Category: organizational effectiveness

leadership dot #4214: policies

March 13, 2024March 12, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

After yesterday’s dot (#4213) a friend sent another example of where practice favors policy more than common sense, let alone service.

A couple has a block of hotel rooms at a well-known chain for the night of their wedding. Apparently, if someone wants to add a night before or after the block, the registration system requires the clerk to complete two full registrations – they take all the information you normally provide – twice!

That’s bad enough – but the worst part is they tell guests they may have to switch rooms! Now, if you’re spending extra time in town for a wedding, you don’t want to hear that you may have to switch rooms on the day of the ceremony at a time when you’d likely be getting ready to go!

When pressed about this, the clerk was hesitant but finally said the chance was small but it could happen. So — they are upsetting a lot of people, and losing customers (some have gone elsewhere) for something that probably won’t happen. Why??

“Why” is probably because the person who made the policy doesn’t have to live with it. If they are removed from the front line, it’s easy to make policies that may be technically correct but are dumb in reality.

When I applied for jobs on campus, the first thing I did was submit an inquiry and then track the dates and contacts I had from the institution. I wanted to learn what was really happening while I could without being noticed. I suggest the same for you. Find ways to be the undercover customer and see how your policies land from the other side of the desk. Registering twice and having the threat of moving rooms may change if you experience it yourself.

Thanks, Chris!

leadership dot #4207: constraints

March 6, 2024March 5, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

We think we’d like it if someone gave us a blank check and unlimited time to accomplish a project, but author Seth Godin believes that constraints are the reason a project exists and we should embrace them (see dot #4193).

Godin believes it’s constraint confusion that causes problems, not the limitations themselves. If you know what the parameters are, you can likely adjust the work to meet them. He gives the example of Saturday Night Live — which airs Saturday night at 11:30 pm — “not because it’s perfect, but because it’s 11:30. No one is allowed to say the show would be better if we could put it on an hour later.”

While it may be tempting to work in an environment without boundaries, you could work on incremental improvements forever and it would actually be harder to know when the work was finished. The clarity of project constraints helps to alleviate stress and delays — and allows people to make the best decisions about where to allocate resources and effort.

The next time you’re starting a project, start with an agreement on the boundaries of time, money, and output specifications. Taking time to build that fence will keep you from later disagreements about what success looks like.

leadership dot #4205: schedules

March 4, 2024March 1, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

When we started a project last September, one of the first things I did was schedule time on everyone’s calendar. It was easy — at the time — to hold an entire day in March and to find a consistent time for our bi-weekly meetings. If I had tried to do that now, everyone’s calendars would have been booked up.

As we worked, we have made faster progress than expected so I was able to cancel seven hours of meetings for this month. I’m sure it was a welcome bonus for everyone to have almost a full day now available to them.

A few takeaways from this process:

Schedule early when it’s far more likely that you can have clear options for everyone to gather.
Schedule all at once so you can hold a regular time and not deal with scheduling issues every time you need to meet.
Hold a large block of time (all day) at regular intervals — you’ll then have it available if needed for deep thought or extended project work.
Cancel meetings when the agenda doesn’t warrant holding them.

The time you dedicate to meetings should be about the content, not the logistics.

leadership dot #4197: locker

February 25, 2024February 24, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

In large cities, there are many pick-up locations for Amazon packages, helping the company deliver more economically and the purchaser to receive their goods more quickly. The lockers didn’t make sense to me, as I wondered why people didn’t just have the packages delivered right to their door.

But where the lockers did seem like a genius idea was at an interstate truck stop. Here truckers and travelers did not have a door to deliver to and could use the pick-up location to retrieve items needed for the journey or forgotten on the trip. It would certainly incentivize people to use Amazon with the availability of this service.

You don’t have to meet your customers everywhere but consider where your audience is. Where have you been that you wished X was available? Perhaps that is where your organization should be.

leadership dot #4193: decision-maker

February 21, 2024February 20, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

In a course on project management, author Seth Godin framed the role of a project manager in a way I had not previously considered. “The project manager’s contribution to the project is the decisions that we make, not the tasks that we perform.”

He believes that the decisions occur in two areas. The first is when to “thrash” — or explore options and possibilities. More successful projects thrash early and then decide to lock it down and begin implementation.

The second key decision is where the team spends its time and money. “The lowest cost and the highest cost are rarely the right path,” Godin says. “The middle we intelligently choose makes the project work.”

When considering who the best person is to lead an important project, heed his advice and tap the person who is your best decision-maker. Successful projects are the result of smart choices, not busy beavers.

leadership dot #4191: overtime

February 19, 2024February 18, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

So much is at stake in the Super Bowl. You would think that with the top prize on the line, the coaches and players would do everything possible to bring home the trophy…you know, everything like make sure the players knew the rules of the game they are paid millions to play. Apparently, that didn’t happen.

For reasons I don’t understand, the NFL instituted new rules for overtime during the playoffs. The Chiefs players knew about them and reviewed them beginning in training camp. The 49ers coaches were aware, but never prepped the players, one of whom admitted learning about it from the Jumbotron during the Super Bowl!” Inconceivable.

Don’t work overtime focusing on the fancy. Fundamentals are fundamental for a reason.

leadership dot #4189: inputs

February 17, 2024February 14, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Several restaurants I frequent do a robust take-out/delivery business. While it’s good for them, it seems that they have a hard time fulfilling the in-person orders while also trying to prepare the to-go orders in a timely fashion. It’s the modern-day version of retailers trying to answer the phone quickly while still helping the customer in front of them.

Organizations that have multiple inputs may be best served by having distinct processes to handle the different channels. Let a crew handle online orders only. Have someone dedicated to handling chat and online messaging while others address in-person customer needs. Designate a person to answer the phones and another to be a welcoming receptionist. Different inputs require different strategies for successful outputs.

leadership dot #4181: idle time

February 9, 2024February 8, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I went to a restaurant that had a two-hour waiting list. Once we were seated, it was another 30+ minutes before we received our order. The problem here isn’t that the restaurant can’t accommodate the crowds; the problem is that the kitchen can’t accommodate the crowds. If the seating allocations were proportionate to what the cooks could produce, then the turnover would reduce idle time and make the whole operation more efficient.

Idle time is expensive. It’s why Southwest flies tight schedules — when the plane is on the ground it’s not generating revenue. When the churches are empty, they’re not fostering engagement or connection. If the taxi is waiting in the queue, it’s without paying passengers. If the space isn’t leased, it isn’t covering the overhead.

Review your assets to assess where there is idle time in your operation. Slow technology may be worth an upgrade to prevent staff from lag time. A closer distribution point may be worth the hassle of creating it. A bigger kitchen could pay for itself. Don’t sit idly by and let the void consume your gains.

leadership dot #4175: imperfections

February 3, 2024February 1, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

At a craft show, a vendor was selling a collection of earrings for a discounted price because they did not live up to his standards. His sign read: “For those who don’t need perfection.” I looked at the earrings and could not see the flaws.

Other established retailers follow a similar pattern of discounting their goods when imperfections appear. I’m a frequent shopper at Wisconsin’s Bargain Nooks where Lands’ End sells its rejects, and often find them to be as good as new to me. Faribault Mill advertised its factory seconds sale with a tagline citing: “Sorry, we’re perfectionists. Incredibly high discounts, incredibly low chance of you finding the flaw.”

Calling attention to your imperfections is a way to preserve your brand integrity and reinforce your quality message. If you dismiss something with such a minor variation, it speaks to how much you value excellence in your work. Instead of hiding your near misses, it may be a better strategy to highlight them.

leadership dot #4174: groundhog day

February 2, 2024February 1, 2024by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

In the movie Groundhog Day, February 2nd keeps repeating itself, trapping weatherman Phil Connors (Bill Murray) in a continuous time loop. Unfortunately, many employees feel like Connors, having to relive the same problems over and over in their work. While the Groundhog Day movie antics make for great comedy, in real life, it’s anything but funny.

Think about the issues you discuss repeatedly but never resolve. The glitches that you work around instead of fixing. The policies that frequently annoy your customers but are not addressed. The employee who repeatedly spreads toxin that causes a disruption. The ergonomically incorrect chair that creates daily aches.

We all have groundhog moments in our lives where it seems like déjà vu all over again, or sometimes they happen so frequently that we no longer notice. Today, I invite you to truly resolve one of those “groundhogs” and free yourself from the continual loop of frustration.