Category: tools

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 #2767a: where

April 25, 2026April 18, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

For a simple warm-up icebreaker, I asked the participants where they would choose to have a gift card from if given one for free. It proved to be a great way to learn something about others in a quick and easy format.

Examples of answers included “DSW – because I’m a shoe nut – it would always be for shoes;” “Aldi – because we’re trying to pay down our debt and then I could use my grocery money to do that;” and “Best Buy – because I’m a techie and like the latest gadgets.” You could definitely get a sense of personality in a light-hearted way.

The next time you’re looking for an opening question for a group, toss out the gift card query. (And if it’s your group, take note of recognition opportunities for the future!) From where would you want yours?

Originally published in modified form on January 20, 2020

leadership dot #829a: triage

April 24, 2026April 18, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

People often think that coming up with ideas is difficult. If you put any time into the thought process at all, ideas are the easy part. Usually, I, and those who work for me, have far more ideas than we can possibly implement. In reality, the real trick comes in when evaluating the ideas and deciding where to spend your time and resources.

I use a simple method of keeping track of ideas and goals: Now, Later, and Eventually.

There are certain things that can, or should, be done in the very short term. An idea for a birthday present. A quick process fix that can be done without much effort. Something you want to do this week or so.

“Later” is something that doesn’t make your immediate list, but is still relatively short-term. You don’t want your thinking to digress at this moment, but the idea is good and should be pursued soon. Later goals fall into the category of “the next time this comes up, I’ll address it.”

“Eventually” goals and ideas are things that really are good ideas, but the timing isn’t right to pursue them now. You don’t want to lose them or spend time on them now, so you can keep a list of longer-term items to revisit occasionally to see if any have moved into the “later” time frame.

This simple triage method may help you keep on track to accomplish what you can do now without distraction, but still allow you to prioritize and manage those good ideas that will make a difference in the future.

Originally published in modified form on September 8, 2014

leadership dot #4927: levity

April 16, 2026April 14, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

In my class, we were discussing ways to build camaraderie and a positive culture without spending much time or money. This is especially important for organizations with hourly employees who may be unable to participate in out-of-office activities without clocking out.

Studies have shown that informality fosters candor and connectedness, both important qualities for your team. Some ideas for quick ways to interject occasional levity at work:

Have different employees pick their favorite song to start the day
Start with a crazy question, with the winner getting a goofy prize (e.g., the number of feet in the household [dogs = 4])
Have a potluck just with snacks
Hold office pools: for sports, for when the first snow will fall, for when the first 90-degree day occurs, etc.
Have taste tests: Red Vines vs Twizzlers, Pepsi vs Coke, etc.
Post pet photos and guess their owner
Hold a donation drive for a charity
Have employees wear shirts from their favorite team, color, band, etc.
Bring in coffee and donuts to enjoy during morning break
Pick a color, and go crazy with it: (e.g., wear orange, bring in orange foods, use orange in emails)
Play silly games — one office rolls balls down the hall into a box in the boss’s office, again for a “fabulous” prize
Share some of the many different flavors of Oreos or M&Ms and rate them
Play Bingo to see when jargon or catch phrases are used
Repeatedly share 1 can of pop with another person — have a conversation and build the relationship

I’m sure you (and your team) can add many more ideas to the list. The activities may sound silly, but fostering some connectedness is nothing to laugh at.

leadership dot #4883: illustration

March 2, 2026February 25, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

One of my favorite teaching tools is the Magic Coloring Book. I can amaze audiences with a coloring book that alternates between showing all blank pages, all outline pages, or all fully colored pictures. While it looks like “real magic,” it is surprisingly simple to master.

I just used it when talking about creativity: “Some people think they have none, some have a little, and some consider themselves creative, right? But if you know the technique, everyone can be creative.”

I used it during orientations, urging students to become involved in college so that when they leave, their resumes and experience wouldn’t be blank or outline; rather, they’d be fully colored.

I have used it many times to demonstrate the difference between no participation (staying home), a little effort (voting), and being fully engaged (activism).

If you need a guaranteed attention-getter that can demonstrate your point with flair, consider a Magic Coloring Book. You, too, can be a magician with a purpose!

leadership dot #4854: another use

February 1, 2026January 30, 2026by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

A few weeks ago (dot #4840), I wrote about Airbnb offering “originals” experiences that provided tourists with curated adventures and opportunities that would be difficult to acquire on their own.

A colleague of mine adapted that dot and used it as an icebreaker/exercise for her students to share what they would offer in such a format. Some of their answers include:

-I can show someone how to kill and skin animals
-I can show someone how to make Middle Eastern chicken and rice
-I can be an interpreter for someone since I speak Spanish —this one was more unique than the people who said they could teach someone a foreign language
-I can take someone behind the scenes at a theatre and show how a show is put on
-I can share tips about using valet and tell you weird stories because I’ve been a valet for five years
-I can take someone out and introduce them to unusual people – a fire eater, various dancers, etc.
-I can tell someone all about superheroes – both Marvel and DC
-I can make semi-realistic drawings of people
-I work in a paint store and I can help people with all their painting needs/questions

A few takeaways from this: 1) you can adapt this dot to create an icebreaker of your own; 2) ponder what your answer would be instead of just asking the question; and 3) challenge yourself to think of dots in a different light. I never intended the Airbnb dot to serve as an exercise, but it works well for that. Use the dots as a stepping stone to trigger other uses and ideas that fit your context.

Thanks, Colleen!

leadership dot #4798: instant feedback

November 21, 2025November 20, 2025by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I just received glowing feedback for a series of sessions I facilitated. The thing is, the people who gave my agent the comments did not attend the workshops. They knew how it went because I sent them typed copies of the feedback comments that I received from the participants.

Getting instant feedback makes things tangible to decision-makers and makes feedback actionable for the presenter. I hardly ever facilitate a session or class without asking for quick, written comments.

My go-to method is asking for 1) A Praise (something that went well), 2) A Wish (I wish we would have, I wish we wouldn’t have, etc.), and 3) One thing they learned — written out on an index card. I’ve also asked people to respond to those questions via text or by putting answers in a remote chat. Regardless of the method, it gives a good sense of the overall impression and provides specific feedback about elements of the presentation to keep or modify.

Many people are trained to take photos of everything, as if there is no picture to post, it seemingly did not happen. I feel the same way about receiving instant feedback. Don’t leave a session without it!

leadership dot #4774: anniversary

October 28, 2025October 27, 2025by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

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.

leadership dot #1172a: A to Z

June 29, 2025June 22, 2025by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I did a training for a group of student leaders where I used the Alphabet Exercise. I gave pairs a sheet of paper with each letter of the alphabet followed by a blank line printed on it.

Their assignment was to leave the room and find, in order, the letter “A”, then the letter “B”, and so on in any place they could. There was a token prize for the most creative location a letter was found, but the main point of the exercise was to have them become more conscious about what was around them. All the letters had to be visible without manipulating anything, so, in theory, they had walked by all these things but just hadn’t noticed.

The hardest part of the exercise was determining a winner. They had letters from an artist’s signature on a painting; the letter in the middle of the football field of a competitor — and a selfie to prove they really had gone there in the allotted 20 minutes; words from serial number plaques on machinery; someone crawled under a car to see the Y in Goodyear on the backside of a tire; buttons on a washing machine; and even a garden hose laid out in the shape of a J.

We later used the exercise to make a point that things are happening all around us — including what Dan and Chip Heath call “bright spots” in their book Switch, and that it behooves us to notice more closely than we usually do.

Think about playing the “alphabet exercise” the next time you are walking about. My experience is that first you’ll notice the obvious ones: on a street sign or license plate, but eventually you’ll see not only the make of the car, but then the dealer sticker; not just the name on the mailbox, but the brand and US Post Office notifications; flags and home decor, etc.

Raising consciousness is as easy as A, B, C, but the lessons from the mental gymnastics can serve you well past Z.

Originally published in modified form August 17, 2015

leadership dot #4605: demographics

April 28, 2025April 25, 2025by leadership dots by dr. beth triplettLeave a comment

I recently attended a public event where community members were invited to share ideas for the region’s future. To capture the demographics of those who attended, people were asked to place stickers on each of several pie charts in the lobby. Pies were drawn on large sheets of butcher paper and included a chart for gender, age, and ethnicity.

In addition to providing attendance data for the sponsor, it served as a powerful visual for the participants to see that the demographics were heavily shifted in certain areas and that other groups had less representation and input at this event.

Consider the pie chart/sticker method the next time you wish to gather and display demographics in real time or don’t wish to put people on the spot by asking them directly.