.

Some examples include:

Ask for an agenda in advance so that you can review the materials
Keep an ongoing list of ideas so you don’t start from scratch. This could be ideas for your goals, work projects, gifts to give others, places to visit, etc. Capture your thinking as it comes up, not just when you need it.
Develop a culture where it becomes a habit to “introduce” ideas but build in gaps before you “decide” on them
Reflect on recurring events and note what to do next time through effective “lessons learned” meetings or “after action reviews”
Write out your talking points in advance of meetings or conversations
Write a proposal to intentionally craft what you want to say instead of sharing your idea verbally
Ask to circle back and continue the conversation/offer your input after you have had time to consider it

Create strategies that build in buffering systems so you have the time you need to produce your best work.

leadership dot #5068: Barney

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

In my class, a student asked me to explain a concept “Barney Style.” When I told him I did not know what that meant, he explained it to me in Barney Style, meaning he gave a basic, explicit answer as if Barney the Dinosaur were explaining it to kids. Ahh, now I get it!

There are times when spelling something out is the most effective way to communicate a message. I saw an example of this with clearly labeled recycling and trash bins — with both words and pictures to help people understand which receptacle was correct. This simplification works well for directions, checklists, and instructions, and, apparently, for explaining new concepts to students!

Keep the purple dinosaur in mind when crafting your message and consider whether Barney could understand what you are communicating.

leadership dot #5067: touchpoints

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

People who see each other less frequently tend to skew their conversations toward the positive. Who wants to be a downer when your time together is fleeting?

Whether you are communicating with a friend, family member, colleague, or client, if you rarely interact with them, you’ll likely focus on the good things that have been happening and only give highlights (if anything) about the mediocre or bad. While this may make for a more pleasant exchange, it can also hide the true events and emotions that exist.

For the relationships you care about, ensure that you create regular touchpoints. The more frequently you have contact, the more likely the mundane will surface. It may not all be roses, but knowing about the thorns can help you provide support where needed.

leadership dot #5065: good girl

October 6, 2026October 5, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

To help train my new puppy, I bought a bag of training treats. The bag had 500 pieces of bacon-flavored goodness to reward her compliance with my simple commands. The treats are no bigger than a Tic-Tac, but they serve the purpose well.

As puppy owners, we know we will need many treats during the process before the puppy understands the expectations without incentives. But as supervisors, we act as if a metaphorical bag of just a couple of treats will do — not only for training, but in some cases, for the length of the person’s employment.

Recognition doesn’t have to be lofty. Create an equivalent bag of training treats and dole them out frequently. Even if your new employee is a rockstar, people like to be acknowledged as a “good girl (or boy).”

leadership dot #5063: backing out

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

A colleague was lamenting that volunteers kept backing out of a service project she was leading. One had a sudden illness (obviously a good reason to decline), but others were rescinding their offers for reasons that existed when they first said yes. One realized it was the same date as his son’s wedding! Another had a vacation booked already. Both seem like dates they should have remembered.

It was one of my biggest frustrations when I made an offer to candidates and was turned down. I heard things like: “It’s too far away” (even though our campus hadn’t moved since they applied), or “my spouse doesn’t want to move” (a conversation that should have happened before the application).

It can be easy to say yes with good intentions, but it’s better to say yes intentionally and mean it.

leadership dot #5062: first step

October 1, 2026September 30, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

A frequently overlooked part of any project is the initial thinking that is required to determine exactly what the project entails. It’s much more fun — and seemingly productive — to jump in and start doing, but the entire process will go more smoothly if it is well thought out from the start.

Instead of asking someone to implement an event, assign their first task to outline the program’s parameters.
Rather than expecting someone to write copy for a brochure, ask them first to think about the purpose of the piece.
Instead of assigning someone to assess your programs, start by having them consider what elements should be assessed and how you may collect the data.
Rather than jumping in and reorganizing a system, make your first step thinking about the desired outcome.

The initial stage of most work should involve a few hours of concentrated thinking. Assign the planning stage with the same diligence and time commitment as any other tasks in the project.