It would be impossible to sell a piece of the Gateway Arch, so the National Park Service has done the next best thing. Instead of destroying the steel cables that carry passengers to the top of the monument, they have repurposed them into unique gift items. Now, people can truly own a piece of the Arch, just not in the way you would expect.
While your organization may not have the appeal of the Arch, perhaps you can repurpose something to create a memorable piece of history or otherwise unavailable item to give as gifts or as a revenue source. Mass-produced has its place, but hopefully not on your holiday list.
Today marks the start of the Thanksgiving holiday, and for many, it means taking to the skies. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) estimates that it will screen 17.8 million passengers this weekend.
A more staggering statistic is that TSA reports passengers leave behind 90,000-100,000 items at security checkpoints each month! Items include driver’s licenses, passports, and computers, among the more valuable forgotten pieces.
If your organization experienced 100,000 instances per month (over a million times a year) where customers were inconvenienced, wouldn’t you design a system to prevent that? Have TSA hand people their items. Monitor what remains on the belt and call after people. Have people place their ID in each bin so they can be paged for retrieval. Put a tracker in each bin that is linked to the traveler when they check in. Something! Instead, the process continues as usual, with each item logged and stored, taking even more resources on the back end instead of fixing the problem upstream.
When the system isn’t working, it’s far better to find a solution than to just track how many times it’s broken.
I watched a fascinating video about how hotels are changing to cut costs and attract customers in a competitive market. Declining occupancy rates and alternatives such as Airbnb have caused the industry to rethink its properties in substantial ways, as has social media. Hotels are no longer beholden to AAA or other ratings with set criteria and instead are chosen through guest comments on posted sites.
The video outlines changes that hotels have made to shrink the size of rooms without impacting guest satisfaction. Wardrobes were replaced with hooks and open closets, irons are no longer in each room, mini-bars were replaced with refreshments for sale in the lobby, and the bathrooms were redesigned to remove amenities, among other changes. And while the rooms themselves have been reduced in size, the lobbies have transformed to become large, communal spaces where people gather to work, drink, do laundry, and socialize.
I think the video provides a lesson for other organizations facing a changing environment. Instead of staying the same and bucking the headwinds with more advertising or reducing prices, the hotel industry shows that you can make changes in some areas by cutting and other areas through addition. The smart move is to rethink what you have to offer and maximize what your customers truly value, not just what they have always had.
The next time you stay in a hotel, take a critical look around. Do you even notice how it has changed from a decade ago? The evolution of the facilities can be a model for your transformation.
While working in the garage, I tripped and received a cut right on the ball of my elbow. Due to the location of this cut, it has been difficult for it to heal fully. I keep bending that joint, leaning on it, or touching it to another surface, and the pain reverberates. It’s an outsized impact given the (lack of) size of the wound.
I think of people who have outsized impacts in an organization — either positively or negatively. Some positions are central to the action — and for those, you should invest extra resources to ensure you have the best in that role. There are others whose work is less vital to the mission and causes fewer ripple effects.
Who are your “elbow” people — those who connect to others and are involved in myriad activities and processes? It’s worth your energy and care to ensure they are operating at the highest level.
Today is the 60th anniversary of the date the Gateway Arch was completed. I have always had a special fondness for the structure, a true engineering marvel that has stood the test of time.
On this occasion, I’ll repeat dot #1512:
I recently was in St. Louis, and after hundreds of times seeing it, I am still awe-struck by the Gateway Arch. Not only is it a magnificent piece of architecture and civil engineering, but I also think it is a powerful metaphor of how to function as a supervisor.
In my office, I have a picture of the unfinished Arch, just as they are installing the last piece. It is a visual reminder that the two sides were built simultaneously, all the way to the top, before they could be joined.
On an individual level, I think of building my employees like the Arch, taking care to address their performance on one side and their professional development on the other. I do not believe that you can ignore either and still get the result that you desire.It’s also a balance of providing simultaneous challenge and support.
Organizationally, I am reminded of work from the Santa Fe Center for Emergent Strategies that encourages simultaneous cultivation of entrepreneurial processes and instrumental processes. It is the yin and yang of long-term and short-term, infrastructure and innovation, or operations and strategy. You must have both, or neither is strong.
Think about how you can use the Arch as a metaphor for the work ahead of you. Putting in that last piece was a marvel in itself, and it serves as a reminder that you need to pay equal attention to both sides for the fit to be right.
When people think about providing disability accommodations, what often comes to mind are physical mobility issues — wheelchair ramps, lower sinks, larger restroom stalls, parking spaces, etc. However, many others require accommodations for various reasons.
The History Museum in St. Louis acknowledged this by providing services for the visually impaired and also the often-overlooked colorblind. By using Artificial Intelligence, the Museum could deliver verbal descriptions through smartphones and also provide special glasses for those who are unable to distinguish colors. It is another step toward being inclusive and allowing everyone to be able to fully experience the exhibits.
Think about the accommodations your organization provides and go beyond the ordinary. Those who are recipients of your care will be most appreciative.
One of the city candidates is promoting free downtown parking as part of his platform. Doesn’t that sound like a great idea?
I used to think so, but then I had a conversation with a small business owner who was very much against the idea. Surprised by this, I asked why, and learned that if there are no meters, many of the prime spaces could be/would be taken by downtown residents with no incentive to move their vehicles. Long-term parkers would occupy the convenient spaces in front of businesses and actually make matters worse.
If something sounds like an obvious solution, before you jump in to support it, ask yourself why it hasn’t been enacted already. It’s always worth the time to learn about unintended consequences.
“[Coaching sets are] the ROI maker on our transformation investments. Without coaching and other integrated systems that give us opportunities to practice new cognitive skills and continue to challenge the new systems that we are building, we will either default to our old ways or build new systems that are replicas of the old ineffective ones we just tore down…I’ve had a coach for years and can’t imagine my personal or professional life without one. Leaders are the only high-performing professionals who are expected to do their work without coaches. Can you imagine supporting a sports team or athlete who had no access to coaching?“
I’m not sure why coaching is seen as a luxury instead of an investment. People go to the doctor for wellness checks, and to mechanics to do tune-ups that keep the vehicle functioning. Why isn’t it routine for leaders — who often have responsibility for teams of people and substantial budgets — to receive an outside perspective and support to improve?
Coaches can help new professionals and middle managers as well as executives. In fact, they may help the less experienced people more. As you’re looking at upcoming professional development plans, consider coaching for some or all of your team. The results could be transformational for both the employee and your organization.
Our community health center has just expanded to include a dental wing. Instead of the traditional ribbon cutting to open this area, they held a “floss-cutting.” Of course! I love this idea.
Like the cherry-crazed Michigan business which labeled its restrooms “Pit Stops” (dot #4722), the aptly-named Chiroport in the MSP airport, manta rays in Tampa Bay Rays’ stadium, or the iconic branded chairs at the University of Wisconsin Union, I applaud those organizations that create little tweaks to make something their own.
If your [ribbon-cutting, restroom, newsletter, lobby, brochure, strategic plan] is generic enough to be anyone else’s, take the time to rethink it. Work to celebrate you in ways that reflect your organization’s personality.
Our Community Foundation spearheaded a process to envision the top 10 ideas to enhance the region in the coming years. Instead of just publishing the final selections, they commissioned 10 local artists to each depict an idea, then auctioned the art for the project’s seed money. The reveal event was held in the art museum’s space, providing a great way to garner additional community support and raise funds for the work.
Think about creative (literal and figurative) ways that you can weave partnerships into the initial stages of your next project. No matter how fancy your print pieces are, they won’t have the same impact as an original piece that conveys the same message.
connected by a Sports Hub by James ColeAccess to the Mississippi River by Laura KavitterHealthy Food by Gail Chavenelle
