Our daily Field Notes email is just the kind of jumpstart you need. A fast read. Maybe less than a minute. Because sometimes it just takes one insight to change the trajectory of the day.
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Experience Doesn’t Always Translate Into Expertise
The key takeaway is that two people with the same tenure can differ tremendously in actual expertise. Leaders must explore the difference. Is it 20 years of experience, or two weeks of experience over 20 years? The answer requires careful inquiry and a rejection of the notion that experience alone distinguishes expertise or wisdom.
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Proof Over Persuasion: NASA’s Unlikely Path to Organizational Transformation
Strong cultures, long-established bureaucratic processes, and ingrained work practices are highly resistant to change, even when it is painfully obvious that a complete transformation is the only way to avoid ruin or demise. This is especially true if the organization has a history of success and enjoys a strong reputation. When trying to change an…
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Why Leaders Must Withhold Judgment to Unlock Team Creativity
It turns out the sequence in which evaluation enters the creative process is not a minor procedural detail.
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Leading the Coin-Operated Team Member
Leading the Coin-Operated Team Member
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The Need to Separate Criticism From Authority
Separate Criticism From Authority
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Steal the Principle, Not the Playbook
Steal the Principle, Not the Playbook
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People Often Resist a Decision Solely Because of How It Was Made
Leaders who invest in transparent, inclusive, and respectful processes build a reservoir of trust that makes every decision land more smoothly. The bottom line is this: Leaders who remember that the decision process is the message get more done.
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Leaders Can Go High or Go Low When Supporting a Team Member
Leaders Can Go High or Go Low When Supporting a Team Member. The right question isn’t “Which approach is better?” It’s “Which approach best fits the situation?” To make that call, leaders should consider three factors: urgency, capability gap, and growth stage.
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Avoiding the Second Wave of Hardship
Avoiding the Second Wave of Hardship
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The Executive Team’s Orientation Toward Risk Can Make a World of Difference in an Organization’s Performance
Of the many differences in approach, mindset, and strategic focus that separate leaders, perhaps none is more impactful than how they view risk and opportunity. In their landmark book Focus, psychologists Heidi Grant Halvorson and Tory Higgins make the case that leaders and people operate from one of two distinct orientations. The first is a…