supervision – Page 2 – leadership dots

leadership dot #4901: firefighter

March 20, 2026March 18, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

When an organization is in crisis, the focus becomes all short-term. It’s “where can we cut?”, what change can we make today?”, and “how can I get through tomorrow?”. Leaders can become so involved in firefighting that they forego innovation.

And then it becomes a vicious circle. When leaders fail to articulate a vision of what the other side of change looks like, there is no near-term movement to achieve it. The crisis consumes all of the organizational energy, often deepening the troubles.

Even in the best of times, it’s hard to think about tomorrow amid today’s meetings and priorities. Strong leaders need to be intentional about carving out separate chunks of time to think about the future and to take preventive measures before flames erupt. Schedule your calendar as a visionary, not a firefighter.

leadership dot #4900: composition

March 19, 2026March 17, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

It’s a tricky and important job to assemble a board, committee, or task force. You try to balance demographics and pay attention to constituent representation. You need expertise, but don’t want everyone so entrenched in the status quo that they are unable to innovate. You want thinkers, but may also need “doers”. You may strive to have certain skills present, but you may also want to give new voices a seat. And you need to keep the group to a manageable number, or they’ll spend as much time finding a time to meet as they spend doing the work.

One tool to help with this task is an attribute list. I wrote about this (dot #684a) as it relates to interviewing and hiring, but it works just as well to define committee composition. Rather than picking people based on history, position, or interest, take a few moments to write out the key characteristics you are seeking in your group. You may even create a matrix, as each member will likely meet several needs (e.g., skills, demographics, etc.).

Not that a committee compiled by popularity, legacy, or random selection would necessarily be bad, but one chosen with intentionality is likely to be much stronger. Give your ad hoc “hiring” as much attention as you do permanent spots by clarifying in advance the role you are trying to fill.

leadership dot #4877: monster

February 24, 2026February 23, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

You may have heard about the blizzard in the Northeast. A genuine bombogenesis blizzard with nearly two feet of snow and hurricane-force winds. The storm was so big that on the satellite it looked like a hurricane swirling toward land.

The National Weather Service said there were whiteout conditions that will make “travel treacherous and potentially life-threatening. Travel should be restricted to emergencies only.” The governor said it was “critical” for people to stay off the roads. The mayor said they need “everyone to stay inside to let the plows do their work.”

What did the head of HR of a major employer say? “The offices will be open, and we will be operating as normal.” What?!

Note that this is offices, not a hospital or essential service. No message of “stay safe” or any display of empathy. Just get in here or take a vacation day. What they gained (if anything) in productivity, they lost in how they (mis-)treated their employees.

If you can’t muster the willingness to care for your employees in normal times, at the very least, try to do so when there are extenuating circumstances. “Monster” doesn’t just describe this storm.

This photo is an image from the GOES East weather satellite 22,236 miles above the ground.

leadership dot #4873: new identity

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

Through formal university classes or other leadership development programs, people can learn the skills required to become a supervisor. What’s missing for them to be effective, though, is an internal transition: a mindset shift from being an individual contributor to that of a leader. And this means putting the organization as a whole before their team’s needs or personal preferences — something that is tough to do after having it the other way around for so long.

It’s a hard transition to make because often a person’s identity is tied to the individual role they formally played for years, if not decades. A person sees themselves as a teacher instead of a principal. A line worker instead of a foreperson. A beat cop instead of a lieutenant. A doctor instead of a hospital administrator.

People often rise through the ranks after years of schooling and serving in direct service roles. Those jobs have become more than a title or position and are intrinsically and intimately tied to how they see themselves; thus, it’s hard to shed that self-perception to put on another identity and defend different priorities — but that is the heart of the matter.

If you want your advocacy to be for “down” the hierarchy, stay as an individual contributor. To be an effective director, your loyalty needs to first be “up” the hierarchy and to the organization as a whole.

leadership dot #4869: care

February 16, 2026February 13, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

During the recent big snowstorm that hit the South, at least one store showed how to care for its employees.

My friend, who works for Home Depot in Virginia, recounted how, as she was leaving, her manager called her into the office to check that she had everything she needed in preparation for the storm. Then, once the storm hit, she received a text from Home Depot Disaster Support. It said they were checking on all associates in impacted areas. During and after the storm, they would periodically send welfare check texts, and everyone was asked to respond. If no one did, Home Depot would notify police and EMS in the area.

Of course, the store was busy with everyone stocking up on ice melt, shovels, generators, propane, etc. So, to care for those working, each store has a credit card for disaster relief, which the manager used to purchase pizza for employees for lunch and dinner shifts. The human resources manager made breakfast and crockpots full of soup.

Home Depot is a major corporation, but in this instance, it demonstrated how to act like a family business. In advance, it also established systems and processes to handle disasters or other extenuating circumstances. What would your employees say about how you handled a similar event?

Thanks, Joan!

leadership dot #4865: thought process

February 12, 2026February 11, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I remember when I was in math class, and the teacher always demanded that we show our work. The same was true in English class, when we had to provide outlines and first drafts along with our final paper.

While it didn’t make any sense at the time, I now believe it was meant to establish a pattern of explaining our thought process. It’s something often forgotten in today’s hectic workplace, but would help immensely with understanding the “why” behind decisions or assignments. If supervisors “showed their work” to employees, staff could learn the critical thinking that led to the decision and have a better grasp of what they were ultimately trying to achieve. Saying “do this” without context can leave it open to misinterpretation or confusion.

There’s a difference between 6×2 and 3×4, even though both result in a product of 12. Sometimes, seeing those previous steps can make a difference. Get in the habit of showing at least some of your work as a way to help others more closely align with your desired outcome.

leadership dot #4859: ask and tell

February 6, 2026February 5, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I admire leaders who seek input from their teams. The practice helps build trust and understanding, as well as providing new perspectives and alerting about potential pitfalls. I know many of my ideas have been improved by comments from my staff, and they surely have saved me from missteps.

But there are also times when the leader needs to tell, instead of ask. If a change is mandated, a decision has been made, or unpopular news must be communicated, the leader needs to firmly announce that, without the pretense of seeking input.

A leader can also “tell” when it comes to setting expectations or delegating assignments. It’s great to offer choice or input when possible, but having conversations about everything drains time and the team’s spirit rather than enhancing it.

It’s not “don’t ask, don’t tell,” rather, ask and tell — just be intentional about when to do each.

leadership dot #4842: curiosity

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

It’s a myth that the leaders have all the answers. They may need to make more decisions, but effective leaders are as skilled at asking questions as at answering them.

Especially for new leaders, the temptation is to decree rather than to discern, but curiosity is one of the key skills needed in today’s world. As Stephen Covey wrote, “Seek first to understand.”

Wise leaders pay attention to their question-to-answer ratio and ensure it slants toward the inquisitive side. Have you asked a good question yet today?

leadership dot #4835: plumbing & poetry

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

“Leadership is plumbing and poetry.” — James March

In her book, Strong Ground, Brené Brown shares this quote that I believe captures the essence of the elusive leadership skill. “Plumbing” refers to the tasks of the role, the coordination and implementation functions that keep the trains running. “Poetry” highlights the intangibles that allow leaders to create a vision and inspire people with it. Both are required for a leader to truly be transformational.

Think about which aspect is your strength, and which side you need to strengthen to enhance your own leadership. It’s needed now more than ever.

Quote from On Leadership by James G. March and Thierry Weil as quoted in Strong Ground by Brené Brown, 2025.

leadership dot #4834: so that

January 12, 2026January 11, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

With any leadership or supervisory transition, there are bound to be changes introduced. To help those affected by the new ways of working, it is helpful if the leader sets the context for the adjustments.

Examples include:

“We’re altering this process so that…”
“We need to revise how we do X because…”
“We’re making an adjustment to X in order to…”
“We’re experimenting with X to see if…”
“We’re trying to accomplish X by doing Y.”
“We hope to see X when we do Y.”
“This is why we’re making the change.”

Just as toddlers don’t like the “because I said so” rationale given to them by exasperated parents, neither do team members react well to demands not placed in a bigger picture. You can save some pushback by helping your staff understand how a change fits into where you’re coming from and where you’re trying to go.