#1131 pop, pop, pop

Those of you who love the "pop, pop, pop" of Bubble Wrap may want to stockpile a few rolls.  Sealed Air Corp., the predominant manufacturer of the packing material, is introducing a new product that will have the same protection, but not their signature sound.

The compressed air that makes the addictive noise has a down side: it takes up space.  A lot of space actually.  And space equates to money, both to ship it in giant rolls and then to store it in warehouses before it is used.  So the company is introducing iBubble, inflated on-site with a special pump.  The result:  one truckload of the new wrap equals 47 truckloads of Bubble Wrap.  You don't have to be a math genius to calculate that there would be substantial savings.

Bubble Wrap may have been innovative when it hit the scene in 1960, but with today's technology and cost-consciousness, it is becoming a relic.  I think it's good for business that they are redesigning their products, even if it is sad for the end users.

It reminds me of my blog last week when I wondered about the fine line between tradition and becoming a rut.  The same is true with products. When is something a classic vs. outdated?  I think you can tell by the price; the value of classics goes up while the outdated is given away.  I predict that you may want to save up a few rolls of the noisy stuff before you have to pay a premium to get it from a vintage store!

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

Source:  Bubble Wrap Loses Its Pop by Loretta Chao, Wall Street Journal, July 2, 2015, p. B1

#1130 stop

Many people experience a gradual accumulation of unwanted things.  One incident or action seems innocent enough, but after a repeated pattern a person is left with consequences that they wish they didn't have.  

Examples include: weight, possessions, debt or flirtations.  Eating one donut or buying one thing on your credit card does not a dilemma make, but doing so frequently can add up to trouble.

If something isn't positive or moving you toward a place you want to be, the quicker you realize it and take action the better.  Especially when it comes to unwanted behaviors, it is much easier to apply the brake than to shift into reverse.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

#1129 time lapse

On Saturday, I saw a puppy at the Farmers Market that appeared to have doubled in size since I saw him only a few weeks ago.  Come to find out, he actually did!  The chocolate lab has gone from 10# to 18# in barely a month; he gained 5# last week alone.

I think it is part of the allure of puppies -- not only that they are so dang cute, but that they are so rare.  People own dogs for close to a decade and you only get that little puppy stage for a month or two.  No wonder people fawn all over them -- it is a magical and elusive time.

This video captures the speed at which two retrievers grow up and you can see what I mean:  http://youtu.be/niLxhiywXqw

That level of newness is only present in your employees and clients for a fleeting moment as well.  They may come to you as grown ups, but they only have the wonder and perspective for about as long as dogs remain puppies.

Take steps to capitalize on what they see while you can.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

#1128 let freedom ring

Today at 2pm Eastern Time, bells across the United States will "let freedom ring" by playing their chimes at the appointed hour.  When you hear them, take a minute to stop and give thanks for all the freedoms you enjoy.

Think about our country 239 years ago.  Congress sat in rooms without air-conditioning or computers; where they arrived via horseback on little more than dirt paths, and spent months at a time away from their families because they believed in the promise of democracy.

This Fourth of July, play your role as an active citizen and say a prayer that our current members of Congress will model the lesson of compromise and diplomacy that was exhibited on this date in 1776.

Happy Independence Day!

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

#1127 fly by

There is something new in conjunction with fireworks this year: warnings to leave your drones at home.  It's serious business, with the FAA threatening to confiscate any drone within a radius of the pyrotechnic displays.

Drones have come into their own this year; they reached a tipping point where they have become more of a commodity than a novelty.  Amateurs are using them as expensive toys. Photographers are capitalizing on the ability to do aerial videos and overhead photos.  Amazon is experimenting with them for same-day delivery in major cities.  Even farmers are using them to survey the fields and alert them to weeds or standing water.

If a new world view and overhead pathway has suddenly become so accessible, how can you capitalize on it.  OK, not to get an eye-level shot of the fireworks or to follow the Golden Knights parachuters as they descend into the festivities!  But there are many other uses for seeing things from above: a campus tour or real estate website that puts the property into the context of the surrounding neighborhood; a new way to monitor traffic or possibly a method to search for escaped felons.  Or maybe you can use a drone to move things in the air space:  supplies to an accident victim, food to hikers or urgent legal briefs to the courthouse.

Leave yours at home during the Fourth celebrations, but don't plan on leaving it in the closet for long.  "Drone" used to mean dull or monotonous.  Today "drone" means "hot", as in one of the hottest new technologies around.  Don't let it the opportunities fly by you.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

#1126 stay or go

I recently had a conversation about our recruitment strategies for next year.  We were trying to determine whether we should switch something around, or whether to leave it the same for another cycle.  "Sometimes I think we experiment too much," said one of my staff. "It makes it hard to compare."

It is a fine line between something that is solid and something that is a rut.  In this fast moving environment, it becomes difficult to know if keeping something the same is a good thing, or whether it is a symbol of being stagnant.

If something doesn't work right away, do you change it or give it a chance?  Is leaving a strategy alone for a few years empirically smart? The answer can make for great conversations.

Outside of business tactics, is having a ritual become a tradition a welcome thing or boring?  Some people may be comforted by having the holiday party at the same place every year, while others may be tired of it.  Some may like knowing that for registration we wear "the" polo, while some may long to change things up.

It is a matter of judgment as to when to stay with the path you're on and when to veer from it.  Taking too many turns will likely impede progress, but staying the course too long could result in a dead end.  

Make your changes or stick to your plans with intentionality.  Changing for change sake is insanity, but so is never making adjustments.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

#1125 artifacts

I recently visited the national Titanic Artifact Exhibit that is on display this summer.  The exhibit consists displays that chronicle the ocean liner from blueprints to the sinking and recovery in April 1912. 

What was most interesting to me involved the salvage operation.  The RMS Titanic, Inc. has conducted several rescue missions to the ship, located 2-1/2 miles below the surface.   It would be amazing enough to come upon the wreckage, but conservationists (aka: opportunists) have also succeeded in recovering 5,500 artifacts from the Titanic.  They have preserved things that I would have thought would have disintegrated long ago:  a letter (with the address still legible on the envelope), a piece of sheet music, perfume oil samples (that still have a scent), a dinner menu and clothing.  There was a display of dishes, neatly lined up in the sand as they were when the wooden crate storing them rotted away, and many other pieces of china that floated out of the severed hold.

How exciting it must have been to be a diver and to come upon a hairbrush, box of silverware or trunk full of clothes.  It brings to life the stories of the passengers, whether one of the 705 who survived or of the 1523 whose lives were lost.

Your history and the story of your organization is likely not located miles below the ocean floor, and thus is much easier to preserve.  Have you taken steps to act as a conservator to save the artifacts that tell your story?  And, more importantly, have you actively displayed them and invited others to partake in experiencing your history?  

We all know the story of the Titanic, but seeing the exhibit makes it real.  Collecting your archives is just the tip of the iceberg.  To truly bring your history to life, you need to share it in 3-D, tactile ways.  Commit to getting your memorabilia out of dry dock this year.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com