I'm sure that I'm not the only one who was a bit sluggish yesterday having stayed up too late to watch the NCAA men's basketball championship game -- and to re-watch the final shot over and over again.
[If you didn't see the game, you must watch the last play here]
There were many well-deserved accolades for Kris Jenkins who hit the basket of a lifetime. But if you watch the clip again, you'll notice that praise also should be heaped on the set-up man, Ryan Arcidiacono who got the ball down the court and tossed Kris the perfect pass.
Only the sports junkies will even remember Ryan's name, just as few can account for who threw Christian Laettner the ball for his miracle shot in the 1992 regional tournament. But these men behind the scenes made the glory possible.
Not everyone can have the ball, but all of us can play a role in helping our team win. Maybe it is by being a great assist player or rebounder. Perhaps it involves cheering from the bench. Maybe you're the guy who wipes the sweat off the court during time outs. Or even a fan in the stands cheering your squad on.
The Villanova players said: "This is for all the guys who went before us." Don't discount all the guys (and girls) who went along side you, too, and especially the Ryans for being just two steps ahead of you when you needed them to be there the most.
A team encompasses many more than those who suit up for a game. Take care to acknowledge everyone who assists with your wins.
-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
#1404 purging
I have been doing some Spring Cleaning lately and it has caused me to wonder why people save baby items for sentimental purposes. Truly, I wonder what the purpose of the preservation is: to inspire "awww" when you look at it again, to pass the legacy (stuff) to the next generation, or to have some artifacts handy should the child achieve greatness and the Smithsonian comes calling?
I was the first child/first grandchild and as a result there was a lot of saving going on. Want to see my hospital bracelet from when I was born? Got it. My first tooth? Sorry, trash pickup was this morning. My first earrings? My first drawing? My first (and second, third and fourth) pair of shoes? The bill from my hospital delivery? ($206 in case you were wondering!) I have, or should say, had it all.
I also have this monstrous scrapbook with all the cards congratulating my parents on my birth, baptism and first birthday. What do I do with this thing? I have had it in and out of the wastebasket: on one hand, it seems fruitless to save, and on the other, it has been drug around the country for more than half a century so I guess I should keep it and let the siblings be the ones to toss it.
My advice is to routinely go through your "collection" with a discerning eye. Preserving some of the past is wonderful; holding on to too much of it is hoarding! The key is to toss insignificant things before they become too old and cause you to keep them just because of their age.
-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
I was the first child/first grandchild and as a result there was a lot of saving going on. Want to see my hospital bracelet from when I was born? Got it. My first tooth? Sorry, trash pickup was this morning. My first earrings? My first drawing? My first (and second, third and fourth) pair of shoes? The bill from my hospital delivery? ($206 in case you were wondering!) I have, or should say, had it all.
I also have this monstrous scrapbook with all the cards congratulating my parents on my birth, baptism and first birthday. What do I do with this thing? I have had it in and out of the wastebasket: on one hand, it seems fruitless to save, and on the other, it has been drug around the country for more than half a century so I guess I should keep it and let the siblings be the ones to toss it.
My advice is to routinely go through your "collection" with a discerning eye. Preserving some of the past is wonderful; holding on to too much of it is hoarding! The key is to toss insignificant things before they become too old and cause you to keep them just because of their age.
-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
Monday, April 4, 2016
#1403 you choose
There was an article in the paper about Mason Wells, a 19-year-old from Utah who was wounded in the recent Brussels Airport attack. He knows what a bomb sounds like as he was only a block away from the explosion at the Boston Marathon in 2013.
MY first reaction when I read that the same person was a victim of two terrorist attacks in different countries was "how unlucky can you be?"
HIS first reaction was the opposite. "I don't know if I was born under a lucky star," he told the Associated Press. "I was definitely fortunate to have escaped with the injuries that I've escaped with."
The dichotomy reminded me of a toy that I have had in my office for ages. If you look at the creature one way, it appears to be throwing its hands up in glee. Look at it from a different angle, and it seems that it is raising its arms in exasperation.
As with Mason Wells, my trinket and much of life, how you choose to react is up to you. If a two-time terrorist survivor can feel lucky, perhaps he will inspire you to see the bright side of your world today.
-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
Source: Boston bomb survivor hurt in Brussels airport blast by Danica Kirka for the Associated Press in the Telegraph Herald, March 27, 2016, p. 1A
Sunday, April 3, 2016
#1402 a new season
For six lucky teams, today is Opening Day of the 2016 baseball season. Whether you are a big baseball fan or not, I think attending an Opening Day game should be on everyone's bucket list. There is such hope and such optimism -- you can soak it in and transfer it to other areas of your life!
I went to my first Opening Day quite by accident. I had friends coming and we wanted to go to a game. It turned out that weekend happened to be the Cubs-Cardinals series. I was warned that to get a group of tickets on that weekend, I would need to stand in line in the wee hours of the morning tickets went on sale. So I did.
Fully intending to just get tickets to that game.
But everyone else in line was getting Opening Day tickets. They were incredulous that I was waiting for hours and wasn't snatching up the opportunity to grab those tickets too. So I decided to buy two to see what all the fuss was about.
I thought Opening Day was just another baseball game. I was wrong. The electricity and the pageantry were something to behold. I went to every Opening Day for the remainder of my time in St. Louis.
Maybe your work isn't cyclical or perhaps you don't have a definitive start to the next phase in your organization's calendar. I hope you contrive to create one anyway. It is an emotional boon to have a clean slate and the start of a new season where optimism can reign. There is nothing like clearing the standings to make the team want to "play ball" with renewed vigor.
-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
I went to my first Opening Day quite by accident. I had friends coming and we wanted to go to a game. It turned out that weekend happened to be the Cubs-Cardinals series. I was warned that to get a group of tickets on that weekend, I would need to stand in line in the wee hours of the morning tickets went on sale. So I did.
Fully intending to just get tickets to that game.
But everyone else in line was getting Opening Day tickets. They were incredulous that I was waiting for hours and wasn't snatching up the opportunity to grab those tickets too. So I decided to buy two to see what all the fuss was about.
I thought Opening Day was just another baseball game. I was wrong. The electricity and the pageantry were something to behold. I went to every Opening Day for the remainder of my time in St. Louis.
Maybe your work isn't cyclical or perhaps you don't have a definitive start to the next phase in your organization's calendar. I hope you contrive to create one anyway. It is an emotional boon to have a clean slate and the start of a new season where optimism can reign. There is nothing like clearing the standings to make the team want to "play ball" with renewed vigor.
-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
Saturday, April 2, 2016
#1401 Alfa, Bravo, Charlies
I recently saw the movie Whiskey Tango Foxtrot and it got me thinking about the title. It turns out that the film uses the NATO Phonetic Alphabet as a subtle way to provide an exclamation about the war in Afghanistan, the subject of the movie.
The Phonetic Alphabet was developed to reduce confusion about what was being said over radio transmission lines. Instead of wondering if the person said "D" or "B", you can eliminate that uncertainty by saying "Delta" or "Bravo". (e.g.: It's helpful if your pilot is told to land on runway D8 that she understands it's Delta 8 instead of Bravo 8.) And rather than having to come up with new words each time you transmitted, the alphabet identifies a distinct word to correspond with each letter.
I can't recommend the movie to anyone, but I do suggest that you use or develop a way to increase the likelihood that your communication will be understood by the other party. Should your staff be using the NATO Phonetic Alphabet when they repeat back reservation information? Is it appropriate for your use when you relay instructions or tell people directions? Could you incorporate it into your language when you spell your name or give out an unusual street address?
For anything you transmit verbally, the Phonetic Alphabet could help make things much more Charlie, Lima, Echo, Alfa, Romeo.
-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
The Phonetic Alphabet was developed to reduce confusion about what was being said over radio transmission lines. Instead of wondering if the person said "D" or "B", you can eliminate that uncertainty by saying "Delta" or "Bravo". (e.g.: It's helpful if your pilot is told to land on runway D8 that she understands it's Delta 8 instead of Bravo 8.) And rather than having to come up with new words each time you transmitted, the alphabet identifies a distinct word to correspond with each letter.
I can't recommend the movie to anyone, but I do suggest that you use or develop a way to increase the likelihood that your communication will be understood by the other party. Should your staff be using the NATO Phonetic Alphabet when they repeat back reservation information? Is it appropriate for your use when you relay instructions or tell people directions? Could you incorporate it into your language when you spell your name or give out an unusual street address?
For anything you transmit verbally, the Phonetic Alphabet could help make things much more Charlie, Lima, Echo, Alfa, Romeo.
-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
Friday, April 1, 2016
#1400 go fish
When I first heard that someone took a semester off college so he could compete in a bass fishing tournament, I thought it was an early April Fools joke. When I heard that over 50 friends and family members were driving over 600 miles each way to watch him, I was sure someone was pulling my leg.
But they weren't.
Apparently bass fishing is a serious business. The winner of the Bassmaster Classic gets the top prize of $300,000, plus a boatload (ha, ha) of endorsement deals and appearance fees. Even those who just qualify to compete walk away with a hefty sum.
Bass fishing is a whole other world of which I know next to nothing. I do know there are many rules and stipulations to precisely follow, including when and where you can practice fishing and "learn what you can from the fish." (I want to know how you learn to know what you can learn!)
The bottom line is that bass fishing is an industry in itself. Over 100,000 people paid to watch just this championship. Anglers all have sponsorships and their own theme music. There are expos, the World Fishing Network on television and hundreds of other products and promotions. For many people, this is their tribe.
On this April Fools Day, you may be a victim to someone telling you a true fish story. But if it involves big money and bass, you can believe it: hook, line and sinker.
-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
Thanks Viv!
But they weren't.
Apparently bass fishing is a serious business. The winner of the Bassmaster Classic gets the top prize of $300,000, plus a boatload (ha, ha) of endorsement deals and appearance fees. Even those who just qualify to compete walk away with a hefty sum.
Bass fishing is a whole other world of which I know next to nothing. I do know there are many rules and stipulations to precisely follow, including when and where you can practice fishing and "learn what you can from the fish." (I want to know how you learn to know what you can learn!)
The bottom line is that bass fishing is an industry in itself. Over 100,000 people paid to watch just this championship. Anglers all have sponsorships and their own theme music. There are expos, the World Fishing Network on television and hundreds of other products and promotions. For many people, this is their tribe.
On this April Fools Day, you may be a victim to someone telling you a true fish story. But if it involves big money and bass, you can believe it: hook, line and sinker.
-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
Thanks Viv!
Thursday, March 31, 2016
#1399 dissent
As a journalism major in college, I believe one of the most important freedoms that the Constitutional Amendments provide is the freedom of speech. I have held that value in high regard as a supervisor as well.
I think there is a fine line between wanting free speech from your employees and trying to restrict it. If you want to receive honest feedback, seek to encourage constructive conflict and cultivate the trust to grow together creatively, then you must encourage an environment where people are free to speak their truth. Even when you don't like what they say. Especially if you don't like what they say.
If all you hear is the positive or polished version of your employee's opinions, it won't be long before you are missing out on reality. You need your staff to question your decisions, make suggestions as to your process or to disagree with a path you are proposing. In the end, you may do what you wanted to do anyway, but you will be doing it with much more intentionality and wisdom than without the unedited feedback.
It would make life easier for those at the top to only hear supportive comments and not be questioned. As a manager, if you want "Yes Men" (and women), you can craft an environment or even policies that ensure that is what you get.
But if you want to cultivate a growth culture in the long term, then the dissenters need to have as valid of hearing as those who think your ideas are brilliant.
-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
I think there is a fine line between wanting free speech from your employees and trying to restrict it. If you want to receive honest feedback, seek to encourage constructive conflict and cultivate the trust to grow together creatively, then you must encourage an environment where people are free to speak their truth. Even when you don't like what they say. Especially if you don't like what they say.
If all you hear is the positive or polished version of your employee's opinions, it won't be long before you are missing out on reality. You need your staff to question your decisions, make suggestions as to your process or to disagree with a path you are proposing. In the end, you may do what you wanted to do anyway, but you will be doing it with much more intentionality and wisdom than without the unedited feedback.
It would make life easier for those at the top to only hear supportive comments and not be questioned. As a manager, if you want "Yes Men" (and women), you can craft an environment or even policies that ensure that is what you get.
But if you want to cultivate a growth culture in the long term, then the dissenters need to have as valid of hearing as those who think your ideas are brilliant.
-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
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