#1382 wear it

I love many things about spring, but the one frustration comes when deciding outerwear. In this season, you are either too hot with a coat or chilly without one. The same principle applies to an umbrella; do you carry one on cloudy days or take your chances?

I think you can tell something about a person by their spring coat (or lack thereof). Those who are more cautious bring the coat and shed it if necessary. They carry the umbrella at the slightest chance of rain, and are glad to have it "in case". Those who take more risks go without a coat or protection, and improvise if the weather turns. 

I also think it is telling to see people who are still wearing their normal winter wear, seemingly oblivious to the fact the temperature has increased by 50+ degrees. I wonder if they are stuck in a routine in other aspects of their lives and just keep doing what they have been doing without evaluation.

Many may not consider fashion choices as a test of temperament, but I think that all mannerisms are interrelated. Those optimistic in one area of their life are more likely positive in others; those who are creative in one venture carry that over to other aspects of life, etc.

Tomorrow as you are reaching into the coat closet, take an extra second to consider your choice. Rote or intentionality does matter in other things, and it begins with which one you wear as you walk out the door.

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

#1381 saving

We all know that today begins Daylight Saving, but you know anyone who likes it? Of course no one is in favor of losing an hour, but I don't know anyone who is in favor of the concept of switching clocks period. This is a practice that has outlived its usefulness and should go the way of milk in glass bottles and ice delivered to "ice boxes."

The world is now on a 24-hour cycle and the switching of clocks is disruptive to commerce as well as snoozing. In addition, the sleep deprivation caused by "losing an hour" has other negative consequences.

According to stopdst.com, on the Monday after the switch to Daylight Saving Time fatal traffic accidents rose 17% and there was a 68% increase in lost working days due to workplace injuries that day. WebMD reports that DST is associated with 2 days of increased stroke risk. Maybe all the maladies are because ZzzQuil is actually promoting their product for today so you "sleep like you never lost that hour" and people are drugged as well as tired! 

Daylight Saving Time has been around in some version since 1918, all under the pretense of saving energy. But stopdst.com reports a study that estimated in Indiana alone, energy costs rose $9 million due to DST. 

People seem to be having enough of it. The Washington Post reports that there are laws under consideration in 19 states to abolish Daylight Saving Time. Hurrah!

I hope you will use the limited time you have today and share your dislike with the people who can take action to abolish the practice, rather than just grumbling to your friends and family. Join the movement and Tweet #stopDST to your legislators. The only thing we should be saving is our sleep and sanity.

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

#1380 all in the family

I recently saw the movie Spotlight and learned why the Academy awarded it Best Picture this year. For those that don't know, Spotlight is a the name for a team of reporters at the Boston Globe. The movie is two stories in one: a) the widespread sexual abuse by priests and b) a behind-the-scenes thriller about how investigative journalism works at its best.

When I first heard about it, I thought of it as a modern day All the President's Men from the 1970s that uncovered the Watergate scandal through top notch investigative reporting. It turned out that there was more similarity than I knew.

One of the key players in the Watergate story was Ben Bradlee, then editor of the Washington Post. In Spotlight, I was amazed to see Ben Bradlee, Jr. as an editor at the Boston Globe. How many fathers and sons can say they won a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service and were the subject of a movie nominated for Best Picture?

I wonder whether it was coincidence or legacy that two of the nation's most important journalistic stories were edited by members of the same family. I vote for the latter. As I have said before, people are always learning from those around them. I suspect that Ben Jr. picked up some of the tenacity, resilience and courage from his father that manifested itself in persistence as an editor at The Globe.

Someone is watching you today. Be intentional about what you want them to absorb.

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

#1379 bounce

It has become common place to see tennis balls on the bottom of walkers, ostensibly to allow for smoother movement along the floor. I can understand why someone jury-rigged the first walker to allow for the proper balance between tension and glide, but I cannot fathom why the generations of subsequent walkers have not come with a more permanent solution. Everywhere there are still walkers with yellow balls cut open and stuck to their bottoms. 

Instead of decreasing, the use of tennis balls on equipment is actually expanding. I attended an event at a relatively new grade school, and ALL of the students' chairs had four tennis balls stuck to the bottom. I can imagine some poor janitor sitting there with his X-acto knife slicing open the balls like melons and wedging them onto the chair legs.

Why is it still acceptable to have garish balls stuck to the bottom of furniture and equipment? There has to be an equally functional way to achieve the same end, even if it is a grey tennis ball instead of a florescent one. Can't someone come up with a more tasteful solution? 

It may seem like a non-issue, but little things that are ignored signal that it is acceptable to settle or be satisfied with sub-par performance. Take note of the next thing you see that is equivalent to a tennis ball on a walker and make the effort to bounce it out of existence in your organization.

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

#1378 pristine

It takes a lot of effort to keep things "nice", and I think it often prevents us from fully enjoying them.

> You have to shoo away the dogs when you are wearing good clothes, but can get down and hug them when you're in jeans.

> You keep the formal living room protected from traffic and rarely use it. When you do, you sit rigidly in chairs instead of curling up on the couch like you do in the den.

> You keep the "good" jewelry locked away in the safe instead of enjoying it throughout the week.

> You have muted conversations in the fancy restaurant instead of raucous laughter with friends at the pizza joint.

There are things that warrant the extra effort, but consciously declare that distinction. Keep the reception area "nice", but allow the work room to have some stacked boxes and disheveled counters. Designate the car as "suitable for passengers" and make the truck the clear workhorse. Put on that well-worn sweatshirt on Saturday and be liberated from the worry of dirt or dog hair.

It sucks time and effort to preserve anything. Don't make pristine a priority for everything.

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

#1377 off the list

I wrote yesterday about Danny Russel being one of 140 people who are "professional Lincolns."  This got me wondering how he (and the other 139) came to land on this as a career.  Being a character actor doesn't sound like something that shows up on any of the strengths assessments I've seen, and playing Lincoln isn't a job category in the Occupational Outlook Handbook. But somewhere, there was a match between skills and interests and he has been able to parlay that into a comfortable living. 

It's hard to think of a career in such wide open terms; at least I am more comfortable in searching for specific kinds of jobs instead of exploring for niches that I didn't even know existed. 

I think that is true for most people, and it is not limited to job hunting. We order items that are on the menu or follow a recipe. We work on projects that are similar to ones we have done before or that others put on our to-do list. We read books by authors we have previously enjoyed, see movies in the same genre and buy music from the same artists.  

In short, we lead our life from the list.

The only way you'll be comfortable ordering off the menu for your next phase of life is if you take little steps now to vary from your norm.  Switch the station, visit a different part of the library or try that Thai.

Lincoln himself said: "Whatever you are, be a good one."  First focus on the "whatever" part of that quote to truly embrace the possibilities.

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

#1376 portray

I recently met a man who makes his living as an actor/speaker strictly portraying the life of Abraham Lincoln. I thought this was a very narrow niche, but when he was sharing his story at a reception, he said that there are 140 men who are "professional Lincolns", and that 80 of them met at Gettysburg during the sesquicentennial celebration there!

I wonder what Abe himself would think if he knew that seven score of men tour the country impersonating him, 150 years after he died. Would he have done things differently or changed his messages if he knew they would be repeated over a century later?

While the chances are infinitesimal that anyone will overtly replicate your appearance and speeches a century later, the odds are high that things you say will be taken to heart and influence others in a much shorter time frame. Children will imitate your values. Employees will replicate where you set the bar for your work. Colleagues will follow your lead on how you treat others. Friends will take your candid feedback to heart. Family members will model how you manage your anger.

Lincoln said: "Don't worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition." In other words: "Lead your life like you are going to have someone portray you." It's good advice for you in the present, and has served Lincoln well throughout the ages. 

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

Danny Russel as Abraham Lincoln