#491 golden

There was a commercial on television where people were calling out occupations and things to do:  "be an artist", "learn to fly", "volunteer at a school", "help the less fortunate", etc.

The tagline was: "isn't that what retirement should be -- paying ourselves to do what we love?"  I thought it was a great way to think about the later years.

What would you do in retirement if you could do anything?  Who would you be?  Think about that question for awhile, and then think about how you could incorporate some of that into your pre-retirement life.  No need to wait for the golden years to capitalize on a golden opportunity to be great at something you love.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

#490 preserved

I was astonished to learn that the U.S. maintains a huge repository of livestock sperm so in case of emergency, disease or a spate of poor genetic breeding the livestock could be replenished.  And we're serious about this -- preserved in liquid nitrogen are over 400,000 samples of bull semen, four thousand chicken sperm and genes from thousands of fish.  

If you stop to think about it -- which I'll admit I never did until I read the Fortune article -- it is a very smart move.  We take bulls, chicken and fish for granted but there could be huge ramifications if they were wiped out. In addition to serving as a buffer against disaster, the National Animal Germplasm Program also conducts research and facilitates appropriate insemination procedures.

Think about what is treasured and irreplaceable in your organization.  Of course data comes to mind: Coca Cola legendary for the lengths they have taken to guard the secret recipe.  But what beyond simple information is your most valuable contribution?  What should you encase in the vault to protect and provide backup should tragedy strike? Perhaps you should get yourself the equivalent of liquid nitrogen and take steps now to do so while you are able.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

Source:  The Big Bull Backup by Anne VanderMey, Fortune, October 7, 2013

#489 worth it?

Lately I have encountered several situations where a business implemented small fees that had a big impact on my satisfaction with the overall experience. I previously wrote about the airline industry fees*, but it seems that more and more organizations are going fee crazy.

Examples:
> My dog groomer, who I previously loved, now charges me $2 if I fail to pick up my dogs within two hours of when they are finished with their wash.  This means going to get them in the middle of the day, instead of picking them up after work as I have for years, or paying two bucks.  Not sure if it is $2 per hour or per dog or both -- I stopped listening when I heard about the new fee.

> The company that has cut my grass, also for years without incident, now added on a $5 "dog waste charge" for lawns with, um, extra fertilizer.  In the scheme of things, this isn't big money either, but I was annoyed that it came without notice and that they cut lawns on such an irregular schedule that I can't "cleanse" my yard in preparation for their visit.

> I recently ordered a pair of shoes online.  They were on sale for $10 off -- yeah! -- which was negated seconds later with the $9.95 shipping charge.  Why haven't companies learned from the success of Zappos and built that fee into the price?  I would have been happier paying full price with no shipping cost vs. a fake sale.

The above three items are examples of what I call an annoyance cost -- something that isn't going to generate much serious revenue for the organization but is going to have a high cost in terms of consumer satisfaction and loyalty.  Is it really worth it?  I think the likelihood is low.  Pause long and hard before you add a token fee and cost yourself more in the end than what you make.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

*Blog #267, February 23, 2013

#488 driving Miss Daisy

In the Time article that I referenced yesterday -- the one I had read to me by a delightful Australian computer voice -- columnist Joel Stein lamented how teenagers today are choosing not to get their driver's licenses.  

Most of the students in my class were at the DMV on their 16th birthday, eagerly awaiting that passport to freedom.  But Stein reports that one-third fewer kids today are getting driver's licenses than in 1983.

The University of Michigan conducted a study to understand this phenomenon -- presumably because the lack of drivers is having a negative impact on car sales.  Fortune recently ran a story on "Why Car Companies Can't Win Young Adults"* and one of the respondents, a 27-year old, wrote that "I absolutely HATE driving."  That sentiment doesn't bode well for Detroit.

But the Michigan study found other reasons to be behind the delay:  1) students reported that they were "too busy" and 2) that they were "able to get transportation from others" (aka their parents).  Stein wonders if it is a sign of "generational depression", whereby the kids would rather stay at home and play video games instead of drive, or whether it is a "fear of the nonvirtual world."  Student affairs staff would undoubtedly add "extended adolescence caused by overprotective helicopter parents", but we'll leave that for another article.

In any case, if teenagers are too busy to even get a license, think about the impact that could have on your organization.  How can we expect them to apply to colleges, let alone conduct a thorough search as to which one would be the right fit?  What about developing healthy stress reduction and time management techniques if they are overbooked at age 16?  (I see a growing market for therapists!)  Or who will fill that seasonal labor demand if the teens are unable to drive to those jobs?

Think of the behavior you are modeling for any teenager in your life.  Independence should be a desirable thing.  Taking risks and testing your freedom are positives.  Booking every minute of your day and leading a frazzled life are not to be emulated.  Maybe you should put the top down and take your teens for an old-fashioned Sunday drive.  The fresh air may do everyone some good.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

"I Brake for Teenage Drivers" by Joel Stein, Time, September 23, 2013 and commentary in Fortune, September 16, 2013.

#487 modern day Babel

I recently downloaded an article in Time magazine through our university library.  I expected to receive a simple one page printable version of the column, and I did.

But in addition to that, I received a technological array of tools to accompany it.  With the click of a button, I could instantaneously have the article translated into 32 languages, including Romanian, Bahasa Indonesia, Magyar, Pashto and Turk.  Other language options came in non-Latin characters so I am not even sure what they were!

In addition to that, I could press a button and have the article read to me -- with an American accent, an Australian one or a British accent.  I am not sure why those three are different enough to warrant a distinct reader, but it was fun to play around!

Think about how high this sets the bar for your organization.  It is no longer average, let alone remarkable, to have your content available on line.  Now the standard is that it is available, translated and in audio form as well.  How do you say "Aye!" in Arabic?

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

#486 digital addition

Fight it or capitalize on it -- that is the question that school districts face when it comes to cell phone use in the classroom.  Many schools prohibit use of cell phones and other technological devices, but recently others have realized the computing power that students have in their backpacks and made the decision to take advantage of it.  The growing number of applications with educational value is also influencing teachers' use of portable devices. 

Access to smart phones is not the problem.  USA Today reports that even in poorer school districts, the students have phones.  Where challenges come in is with the infrastructure to support the smart phone use.  According to the US Department of Education, only 20 percent of the country has the infrastructure to support digital learning.  What a sad statistic!  Wouldn't it make more sense for the learning environments to be the first ones to have the equipment needed to teach the language of the future?

Educators and school districts also face the balance of being cutting edge vs. playing catch up.  Our education department wanted iPads when they first were being used in the schools.  At the time it was seen as frivolous, like they wanted the 'new toys' vs. serious equipment.  Yet already students in our elementary schools are using tablets and prospective teachers need to know how to teach with them.  

There is greater expectation for people to have mobile technology.  Instead of fighting it, we should embrace the fact that the majority of people own more computing power than the first rocket.  Students like those below are going to expect it. 

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

Source:  BYOT:  Bring your own tech to school by Josh Higgins, USA Today, August 8, 2013

#485 one-third

If you count holidays and weekends, they constitute about one-third of the year.  It doesn't feel that way, but it is true.  Think about what impact that has:

> for those in the tourism or recreation industries, you can rejoice that consumers really do have a lot of disposable time

> for dieters or those exercising to lose weight, it means you really can't fall off the wagon every weekend and holiday and still expect to shed the pounds

> for those in office settings, you need to consider how you serve your customers and prospective customers during the one-third of the year that you are not there to answer the phone

> for retailers, it provides a bonanza of opportunities for themed sales

> for educators, you need to consider how to provide a year's worth of learning in a year minus one-third and summer

What opportunities lie in weekends and holidays for you or your organization?  Maybe you can start taking advantage of them today!

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com