Category: perspective

leadership dot #5037: curating

August 26, 2026August 25, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I am teaching a class that is new to me. I was given a previous syllabus and a textbook, but no materials or guidance on what will be covered in the multiple class sessions.

So, I have been gathering relevant content for the past several weeks. Some came from the text; other exercises or content came from previous classes, another book, a friend in the Peace Corps, work with the school district, Harvard’s newsletter, a creativity game, and even the students’ own papers. Gathered as a whole, I believe it will provide a meaningful experience for the wide range of students taking the course.

But I never could have assembled this material all at once. It was amassed through a process of incubation, curation, research, and organization that occurred over time.

Too often, people are paralyzed by the magnitude or scope of a big project and procrastinate on starting it, when the best (only?) thing to do is begin. Thinking about it is a step in the right direction as ideas can develop, but acting on the project piece by piece usually yields a better outcome than a rushed job near the deadline.

Don’t underestimate the power of slow but steady curation. You can assemble the puzzle if you have collected enough of the pieces.

leadership dot #5033: a new use

August 20, 2026August 19, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

If you’ve ever been in a store that sells Crocs, you know the Jibbitz used to decorate them have become an integral accessory. Little plastic add-ons come in every shape and style imaginable, letting people personalize their shoes in a way that is impossible with other footwear.

I hadn’t seen them anywhere besides shoes, but recently I have seen notebooks and lunch boxes designed to hold Jibbitz or their knockoffs. That makes sense, since many kids have plenty of them, and the ability to make their items unique is more appealing than generic products.

Jibbitz wasn’t designed by Crocs, though. A mom realized that colorful materials could be attached to the holes in the shoes, and a business was born. (Crocs later purchased the business for $10 million.) Now other companies are capitalizing on Jibbitz’ pervasiveness to boost their bottom lines.

Take a lesson from them and consider whether someone else has created something that could benefit your organization. You don’t need to be the inventor of everything — just the one who can implement it in a new way.

leadership dot #5029: dead

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

At one of my “nothing” lunches with friends this week, the conversation started with youth sports and morphed into a discussion of baseball bats. To me, a bat is a bat is a bat. Maybe I knew about the distinction between wood and aluminum, but at lunch I learned that there is oh so much more to them. Different lengths, weights, inner cores, and more. And the price! I had no idea that even youth bats could cost several hundred dollars!

But what surprised me the most is that bats die. After so much use, bats are considered dead and no longer suitable for use in a game. They may look normal, but players know that the bat no longer hits as it should.

Consider whether you have tools that should be declared dead. They may still be around and in use, but no longer perform at their peak. If kids see the value in upgrading a bat, maybe it’s time to consider replacing something you use to increase your effectiveness.

leadership dot #5026: next turn

August 11, 2026August 10, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

While it’s important for the leader to have a long-range vision for the organization, it’s also necessary for them to translate it into short-term next steps for those who must implement it.

Think of it as going on a trip. The leader must know the destination and the planned route to get there, but the front-line driver just wants to know whether to turn right or left at the next intersection. Progress is made, and rewards are gained, by aligning those next 2 miles in service of the larger vision.

If your staff is inexperienced, they are (metaphorically) in the driveway and don’t have the capacity to internalize the entire trip. Help them to help you achieve your end goal by giving them strategic guidance in smaller chunks that they can absorb. Allow them to focus on going in the right direction today, while you concentrate on the endgame of tomorrow.

leadership dot #5016: transformation

July 28, 2026July 27, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

One of the most impressive parts of my Detroit visit was The Station at Michigan Central. The former railroad station building had been abandoned for 30 years and was subjected to vandalism, theft, weather destruction, and sheer neglect. In 2009, the City of Detroit wanted it demolished, but they did not have the funds to do it. How fortunate!

Ford Motor Company purchased the building and has spent a billion dollars on its renovation to make it a center of innovation for the region. They have restored the lobby area to its former glory through application of money and mettle. (One example: to replicate one of the damaged, grand outdoor pillars, the contractor tracked down the original limestone quarry to get matching materials. The quarry had been closed for three decades, so Ford bought it, reopened it, and mined the necessary limestone!) They have infused restoration with modern techniques, such as recreating the gilded chandeliers through 3-D printing and utilizing LED lighting throughout the building. They preserved what was salvageable and recreated the rest using photographs and pieces of the building that were returned during their “amnesty period,” when stolen artifacts were welcomed back without penalty. (Example: a tiny piece of the main wooden clock was returned and allowed the engineers to determine the exact scale of the original, 10-foot clock).

The Station is a testament to what vision (ok, and money) can achieve. I can’t imagine who had the eyes to see what could be with this graffiti-laden, waterlogged shell of a structure, but someone was able to see the possibilities and realize them. I’m sure they were met with choruses of naysayers and realists who pushed back against the idea, but fortunately, they persisted in moving ahead.

If you need inspiration to keep moving forward on an idea that feels too big to accomplish, let The Station provide it. Look at these before-and-after pictures and realize that the seemingly impossible is possible.

Photo credit: Stephen McGee/Michigan Central

leadership dot #5015: misperceptions

July 27, 2026July 26, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

Last week, about 20,000 people from all over the country rode their bicycles for 391 miles as part of RAGBRAI ([Des Moines] Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa). They ended in our town, dipping the front wheel of their tire in the Mississippi River, after having dipped their tire in the Missouri River to start the ride.

What comments did we hear from riders? “Iowa is so hilly. I thought it was flat, but there were so many hills.” It’s a common misperception from people who think they know, but haven’t experienced it for themselves.

I was guilty of a similar false pre-judgment when I visited Detroit this summer. I lived there 25+ years ago and wasn’t anxious to go back, but went with my sister to check another MLB stadium off her quest. The city was amazing! We were so impressed with the cleanliness, free attractions, world-class art museum, beautiful miles-long riverbank, and innovative spirit. It was not the Detroit I knew before.

Information from others can be slanted or outdated and, consequently, very inaccurate. Before you make up your mind about something, try to experience it directly.

leadership dot #5014: in-between

July 24, 2026July 19, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

We fritter away so much time on our own, but when others make us wait, it seems like a travesty. Organizations have tried all kinds of tricks to reduce the psychological burden of waiting, including artwork, interactive displays, and winding paths to the destination. Delivery services let us track our merchandise every step of the way, so we know when that pizza or package will arrive at our door instead of constantly checking for it.

Logan Airport in Boston found a novel way to help passengers forget the wait for their luggage by installing a free nostalgic arcade in baggage claim. The hours flew by when my brother and I were in heated Pac-Man battles in the 1980s, and it is presumed that the same suspension of time would occur while waiting for the carousel to start rotating.

If you know that your audience will have to wait — whether for an appointment, entertainment, or their luggage — consider the wait time as an integral part of the overall customer experience. The smoother you can make the in-between, the better people’s overall perception of your organization will be.

Thanks, Meg!

leadership dot #5010: getting by

July 20, 2026July 19, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

It’s harder to do things when you don’t fully commit to them.

People who hate shaving don’t want to pay for premium razors, so they hate it even more when they try to shave with a cheap blade.

DIYers give up when they run into challenges trying to do projects with only basic tools.

Artists have a hard time creating professional work with cheap brushes or only free software.

Budding cooks are frustrated by recipes that require processes that could be easily done with a specialized appliance but are hard to do by hand.

Golfers who use basic clubs will likely not improve their score until they upgrade their equipment.

When you want to do something regularly, it pays to invest in the tools to do it well. What you spend in money, you will recoup in time and quality. Stop just getting by.

leadership dot #4981: supportive

June 16, 2026June 15, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

A colleague was on the receiving end of some bad news at work. Her boss called her when he heard, but instead of instantly jumping into a conversation about it, he asked: “Talk or space?”

It’s a simple question, but one packed with powerful understanding. Some people want to process aloud right away. Others want to be left alone to let things sink in and to handle their emotions privately. By asking in shorthand, you can quickly assess a person’s preference and either take a seat or close the door on your way out.

Don’t assume that everyone wants to talk things through. If your goal is to be supportive, start by asking what that looks like.

leadership dot #4980: put out

June 15, 2026June 13, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

The student speaker at my niece’s graduation made an insightful comment that has been noodling around in my head since I heard it. Ben Ryan of Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis said:

“I spent a lot of time asking myself who I was, eventually realizing that my best answer was ‘I don’t really know...So, instead of looking inward at something I didn’t understand, I began to pay more attention to what I was putting out. I started talking to the lunchroom staff every day when I got my lunch, really trying to connect with my teachers, having conversations with people that I would normally just walk past…What these small gestures made me realize is that we are what we put out. You are the people you surround yourself with. You are the stranger you start a conversation with in class. You are the person you smile at in the halls. You are the lunch server you tell to have a good day. What you put out is what you will become.”

I like this concept for its ease of implementation. Everyone can “put out” kindness and connection, and I think Ben is right that it benefits not only the person who receives it, but the giver as well.

Pay attention to what you “put out” today and let it reflect the person you wish to become.