#703 embrace it

Over the weekend, the owners of an obscure company became famous.  Ever heard of DAP Racing before Saturday?  Unless you are a thoroughbred aficionado, I doubt it.  But the (one and only) horse owned by this duo won the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.

DAP Racing is the legal entity that owns California Chrome, the colt that has America talking.  DAP is an acronym for Dumb Ass Partners, so named after a trainer shared that sentiment about their foray into racing.  Their silks even include an image of a donkey.

Instead of second guessing themselves after the taunts they received when breeding a $8,000 mare to a $2,500 stallion, partners Perry Martin and Steve Coburn embraced the doubt.  They believed in themselves, their 77-year old trainer (the oldest to win the Derby) and their California-bred racehorse.

DAP Racing is not the only one to turn taunts into their tagline.  Rock band Led Zeppelin took on its name after former members of the band suggested that a group without them would "go down like a lead balloon".  The remaining musicians changed the spelling of lead to led so that it would not be pronounced 'leed' and modified balloon to zeppelin.  The band went on to become one of the most successful and influential groups in history.

As you or your organization take risks, you may be faced with doubters or even question yourself.  Take a lesson from DAP Racing and Led Zeppelin and be fearless in pressing forward anyway.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

Sources:  

Fairy tale finish by Beth Harris for the Associated Press in the Telegraph Herald, May 4, 2014, p. 1C
Led Zeppelin from Wikipedia  en.wikipedia.org

#702 SWWC

My former boss had a small, engraved sign on his desk that simply said:  S W W C.

For the longest time, I wondered what that meant but did not have the courage to ask.  It was positioned in such a way that it obviously was meant as a reminder to himself, much like the way the W W J D bracelets signaled their wearers to be cognizant of What Would Jesus Do in life's situations.

Finally we developed a comfort level with each other where I was brave enough to inquire.  The answer:  So What Who Cares.

SWWC signified that he had to do what was right for the organization, and it did not matter if a special interest was upset by the decision.  SWWC could pose as a question as to whether a decision was relevant and created an impact -- who would benefit from the action and were they the group that should matter.  SWWC kept him away from the petty issues since no one cared about their outcome.

It is a simple mantra, but one that may help you tune out the noise to remain focused on what matters.  Whether on a plaque or on a bracelet, the omnipresent reminders can keep you centered and on course.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

#701 rock

I just returned from a trip to Texas and a visit to a friend's home.  While I was there, he showed me the new landscaping that he recently had completed.  The purpose of the change:  to get rid of some of the grass in his yard.

It pained me to hear this as I have been trying mightily to grow grass in my yard.  

I know that he spent a hefty sum to have the grass removed and the rock garden installed.  I have spent more than a few dollars myself trying to fertilize and seed my back yard area (with little success I may add!)

The grass/rock dilemma brought home the importance of context and understanding of the situation.  If you were asked:  "which is better, grass or rock?" and answered without knowing the climate or availability of water, you may have a different reply than if you were informed.

One way is not right for everyone.  Seek to take the other person's perspective before you jump to conclusions or make judgments.  Rock beats scissors, and sometimes it wins out over grass.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

#700 tragedy

Thirty years ago, our campus experienced a great fire that destroyed one-third of the buildings.  Last week, I attended a panel presentation by several members of the faculty who were involved in that tragic day.

The former president had been on the job 111 days when the fire occurred.  Yet, she was on the news the evening of the fire, letting people know that a) graduation would occur as scheduled just two days later, b) summer school would start as scheduled in four days and c) we would rebuild.  At the panel presentation she recounted how she walked into the board of trustees meeting the day after the fire with a list of things that had to be done to move forward (eg: write prospective students, contact alumni, find temporary quarters for classes and the faculty, etc.).

Her comment last week: "In case of a tragedy, you shouldn't miss a beat."  Her focus as a leader was to orchestrate how to move into the future.  There was work to be done, and a lot of it, which became a visible sign of confidence to all those around her.  There was no doubt and there was no limbo, even when there were unanswered questions and chaotic logistics to be determined.

None of us know how we would act if we found ourselves facing such daunting circumstances.  But keeping Catherine Dunn's words of wisdom tucked in your brain would be a great place to start!

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

#699 simulation

We have been interviewing for a new copywriter.  It's hard to know from writing samples and interviews whether the person can adapt their style to ours and whether the ability to write great articles can translate to being an effective "Tweeter".  

So to help us in the process, we gave the candidates up to one hour to complete three tasks:  writing copy for an ad, preparing a Facebook post and writing the headline and copy for the next postcard in a series.  We hoped that this would provide us (and them) a realistic simulation of the types of assignments and the time frame usually allocated to do them.

The results were quite interesting to see.  The four candidates wrote with varied styles and took such different approaches to what they highlighted in their messages.  It gave us a much better sense of their fit with our needs and made the selection process easier.

Job searching is a two-way street.  Anything you can do in the process to help find the best fit and skill alignment is of benefit to both you and the candidate.  Take some time to craft a search that provides exposure to many of the people and tasks that will be part of the daily routine.  Time spent now is time saved later.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

#698 under your nose

I like to have time for ideas to incubate because once I start thinking about a topic, almost always something else appears that relates to it. 

I have written about Hello Kitty and now I see those products everywhere including in the shampoo aisle, fruit snacks and toothpaste.  I presented a speech using Oreos as a metaphor, and with regularity I still see products that use Oreos and new specialty flavors of the cookie.  I searched to give my lime-loving brother-in-law a birthday package of lime flavored products and now they show up almost daily.

I had this experience during one of my FitBit quests*.  It's hard to walk the aisles of a grocery store without shopping, so instead of hunting for items on my list, I decided that I would try to find blog ideas.  It is amazing what you can see when you start to focus and look at things with an intentional perspective.

There is so much information and stimulation out there that we need to narrow our filters so we actually can process some of it.  By focusing in on potential blog ideas, the store came alive with possibilities:  specialty cheese, Kuerig, colored M&Ms, bacon in a box, allocation of space, cake mixes.  If I had not focused on finding topics, I would have missed them all.

Allow yourself some time for your mental radar to scan the environment and find the answers for you. Usually they are out there if you first frame the question and then just pay attention.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

*See Blog #697

#697 daily

You may have noticed a grocery store theme over the last week -- something that would be surprising to those who know me and know how little I frequent the place.  But I have been wearing a FitBit activity tracker and am committed to walking 10,000 steps each day -- and some days that means roaming the aisles of the grocery store to log those final paces.

Wearing a FitBit puts an extra kind of pressure or accountability on the wearer; it something that you need to attend to every day.  I walk the aisles and achieve the goal, but the next morning I am back to zero.  There is no working ahead or stockpiling steps; it's 10,000 per day, not 70,000 per week.

In reality, FitBit becomes a discipline tracker.  It tests my mettle to see if I can find the dedication to get those darn steps in regardless of my schedule, the weather or social plans.  I find myself walking to offices more frequently vs. emailing.  Cruising the sidewalk outside a restaurant while waiting for my friend to arrive.  Doing my physical therapy stretches while moving about the house instead of standing still.  And, of course, my dogs think that the FitBit is outstanding!

What can become a motivator and discipline incentive for you?  Maybe it relates to something besides exercise: you want to meditate every day or reflect in a journal.  Or maybe you commit to writing something: a blog, part of your dissertation, a novel.  Or perhaps you want to read an article, paint or knit.

Mr. Rogers said:  "I like to swim, but there are some days I just don't feel much like doing it -- but I do it anyway!  I know it's good for me and I promised myself I'd do it every day, and I like to keep my promises."

What will promise will you make to yourself?

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com