perspective – leadership dots

leadership dot #4947: don’t assume

May 13, 2026May 12, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I’m part of the school district’s community task force, charged with making recommendations for how to align resources since the bond referendum failed. As part of our work, we toured one of the high schools. Among other spaces, we saw a robotics lab, drafting and engineering computer stations, hospital beds, welding bays, an engine repair station that allows students to work on everything from snowblowers to rebuilding car engines, and a construction lab where students are building sheds. It is offered at both high schools as part of the district’s career and college readiness program.

What I saw was nothing like any high school I went to. Had I not been on this task force, I would have driven by these schools every day, assuming all that was inside were classrooms, a library, a cafeteria, and a gym, as I had.

Think about what assumptions you might be making based on old or incomplete information. Maybe church has changed since you last attended years ago. Perhaps yoga isn’t as strenuous as you imagine, even though you have never tried it. Maybe you can learn pickleball. Perhaps if you take a tour of your schools, you would think differently the next time you vote. Maybe if you visited, you’d learn that the humane society has more than cats and dogs up for adoption. Perhaps if you attended a meeting, you’d learn how government really works.

Start by recognizing that you are making assumptions about many things, and then challenge yourself to learn firsthand whether your perceptions are true. You may be surprised at how different reality is from what you have been believing.

leadership dot #4942: skewed

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

A fast food receipt read: “Rate us a Highly Satisfied and Receive a BOGO Sandwich.” What kind of survey mechanism is this? Instead of soliciting accurate data about how well the restaurant is doing, it will falsely skew the results in a favorable direction, overemphasizing the positive. Any negative feedback has the likelihood of being discounted due to lower numbers.

It’s not just restaurants that rig the system to get good reviews. Some managers create a culture in which only positive comments are welcome. While they don’t dish out a BOGO sandwich, they achieve the same results by delusionally believing that, because they only hear good things, all must be well.

In the book Good to Great, Jim Collins noted that the great companies confronted the brutal facts. They may be hard to hear, but knowing you have problems or performance issues is the first step toward correcting them. Don’t delude yourself by insulating your input from bad news. The ones you want to reward are those who speak the truth, even when it’s hard to hear.

leadership dot #4941: phrase

May 7, 2026May 6, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

One of the most useful phrases I know is “help me understand…” It is a sincere way to initiate a conversation when you may not agree with the person or premise before you, or when you want to learn another perspective. Examples:

“Help me understand why you think this is a good idea.”
“Help me understand what you are trying to accomplish with your proposal.”
“Help me understand what the best way is to support you right now.”
“Help me understand how I have upset you.”
“Help me understand what attributes you value in this candidate.”
“Help me understand your preferred learning style so I can onboard you most effectively.”
“Help me understand why you think you missed your goal.”
“Help me understand why you made the decision you did.”
“Help me understand your reaction to the meeting.”
“Help me understand where you would most like to be involved.”

I teach that a key component of a difficult or important conversation is your opening line. It sets the tone for what follows, and the “help me understand” phrasing tends to avoid defensiveness and starts the exchange off on a learning note. Give it a try and see if it can’t jumpstart a productive dialogue for you.

leadership dot #4935: pace

May 1, 2026April 30, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

A key strategic component of the 1,000-mile Iditarod race is when to rest the dogs. It may be tempting to push them further, but competitive mushers know that the dogs cannot indefinitely sustain a racing pace and must be well-fed and well-rested along the journey.

It seems that not all supervisors take such care. Asking teams to push, push, push is not good for productivity or morale. At some point, those who stay will become burned out, and their output will suffer. Perhaps unrealistic expectations for ONE project can be accommodated, but no one can maintain a relentless pace over the long term.

Don’t confuse “possible” with “sustainable.”

leadership dot #4933: transitioning

April 29, 2026April 28, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I’m helping coach someone transitioning from an individual contributor role to a leadership role. She made an astute observation that in her previous position, her life revolved around checklists. She was able to write out tasks, cross them off as she accomplished them, and use them to direct her work. But as she is discovering in her new role, there are not always checklists as a leader. She wisely realized this difference and is working “to train her brain” to think differently about her work.

It’s a living example of the difference between a technical problem (where there is a ‘right’ solution) and an adaptive one (where no one solution exists). Leadership is much more intuitive and iterative, and often involves work on things that are never finished or can’t be checked off a list. It can trip up a new leader who has only known success through tasks and tangible outputs. Not only do you have to think differently, but you must also manage your time and priorities in a new way as well.

Consider whether you are in a “checklist” role or whether your time is more appropriately spent on relationships, strategy, and the intangibles that create an effective culture. Without the dopamine hit of crossing something off the list, successful leaders develop internal metrics of success.

leadership dot #4932: blind spots

April 28, 2026April 21, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

A new book, Blindspotting, poses the question about what is stable in your personality and what can change. Author Martin Dubin proposes that you may not change your core, but through self-awareness, you can always adjust your behavior. He encourages people to become “self-curious.”

Dubin’s model shows a center motive (the why behind what motivates you), expressed through intellect, emotion, and traits. This inner core does not change, but you can change how these conditions show up in your behavior and identity (the outer core).

Dubin has created an assessment to help you identify where your default responses fall short and where too much of your strength becomes a liability. You can take the assessment here. It provides an interesting perspective on what to watch for when under stress.

We all have blind spots. Sometimes, we’re not open to hearing feedback about them or how our behavior could be modified. This assessment allows you to privately reflect (and correct) by pointing out what may be present to others, but not to you. Take 10 minutes to see yourself more clearly.

Source: Blindspotting, by Martin Dubin, 2026

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 #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.

leadership dot #4920: transcend

April 9, 2026April 7, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

When I interview people for an article I’m writing, I receive full cooperation and referrals to other sources. Often, those sources are competitors, but people set that aside because they identify as part of the same profession. They transcend their differences to share an affinity greater than any individual opposition. Professional associations operate on the same principle; people gather under the umbrella of their commonality, focusing on that bond rather than the fact that they compete for the same customers.

It’s a good framework for all of our relationships — focusing on what brings us together rather than what puts us at odds. We can be rivals rooting for different teams, or claim the identity of being a basketball fan. We can have loyalty to our town/state/country, or see ourselves as citizens of the planet, all wanting the best quality of life. We can focus on our narrow role, or take ownership of serving the entire organization’s customers.

How you react depends largely upon how you define your identity. The world is a better place when we see ourselves as part of a larger group.

Do you identify as a kiwi or part of a fruit salad?

leadership dot #4895: entrepreneurs

March 14, 2026March 13, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

There is always someone who benefits from the misfortune of others.

During COVID, think of the increase in sales for plexiglass, to-go containers, test kits, and hand sanitizer. Delivery services and online shopping saw a spike in orders.
After a natural disaster, sellers of tarps, generators, plywood, chainsaws, and cleaning supplies experience robust sales.
To supply a war, defense contractors benefit from providing ammunition, equipment, uniforms, and intelligence.

There are many benefiting from the government’s horrendous immigration raids and detention facilities, and it’s a sign of how much terror has escalated when companies want to profit from individual fears and needs. My social media feed has had advertisements for bulletproof backpacks, safe bags to prevent phone tracking, and gas masks. I’ve also seen ads encouraging dual or new citizenship in several countries.

Mister Rogers said to look for the helpers in bad times. You can also look for the entrepreneurs who are turning someone else’s bad into their good.