#286 k-a-t

We hosted the Regional Spelling Bee on campus this weekend, and I was able to watch a few rounds.

The 8th grader who won, Joshua Kalyanapu, makes it his practice to misspell his word during the practice round.  It must be working for him, as he won the regional Bee for the second time.

Most of the kids on stage, and certainly their parents, all seemed tense and anxious.  But Joshua strolled up to the microphone, spelled his easy word wrong, and then went on for 21 rounds to spell the hard words correctly.

I think Joshua gives us a good lesson by reminding us not to take life so seriously.  You can experiment and have some fun in the practice round, as long as you're ready to do business when it counts.  All of life has an ebb and flow.  Don't try to keep on your game face 100% of the time.  Know when you can relax and take advantage of the opportunity to have some f-u-h-n.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

#285 sharing

In #75, I wrote about the three stages of transition as described by William Bridges (the ending, the interval/limbo stage, and then the beginning).  I recently received a copy of the obituary from his passing last month.

What I didn't know about his work was that Bridges began his career as a literature professor, but found himself questioning this choice of profession.  He then taught a class called "Being in Transition", but found little written about the topic or language to describe the feelings he was personally experiencing.  So he decided to write about it.

He feared that his work was "slight" and would soon go out of print.  Instead, what was an attempt to give words to a personal journey became a national bestseller (Managing Transitions) which sold more than a half-million copies.  Bridges also went on to write other bestsellers and continued to link his scholarly work with the experiences he was living throughout the other transitions in his life.

Many years ago, I talked to a speaker on the college circuit who advocated recording lectures and sharing the tapes, "otherwise you are just talking to air."  Jayne Lybrand believed that what she said had value, and made the effort to pass her messages on beyond who heard her in person, even though at the time the reproduction process required significant effort and expense.

Do you have experiences that you should document and share, but feel that they are "slight" and not worthy of publication?  Are there lessons from your life that could benefit others?  Today's technology makes it so easy to share your knowledge and insights.  Take a lesson from Mr. Bridges and give language to what you are living.  Your words may live on far longer than you do.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

* William Bridges obituary in ASTD newsletter, February 28, 2013

#284 the flip side

Yesterday's blog wrote about the unfair burden that is placed on the individual to miss the final score in a game -- instead of being a hero, he is often, unjustly, tagged for the loss even though many other events contributed to the outcome.

I heard interesting commentary on this thought that shares another perspective: 

The same is true on the flip-side too: placing all the praise & success on the last person to perform.  In the recent high school hockey Missouri state championship game, the underdog beat the heavy favorite in overtime.  It was a thrilling, well played 2-1 game.  

The MVP award of the game went to the player who scored the game winning goal; that was the ONLY thing of real significance that he contributed to the game.  No mention was made of the FRESHMAN goalie who made nearly 30 saves to keep it a close game, including throughout the sudden-death overtime period (even after the announcers on TV were talking about the goalie ALL game long). 

Anyway, I like to call it “prisoner of the moment”: focus on THAT moment rather than the whole process leading up to the success (or failure).  

This mentality of recency plays out in the organizational world most prominently at evaluation time: people are rated highly or poorly depending upon their short-term performance rather than being rated for their work throughout the year.  Supervisors and colleagues would do well to take steps to see the whole term of performance and to provide feedback accordingly.

-- beth triplett and Brian Gardner

leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots

leadershipdots@gmail.com

#283 at the buzzer

I was watching a basketball game that had a tie score during the last few seconds.  A player missed a shot at the buzzer, and everyone was lamenting how "he blew it."  

This seems to be an unfair burden placed on the one individual.  Why don't people consider all the other things that happened that led up to that point?  If someone else had made their free throws in the first quarter, the game may not have been tied.  A bad pass, a missed basket, a lapse in defense -- all these things earlier in the contest contributed to the closeness.  

It is easier to place blame on the most recent event, but to truly impact change we need to consider more of the whole picture.  Next time something goes awry, don't point fingers at the most recent contributor.  Rather, assess why it all came down to rely on that one culminating event in the first place.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

#282 disappearance

Today you have one hour less than you did yesterday.  It just disappeared while you were asleep.

Do you ever have days where time seems to disappear while you are awake?  For most, this happens when you are immersed in something that you love and you forget about all distractions, limitations or time constraints.  It may be when you are engrossed in a project, curled up with a great book, having fun with those you love or relaxing on a weekend. 

What pleasurable activity can transcend time for you?  Today, instead of mourning the loss of your hour of sleep, try to engage in something that will have another hour seemingly float away...only this time because of joy instead of Daylight Savings Time.  

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

#281 yard by yard

As we think about creating change, often we wish for a clear path or significant movement. This thought may help you put things in perspective:

Seldom do we have the whole football field wide open.  We need to be content moving the ball down the field, a yard or so at a time.  We also need to become comfortable with the fact that we may not be the one making the touchdown; that our role may be to become a blocker or passes, but not the one who scores.

As a leader, one of your roles is to help people see the goal -- and understand their role in heading toward it.  Sure, there are the breakaway returns, where the lone player runs the ball back for a touchdown, but more likely the players are all in a tumble and the ball moves only a few feet.  The play can even result in a net loss instead of a gain.  Align the expectations with reality, and everyone will feel more comfortable about how the game is progressing.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

Thanks to Al DeCiccio for the original idea

#280 giving

Last week, the university staff heard a presentation from a United Way volunteer who was trying to motivate us to make donations to the community cause.  He tied his comments into a presentation by the previous speaker who was acknowledging the season of Lent.

"Instead of asking what are you giving up for Lent," he said, "think of what you are giving."

Giving up and giving are very different actions.  Think about your own organization or personal situation -- when are times that giving is appropriate and when would it be better if you were giving up instead?  Which is easier for you to do?  Both have their place -- just give them their due with intentionality and not by automatic default.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

Dr. Liang Chee Wee, at Staff Assembly, 2/20/13