organizational effectiveness – Page 4

leadership dot #4843: contingencies

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

Out my office window, I can watch the squirrels try to access their buried nuts. They planned ahead and stored their food, and they even know where it is hidden, but due to the layers of snow, they are often unable to reach their specific treasures.

It reminded me of other scenarios in which people created contingencies, only for circumstances to foil their planning. The Tulane University admissions office stored duplicates of all its prospective student data in a building at one of the highest points in New Orleans to keep it secure. Unfortunately, Hurricane Katrina flooded all access points to the area, leaving the hilltop inaccessible.

The New York City Office of Emergency Management had a central location to coordinate communications and direct resources in the event of a disaster. It was a well-thought-out plan, except that the headquarters were in 7 World Trade Center and communication was through an antenna on 1 World Trade Center.

It appears that ever-changing circumstances require us to have contingencies for our contingencies. Don’t rely on just one point of access to your nuts.

leadership dot #4840: originals

January 18, 2026January 16, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Often, one of the most popular items at silent auctions is an experience you can’t get anywhere else. Airbnb is bringing what was once exclusive to the masses.

The company now allows guests to book additional experiences and services beyond lodging. In addition to tours, workshops, and outdoor adventures, guests can book chefs, massages, and trainers to provide services to their Airbnb. But the real place that the company has leveraged its power is in providing “Originals” options to guests.

People are now able to book experiences such as:

Exploring Notre Dame with its restoration architect
Having afternoon tea with the Royal Butler
Wheelchair curling with an Olympian
Carving marble with a third-generation sculptor
Learning mixology in a Spanish speakeasy
Building strength with a former NFL player
Exploring a museum with its curator

Airbnb realized it could provide more than just a place to stay, and instead of offering car rentals or restaurant reservations like others do, it curated a collection of experiences that set it apart from traditional hotel bookings. It’s rare to create growth in a logical, yet unclaimed category, but Airbnb seems to have pulled that off. What’s not being offered is often far better than more of the same.

leadership dot #4837: sustaining

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

Ahh, the allure of “new.”

I see it all the time: people get excited about starting something and become enamored of the next new thing. Maybe it’s proposing a new initiative, jumping on the latest bandwagon, or creating another committee to address an issue. Everyone is gung-ho at the start, but rather than digging in when things get mundane, initiatives are abandoned in favor of another shiny new idea. Organizations are then left with a host of projects that fizzled out due to a lack of continued resources or enthusiasm.

Donors love to fund innovation, and people like to work in energizing start-up environments, but impact often occurs in the more routine, sustaining phases, where ongoing effort produces lasting results. There is only so much money and energy to go around, and “new” requires a disproportionate infusion of both.

Take a hard look at what exists that is worthy of further investment. It may not be sexy to focus on sustaining something, but it may be where the greatest value lies.

leadership dot #4831: serve

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

A colleague was reminiscing about her time serving on a restaurant staff, calling it the “best team.” What made it more enjoyable than her career jobs was what she described as “an awareness of others” — that everyone knew what they were supposed to do, and that from the dishwasher to the line cook to the wait staff, everyone worked in concert to make the experience happen.

It’s a reminder that great teams can happen in any environment if there is a clear mission and a strong sense of trust. It doesn’t have to be glamorous work, and you don’t need a lofty title to create an environment that fulfills people and provides a sense of purpose. Serve up clarity and collaboration for a winning staff recipe.

leadership dot #4830: telltale

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

I’ve written before (dot #2287) about using uncommon measures to gather feedback and assess outcomes. It’s nothing scientific, but there is often data available to help you gather telltale signs of how something is being received.

If I worked in retail, one of the uncommon measures I would monitor would be the pile of merchandise that invariably accumulates by the price-checker machines. I look at this stack every time I scan something, as it tells me that customers were interested enough in the item to check the price, but that price was presumably too high for them to complete the purchase. What great insight for managers to have, rather than having the stock clerks dismantle the evidence without any analysis.

Do you have an equivalent situation in your organization — where there is unrealized feedback that could instead be gleaned for unfiltered commentary? Look around for uncommon measures that could help set you apart.

leadership dot #4822: think twice

December 15, 2025December 11, 2025by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Our Kohl’s has recently redesigned its checkout area to be the central point of service for all transactions. This includes purchases, of course, but also Kohl’s store returns, online order pickup and returns, Amazon returns, and Shopify returns. When I arrived at the store as it opened to process my return, there were already 16 people in line — none of whom were buying anything.

The line moved slowly as the cashiers encountered several bottlenecks. There were only two Amazon scanners, even though more than two people had those types of returns. My cashier did not know how to process Shopify returns, so another left her post to train her. The clerks were confused as to which box returns should be placed in. It was maddening for all.

When I received my return confirmation receipt, it included a coupon for 20% off on my next Kohl’s purchase. I threw it away, not because I couldn’t put it to use, but because I was not going to wait in this long return line to buy something.

I believe Kohl’s needs to decide if it is a store or a return depot. While they are undoubtedly benefiting financially from processing all these return transactions and from driving traffic to their stores, the current setup seems to drive people away from buying there. Before you consider add-on services, think twice about how it will impact your core purpose and return to that.

leadership dot #4816: messy

December 9, 2025December 5, 2025by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

If you’ve ever been in a drama production, you know there comes a time, a few weeks before the performance, when everyone has doubts about whether you can pull this off. People forget lines. Tech doesn’t work properly. The choreography is clunky. You think that the show will never come together in time.

And then, something magical falls into place, and the curtain rises. Everyone comments on how well things went.

Often, we focus on that ultimate applause and forget the messy middle that got us there. It happens with artistic performances, but also in organizations. You may admire others’ fundraising success, industry awards, or project outcomes — but I guarantee there was a point in the process where there was more pain than glory.

The path from the optimistic beginning to the ultimate completion never follows a linear process. There are pits, missteps, do-overs, frustration, and even despair along the way. Stick with it, and your curtain can rise, too.

Thanks, Mike!

leadership dot #4812: fraud

December 5, 2025December 4, 2025by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I woke up yesterday to find a Fraud Alert text from American Express. When I called them, I learned that someone had tried to use my card to buy a $25 Starbucks eGift card. I think about the systems AMEX must have to flag such a minor purchase, especially at the holidays, when everyone is buying things outside their norm.

Not only did American Express deny the charge and alert me, but of course, they are issuing a new card. When I groaned at the prospect of changing my number in so many places where it is linked, plus the inconvenience of being without a card while I waited for a new one, the agent assured me that I need not be concerned. They were overnighting me a new card; they would automatically link my new card to all the places that I had recurring payments; I could use my current card for all physical transactions until the new card arrived, and they instantly linked the new number to my Apple Pay so I could use that for any online transactions today. Except for that initial phone call, I had to do nothing.

Two lessons as takeaways: 1) Create systems that catch minor issues before they become a major disruption, and 2) Develop processes that resolve any problems in the most seamless way possible. AMEX showed that doing these two things can make a bad situation a win-win for both the company and the customer.

leadership dot #4808: olive

December 1, 2025November 25, 2025by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

In 1987, American Airlines removed one olive from every salad it served in First Class. Probably the only person who noticed was their accountant, as the small move saved the airline $40,000/year!

Olives weren’t chosen at random — their research showed that the olives were often left behind uneaten, and the fruit was one of the most expensive items in the salad. A strategic decision to eliminate one of them resulted in savings without a downside.

You don’t have to make big adjustments to have an impact. Through observation and analysis, if you select the right small target, you can have big results.

leadership dot #4807: disguised

November 30, 2025November 26, 2025by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

If you were a company shipping fragile items overseas and found that your product often arrived damaged in transit, what would you do to solve this?

Many companies may reinforce their packaging, plaster the containers with bold “Fragile” warnings, or contract with a different vendor, but Dutch manufacturer VanMoof came up with a more creative option. To protect their high-end bicycles on their journey, they printed a picture of a flat-screen television on the box. This simple move reduced damages by 80%!

Before you reach for a complicated solution, see if you can’t find a creative one instead.