#1460 clothes horse

Over the weekend, my sisters and I cleaned out my mom's apartment and prepared to move her to a skilled nursing wing. Even though we did massive amounts of purging when she moved out of her house, we still found ourselves with a van-full of donations for the local Goodwill.

And what comprised the majority of items? You guessed it: clothes.

I have become conscious -- and thus astonished -- by the amount of clothes that people discard every day. The career clothes closet where I volunteer literally is overflowing with donations. The local Goodwill even appears to be reaching its limit as it has a warehouse full of castaways. 

Unfortunately, clothes are designed with planned obsolescence. Fashion changes not only with the seasons, but with the whims of designers who want to inspire people to buy new each year. Even if trends stayed the same, body size doesn't. I have given away perfectly good items because they were too big or too small, and I know I am not alone in doing so. Kids outgrow clothes about as fast as you can buy them, adding to the excess. Rarely do clothes "wear out." 

The mantra of environmental consciousness is "reduce, re-use, recycle." We should apply that lesson to clothes purchases. It may not seem like a bad thing to clean out the wardrobe when you are giving the clothes away instead of adding them to the trash, but there are just far too many donated clothes than what people are using. 

I'd suggest that you think twice before you buy new items. Consider buying at Goodwill (etc.) instead of just dropping things off there. Share with friends who have similar aged children. Add a new accessory and make those clothes last one more season. 

It may be fun to be fashion forward, but you'll be even more stunning if you are  environmentally forward instead.

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

Donated clothes at Goodwill

#1459 wave the flag

Every other holiday has exploded with commercialism, so I shouldn't be surprised that it has carried over to Memorial Day/Fourth of July. Red, white and blue merchandise has become omnipresent, from towels at Kohls to hangars at Walmart, it seems that products in those three colors are e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e.

The patriotic theme carries through to decorations, packaging on every type of food product, clothing, jewelry and home accessories. If it was a response to or way to demonstrate increased patriotism, I'd be all for it, but we all know it is a merchandising ploy to extract green from wallets into cash registers.

Nonetheless, I hope that for those who buy some items off the prominent displays that some of the patriotic feel rubs off on them. Take a moment today to recognize those who made the sparkle possible. 

Memorial Day is the first of many summer holidays that could have us waving Old Glory (Flag Day, Independence Day), and I hope you wave your flag proudly for this great country of ours.

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

#1458 doggone fun

A few weeks ago, I received a postcard in the mail offering me a $15 discount on dog food. It was substantial enough that I decided to give chewy.com a try, and one order was all it took to turn me into a fan.

I am not sure how they do it, but the same bags of dog food that I used to buy in the store are now delivered right to my door for less. No more lugging 30# into the cart, onto the counter, into the car and then into the garage. Now it just shows up at my house, every six weeks, without any further intervention on my part. 

But more than that, Chewy is fun. Their customer evaluation started with "Whaddyathink?" and continued to read: 

We want to hear it all- tell us the good, the bad and the furry! And don't forget to upload a picture of your pet pal. We'll crowd around a computer, say a collective "Awwww!" and try to pet the screen. Thank you for sharing! Lots of Pet Love and Happiness, Your family at Chewy.com. After my second order, I received a hand written postcard. Their boxes encourage me to take a picture of my pet sniffing the box (which they do!) and send it in to them. It is like the Zappos for pets. Not every company would be authentic when utilizing such a fun style, but for some it works. Think about what tone is right for you and then own it. If your culture is light-hearted but your correspondence is formal, you could take a lesson from Chewy and let your promotion wag a little bit more. -- beth triplett leadershipdots.blogspot.com @leadershipdots leadershipdots@gmail.com

#1457 butterflies and bees

I admire those who can see something new in what most people overlook because it is so obvious. 

This happened with a coalition of environmentalists who saw potential in the unused median strip of Interstate 35. The road spans 1,500 miles from Minnesota to Texas, and, until now, was mostly barren grass designed to protect drivers from a head-on collision with someone heading in the opposite direction. But thanks to an agreement signed this week, the six states will deploy new seeding and different management practices in the median of the highway to provide a fertile mating area for honeybees and butterflies. 

The Interstate will be branded as the Monarch Highway to acknowledge the plan to boost the population of these valuable insects. The states expect to actually spend less money under the new system since the plantings will require less mowing and reduce erosion. It's a win-win for everyone.

What is in your world that is an underutilized resource? Instead of repurposing content (as I wrote about earlier this week), is there something else that could take on a new life and serve double duty in a helpful way? Can you imagine a better use of something that has more potential than is being realized now?

Turning the median strip into an intentional breeding ground is but one example of how things can be seen through new eyes. Take a look around your organization, home or community and see what ideas buzz around your head for how to utilize something differently.

-- beth triplett

leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots

leadershipdots@gmail.com

Source: I-35 plan should help bees, butterflies by David Pitt for the Associated Press in the Telegraph Herald, May 27, 2016, p. 11A

#1456 full nest

There was an article in the paper recently that said Millennials are living with their parents longer than ever before, and for the first time on record more 18-34 year olds are living with their parents than on their own.  

This has implications for many aspects of society: the housing market is sluggish because Millennials aren't buying and there are no empty nesters to downsize and sell; it has lessened the demand for apartments, and fewer people are working in jobs because they don't have the pressing need to pay rent. Millennials are also delaying marriage, which in turn delays raising a family, and we will see repercussions from that for a long time to come.

The author speculates that many are living with their parents post-college due to heavy debt loads from their time in higher education. Another theory is that low wages in jobs prohibits workers from being able to afford high apartment costs or living on their own.

I think another possible answer is that Millennials have not developed sufficient life skills to claim their independence. As more and more schools embrace intrusive advising and success coaches, colleges get further away from being a laboratory for development of resilience, maturity and perseverance. Young people are not left on their own to fail, or to figure out the consequences when they do. They don't have as many opportunities to develop what Angela Duckworth calls "grit", a stamina and tenacity that comes from sticking with something that is hard work. Many Millennials have been nurtured and even coddled for their whole lives, and they leave college without the confidence that they can make it in the "real world" because they haven't gained experiences that tested their mettle  in the "pseudo real world" of a campus.

It's touching that Millennials have such a comfortable relationship with their parents and that families provide a safety net for so many. But just as baby birds are meant to leave the nest, I believe Millennials are meant to become engaged citizens and contributing consumers in their own right. Before they are 40. 

What role can you play in helping that to happen?

-- beth triplett

leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

Source: Goodbye, empty nest: Millennials staying longer with parents by Christopher S. Rugaber for the Associated Press in the Telegraph Herald, May 25, 2016, p.6B.

#1455 nine lives

Our Sam's Club has an endcap display of about 20 books, usually new releases or best sellers that have the capacity to sell in volume. 

Last weekend I noticed that author Sandra Brown had a book featured. I am a fan of her suspense tales and was excited to see that she had a new book out. Only on closer examination, I discovered that it was just a new cover on a 1997 publication instead of a new story.

Sandra Brown has taken to heart the social media mantra of creating 20% new content and repurposing 80% of what is out there. She did it with her books, but I suspect she applies it in other ways as well. I would do well to learn from her in this area as about 99% of my content is new and only a bit is Tweeted or used (by me) elsewhere in places such as Facebook or Pinterest.

I did not grow up in the use-it-again generation and sharing the same thing in multiple places somehow feels like cheating. But if Sandra Brown can get a whole new life cycle out of a 20yr old book, maybe there is something to this repurposing idea.

There is hardly anyone out there that doesn't feel "too busy" at one point or another. Maybe we can all take a lesson from Sandra and reuse some of the great work we have done before. Perhaps the annual report can stay the same design with just numbers being updated. The meeting agenda can be made into a template. The history of an organization can be shared across platforms. Testimonials can be used in print and electronically. I could use blogs from three years ago again and see if anyone notices!

As my media friend says: "Content is king!" Let your royalty parade around a bit longer to get the full effect of its majesty.

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

#1454 color police

As I was driving, a fire truck with sirens blaring became visible on the road behind me. Followed by the truck was an ambulance. Both were painted red.

It got me wondering why police cars aren't red too.

I presume that the red (or occasionally yellow) on fire vehicles is to make them more visible on the road...as if you wouldn't spot a 50' ladder truck no matter what color it was painted. Perhaps red was to align with the color of fire, but it is just as likely to mean "emergency" as in the red cross.

Police vehicles started off as "black and whites," but have evolved into more white or black -- or even silver, blue or combinations. There is no standard police vehicle color, even on the marked cars. 

In Europe, police have placed greater prominence on visibility than design and many communities have painted their protection vehicles in neon colors including yellow, orange or green. Still no standardization, but at least rationale as to why they did it.

Wouldn't people benefit from a) greater visibility of vehicles that may be traversing the streets at high rates of speed and b) more uniformity in look so as to instantly know that this was an emergency vehicle? The undercover cars could remain stealth, while the marked cars could sport a highly reflective design.

Think about how this relates to your organization. Are you doing things just because you have always done them? Are there instances where some standardization would be helpful? Can you see your choice of colors through new eyes?

It may be beneficial to police your choices to make them with intentionality.

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

Police car in Norway

#1453 color wheel

I was talking with my hair stylist who had just completed a class on how to become an even better hair stylist. The teacher taught hair coloring as a creative art and got everyone in the class pumped up about her methods. But she ended her class by cautioning students to anticipate the steps of the creative process when they returned to their salon and attempted to put the new techniques into practice. 

This process, as defined by Victoria is as follows:

1. You are really excited to try something new and creative. "This is awesome."

2. You learn that the new process isn't as easy as it looks. "This is tricky."

3. You discover that creating something is actually quite hard. "This is sh*t."

4. You begin to have doubts. "I am sh*t."

5. You stick with it. "This is getting better."

6. You stick with it some more. "This is awesome again."

I think the process is apt for most creative endeavors, and certainly beyond coloring hair. Keep the progression in mind as you encounter doubts and roadblocks while you are trying something new. If you hang in there past number four, you'll likely find style and magic in your work.

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

#1452 gray

One of my favorite ways to assess how someone really feels about an issue is to ask them to give their answer along a spectrum. It's easy to say that you are for or against something, but that implies a false dichotomy; in reality, there are many shades to an answer and discerning those subtleties provides a much deeper understanding.

For example, in interviews, no one is going to say that they don't like technology. So I ask: "On the technology spectrum, how comfortable are you with using it: Geek to using it as a practical tool." Or I may ask: "On the social media spectrum, how engaged are you?" I have found that I receive much more revealing answers and have a truer sense of the person's actual skills or preferences.

I also use the spectrum scale in other settings. In a recent session about strategic planning with a board, I asked members to rate where they fell on the planning spectrum on such issues as where goals should fall between safe and audacious, whether ideas should fall toward those which fit in the current budget vs. costs should be ignored, whether they weighed in closer to stewardship or innovation, and how they would rate their desire for building on strengths vs. addressing weaknesses. Of course, my scale did not have an exact mid-point, forcing members to stake a preference toward one side or another -- which stimulated some great discussions as well as a more clear understanding of how similar (or different) opinions were.

When you frame your questions to receive answers around a spectrum, you will learn about nuances that a simple "yes" or "no" will never reveal. Make it your goal to see the range of grays on your palette before you paint yourself into a black or white corner.

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

#1451 delivered

A local convenience store has always been known for its pizzas. It sells slices, whole pizzas and even breakfast pies. Many people go there instead of a restaurant.

Recently, they decided to start delivery of their pizzas. This was a logical decision given the prevalence of delivery for this particular item, so in theory it made sense to extend there.  

It hasn't taken long, but I believe the fine folks at Casey's have discovered that pizza delivery is far different than pizza making. Addresses of new subdivisions are not always on the map or even in GPS systems. Delivery requires a whole infrastructure of people to drive cars, take orders and handle money, not to mention the ability to cook the additional demand, especially at peak periods.

Delivery displaces the customer from the cook, so a gap is created. One person takes the order, another makes it, yet another delivers it and translation mistakes occur. I know of several free pizzas that were given to appease customers who received the wrong order or a cold pie that had languished during the delivery route.

Before you extend your product or service beyond its current form, think about all that will go in to the new venture. If you cut your pie into too many pieces, no one is satisfied with the slice that they get.

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

#1450 can it

First Diet Coke played around with its iconic packaging, and now Budweiser is taking their strategy one step further. From May 23 through Election Day, Budweiser is actually renaming itself. 

Instead of reaching for a "Bud", you'll now need to pick up a six-pack of "America". Yes, the iconic (now Belgian) beer is claiming a new label for the summer.



I am not sure what they hope this will get them besides free media hype. Many of the beer drinkers won't even notice, especially not after the first few! I find it hard to believe that anyone is actually going to call it "America", making it in fact a mere packaging change, and I doubt it will spur sales except amongst can collectors. 

To me, this looks like a student graphic design project: Redesign the Budweiser can with a patriotic theme to remind customers that the beer is still brewed in St. Louis, even though the company is no longer headquartered there.

Back in 2008, the musical group America had a hit song "Horse with No Name." Let's hope InBev takes that advice and doesn't extend the America theme to the Clydesdales, and that you think twice before deploying promotional gimmicks with your brand.

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

Source: Budweiser will call itself America for a limited time, NPR, May 10, 2016.

#1449 manifesto

The movie Jerry Maguire pivots around Jerry (Tom Cruise) writing his manifesto and boldly sharing it with the whole company. He titles it "the things we think and do not say," and spells out in it a path for "the future of our business."  Eventually he leaves to start his own agency to follow those principles.

Many companies and organizations have mission statements that go unheralded, in part because they sound remarkably alike, but Champlain College in Vermont breaks that mold. They publicly share their essence and a manifesto that describes how a Champlain education is different from the rest. 

It is so inspiring that a parent took a photo while visiting campus, brought it back to his office, shared it with others there, including someone who talked about it with me, and I am now adding you to the list of readers. They had me at "a radically pragmatic education", but here is an excerpt from the rest: 

A radically pragmatic education...We teach them what they want to know and help them understand what they need to know. We provide unparalleled support and revel in the partnerships we create. We offer tools to think and to act, and the opportunity to immediately put them to use. Because learning how to think without knowing what to do is an education half-done...

It's clear that this isn't a place for everyone, but for the ones who resonate with their manifesto, I'll bet it is an easy decision to show them the money and enroll.

Think about what you think but do not say about your organization, your personal brand or your hopes for the future. Do you have the courage to commit your thoughts to paper and share them with the world? It may not be an easy thing to do, but as Jerry says it could be the "ground floor of something real and fun and inspiring and true."

-- beth triplett

leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots

leadershipdots@gmail.com

Thanks Mike for sharing!

#1448 dichotomy

We don't often think about it, but there is a perpetual conflict between efficiency and effectiveness. 

What may bring long term effectiveness is not always efficient in the short run.  Examples:

> It takes time and results in a loss of efficiency when we move an employee to a new position, but in the end it may be the best for the person and organization

> It is less efficient initially to learn a new software program, but will likely be more efficient and effective once past the learning curve

> It requires an investment to do professional development for boards or a staff, making meetings less efficient while training is conducted instead of business, but ultimately the payoff will be great

> It may be inefficient to do tasks such as tagging four years worth of blogs instead of writing new ones, but eventually it makes the archiving and search process much more effective so more people can utilize the resources

There are many more cases where the two dynamics are at odds, leaving it up to you to make an intentional choice of which trade off you are willing to make. Efficiency sounds like a noble aim, but not if it comes at the cost of long term effectiveness. Make that short term sacrifice for long term gain.

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

Original concept from consultant Zeddie Bowen, 10/23/14

#1447 valor

What is one of the most difficult, yet valuable roles you can play for your organization? Being a truth teller. 

I have shared David Ambler's Guidelines for Working with Students (People) before, but it bears repeating. One of his tenants:
Be honest with yourself and others. It does no good to tell students (people) what you think they want to hear.

In an organization, worse that telling the leader what you think they want to hear is telling them nothing, which is what happens when the previous sharing is repeatedly disregarded or causes negative implications to the one who spoke. The truth teller often has battle scars, but it doesn't mean they should retreat. 

Leaders should embrace counsel that pushes boundaries. It is almost certain that the leader doesn't see the full picture and should recognize that he/she needs others to contribute their perspective and pieces of information. Mostly, the leader needs people around who aren't afraid to disagree or point out that the emperor is not wearing any clothes. 

If the leader starts with the assumption that they are blind to the full reality, it makes it much easier for them to hear what is being said. Listening is a skill that is more difficult than speaking, especially when the message makes the leader uncomfortable or challenges the presumptive path.

It requires bravery to share the truth and courage to listen to those speak it. What are you doing to create an environment of valor?

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

#1446 walk in my shoes

It always gives me pause when someone says "first annual..." because you never know if the tradition will really continue. But this is one event that I hope not only lives on at the Van Independent School District in Texas, but that is copied at school districts across the country.

Last week, high school seniors got dressed in their graduation regalia and paraded through the halls of the elementary and middle schools in the district. The "Senior Walk" served two purposes: to inspire the younger students toward completing their education and to provide recognition to those who were graduating. What a simple gesture with so much power.

Many of the seniors previously attended classes in those same buildings, so it was also a way to allow some reflection on how far they had come, and I'll bet it was a subliminal motivation for them to continue to persevere in their growth.

No cost, little time, great rewards. What can you do in a similar vein to provide simultaneous recognition and inspiration when someone in your organization achieves a milestone? 

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




More pictures here

Thanks Tracy for sharing!

#1445 play it again Sam

I am a frequent player of the Solitaire game on my phone, and I love the feature that allows me to "replay this game." I often do, wanting to see if a different move here or there would have made the difference in the outcome. 

What I've found is that sometimes it does. Making a different decision as to what card to play can often result in a whole series of other moves that influence the final score. I've won several more games with a second strategy.

But sometimes replaying the game ends up without a victory, even when I know where many of the cards are hiding. The game takes a different path, but still does not end up with a win. 

I think we forget about this second option in real life.

Often when we think of "do-overs," we believe that if we had the chance to do something differently it would all turn out better. And sometimes we're right.

But not always.

Life doesn't come with a "replay this game" option so we'll never know for sure. We just need to live it in such a way that we have no regrets about the cards we play and take each hand as it is dealt to us.

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

#1444 magic mirror

Recognize these two characters? I'll give you a clue: their names are Snow White and Tinkerbell. Now what company do they work for? If you answered Disney, you'd be wrong!

These ladies are employed by Pretty Princess Parties, a company out of Minnesota whose troupe of princesses dress, look, act and have names like their Disney branded namesakes, but who aren't affiliated with the Magic Kingdom. Instead, they travel the Midwest on weekends, hosting "princess parties" and "fairy tale balls" for little girls.

And the company is making a pot of gold while doing it. Tickets for each child are $53.74/each, and children MUST be accompanied by an adult for an extra $27.37 each. If your want something special for your little darling, you can buy a VIP ticket and she can spend an extra hour with the "Snow Sisters" (who just happen to be named Elsa and Anna) for $69.57/child and $27.37 for adults.

It's pricey, but for two hours children are transfixed by the attention lavished on them by the princesses come to life. They sing, dance, have photos, do crafts, eat candy and sing songs. Does it get any better than this? Not if you're six years old!

My mother always said that "imitation is the highest form of flattery." I didn't like it when my kid sister tried to copy what I was doing, and I wonder what Disney's lawyers think about this operation. There is imitation and then there is copyright infringement, and I wonder where you draw the line. But if the law is flexible enough to allow it, you have to applaud their entrepreneurial spirit. 

Maybe you don't need to invent something from scratch to create a new experience. Is there a way for you to capitalize on a gap in someone else's strategy and deliver it? What niche is out there that you can fulfill? There could be a royal payoff if you tap into the right magic.

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

Thanks to Mike for enlightening me!

#1443 necessity is...

I recently found myself in a laundromat, waiting with a friend while he needed a mega-size washer. Since I haven't done laundry outside my home since college, I forgot what a boring place it can be. I didn't come prepared with the proper entertain-myself tools, and quickly was going stir crazy.

We decided to improvise and created a backgammon game of our own. We used the newspaper someone had abandoned, the ever-handy black Sharpie that is always in my car and downloaded a dice app on the phone. For markers, one used "heads" and the other "tails" (embellished with a black Sharpie dot to make distinguishing them easier!)

It was crude, but functional, and the time passed quickly.

I am not sure problem-solving at the laundromat is a resume-worthy accomplishment, but I do believe that resourcefulness is an undervalued talent in the workplace. When hiring or promoting, I look for people who can figure out an answer beyond the obvious and who can make things work within the constraints they face. 

Think about how you can cultivate resourcefulness in yourself. The next time you're without the ideal set of equipment or supplies, make do anyway. If you find yourself facing a problem, figure out how you can start on a solution. You don't have to imitate MacGyver everyday, but a little ingenuity can go a long way in staving off boredom and other equally ominous threats.

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

#1442 bottled up

Some folks in our city's water department had the luck of Friday the 13th a week early. A joint in a 20-inch diameter water main broke apart, and before it was over much of the city was under a boil water advisory. The rupture spilled 3.3 million gallons of water, more than I can really imagine.

A disruption of this magnitude causes you to realize how much you take water for granted. There was no pure water to drink, make ice, do dishes or cook food. It was like visiting an underdeveloped country where you only used what came pre-packaged instead of out of the tap.

Suddenly bottled water became the hot commodity. Retailers scrambled to get extra pallets in to accommodate the influx of giant orders for the liquid. The school district alone used 129 cases to distribute among buildings, not to mention the water needed for the 5500 residents in the area. Within hours, store marquees heralded "bottled water here" at places lucky enough to have nimble distribution systems.

The disruption lasted about 48 hours, and only impacted part of the town. Think of what it would have been if caused by natural disaster or terror where it would undoubtedly be more widespread and lengthy. 

On the spectrum of what you would need in a disaster, fresh water is high (highest?) on the list. Maybe you should stock up a case or two to have on hand in case your lucky rabbit's foot (or water main) fails you.

-- beth triplett

leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots

leadershipdots@gmail.com

Source: Water main breaks: boil order in effect by Alicia Yager, Telegraph Herald, May 4, 2016, p. 1A and

Schools, businesses keeping hydrated by Allie Hinga, Telegraph Herald, May 5, 2016, p. 1A

#1441 uppercase

It wouldn't seem like such a big deal to stop using capital letters in your communication and switch to the traditional upper and lower case, but for the National Weather Service, the change has been 20 years in the making!

Beginning yesterday, the National Weather Service now provides weather forecasts in mixed-case reports instead of ONLY IN CAPITAL LETTERS LIKE IT HAS BEEN DOING SINCE IT BEGAN. Weather reports originated in upper case when they were transmitted via teleprinters, and it has taken this long for some of the machinery to finally be phased out.  It seems ironic that the agency who uses sophisticated computer models to generate the forecast would still rely on antiquated equipment to share that information, but such is the case.

Despite the fact that mixed-case is standard fare for the vast majority of communications out there, the removal of ALL CAPITALS will nonetheless cause some adjustment for some people who have been reading the alternate format for decades. Meteorologist Art Thomas is quoted as saying: "It seemed strange to me until I got used to it over the course of testing the new system, but now it seems so normal."

Isn't that the case for most changes? You feel awkward driving on the realigned road, until a week goes by and you forget it was rerouted. You gawk in amazement at your friend's new haircut, for the first time you see it, then it becomes a natural part of her. You struggle with the tension on a new computer keyboard, and after the first page it becomes familiar.

Take two little lessons from the National Weather Service's big transition: change can often take a very long time to happen, yet change can take a very short time to feel like normal. Use both lessons when forecasting your strategy and others' response to it.

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

Source: National Weather Service will stop using all caps in its forecasts

#1440 referral

I read Lab Girl over the weekend and returned it to the library. When I went back on Monday to look at the book for yesterday's quote, I was somehow saddened to see it sitting on the shelf in between other old memoirs.  

This is a brand new book, just published in April, that has a powerful message about friendship, partnerships and loving the work you do. It also speaks to women in science and the challenges that gender faces in pursuing such a career. I wanted the librarians to be promoting the book, urging people to read its message, and here it was, looking ordinary in the racks with others.

It made me realize that while the librarians can be influencers through their displays and recommendations, everyone can have a voice in some way. Hope Jahren did it by writing the book, others write blogs or opinion columns. Some have educated debates with colleagues, while still others share their messages through social media.

There is so much information available that we need to rely on others we trust to filter it and point us in the right direction. What message needs your megaphone to share it?

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

#1439 partnerships

I recently had a conversation with my sister about preferred relationships and whether we liked to be/work/do things: a) alone, b) with one other person or c) with a group. Both of us chose "b", with another person. While being alone has its advantages, having a buddy or kind of "co-conspirator" seems to make things better.

I thought of this while reading Lab Girl over the weekend. Scientist Hope Jahren writes about her relationship with her lab partner, Bill: 

Bill and I grinned at each other, knowing that we'd pulled it off, yet again. The whole project was a fine example of how we work together: I cook up a pipe dream, embellish it until it is borderline impossible, pitch and sell the idea to a government agency, purchase the supplies, then dump it all on Bill's desk. From there, Bill produces a first, a second, and then a third prototype, protesting all the while that the idea is an impossible pipe dream. When his fifth design shows promise, and his seventh works (provided you turn it on while wearing a blue shirt and facing east), we are both seduced by the smell of success.

I thought of all the "Bill's" that I have been fortunate enough to have in my career, the colleagues who made the journey much more pleasurable and the work more productive. I like someone to push me out of my comfort zone and with whom I can have an honest thought session without trying to impress, and I have been lucky to have those confidantes join forces with me.

What is your preferred setting? If you work best alone or in groups, how can you adjust your work environment to fulfill that? And if you are best with a teammate, are there projects you can work on that allow you that type of collaboration? Knowing your preferred partnership style can make your travels result in a much more pleasant journey.

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

Lab Girl by Hope Jahren, Knopf Publishing, 2016

#1438 congruence

I think that having something (or someone) be unpredictable is worse than having something be consistently bad. 

If service at a restaurant is lousy every time you go there, it won't be long before you stop going. But if service is mixed, you may keep going and wind up alternately frustrated.

If your supervisor is sometimes in a good mood and other times not, you come not to trust the positive encounters. You know the winds could shift at any moment and you could fall out of favor, so even when things are steady you don't have faith that it will last.

If a computer performs well at times, but not so much during others, you become skeptical of it all the time, and hesitate to do anything of significance without obsessively backing things up.

Whether with products, services or relationships, consistency is a core component of trust. We don't like politicians who "flip flop" and we don't appreciate it in other people or machines either. The emotional back and forth wastes energy and crumbles the foundation when people don't believe the reliability will remain.

Take great care to have congruence in your actions over time. Nobody wins when your behavior or service is as fickle as blowing wheat.

-- beth triplett

leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots

leadershipdots@gmail.com

#1437 unacceptable

Yesterday I wrote about the new animal relief areas in airports. I hope that the added comforts don't entice more pet owners to take their pooches on airplanes for leisure trips. 

In the first ten months of 2015, 29 pets died while many others were injured or even lost by the airlines. A former airline employee says: "My expert advice: do not fly pets unless it's an emergency!"

Pets are often injured because they are frantic and hurt themselves trying to escape. Deaths occur from heat strokes or suffocation. Others break out on the tarmac and are hit by vehicles. It is an ugly list. 

Obviously those flying with their animals place great importance on them to incur the expense of air travel. And while 29/2,000,000 is only a mere fraction, if one of the 29 was your beloved pooch it would be little solace.

The dilemma has no easy answers. Passengers want to fly their pets, and some have no driving alternatives. Airlines are not equipped to handle them without incident, so they struggle with procedures and keep 1,999,971 alive, but it is not enough.

What in your organization poses a similar challenge? Where is the cost of failure too high, even if by percentage it is low? You may be doing the majority of things right, but in select situations your goals need to fly higher.

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