FieldNotes
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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Not Invented Here
In the eyes of effective leaders, great ideas and best practices are never sacred. They find and exploit any idea, practice, or action they think can make the team more effective. They don’t fall into the infamous trap of Not Invented Here (NIH). When it comes to leading a highly effective organization or team, the
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The Difference Between Fact, Opinion, and Truth
Denying facts in support of a view is not only irrational, but disingenuous. It suggests that objectively reaching a conclusion is less important than the ideology that is in vogue at the moment. Allowing a thinking trend or ideology to dismiss or ignore facts leads to poor quality conclusions and decisions. Smart leaders avoid this…
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Prove an Opportunity Is Worth Pursuing
Every opportunity has one or more key facts and premises that are essential for the potential of the opportunity to be realized. Good leaders identify those facts and premises early and then work hard to prove or disprove them. When opportunity knocks, doing this analysis will often be a lifesaver. The best opportunity is often…
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Forgiveness and Accountability Go Hand-in-Hand
Forgiving team members quickly for their mistakes and then asking them to propose a remedy can work wonders to inspire them to raise their game. This also treats failures as an opportunity for learning and growth. When failures and mistakes are viewed by the leader and the team as an opening for development, team members…
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Give Negative Thoughts a Positive Ending
By purposely shifting one’s thoughts to this prearranged memory and giving this image sharp relief, full of details, negative thoughts disappear, and a new feeling of confidence and well-being emerges. This takes practice but is a lifesaver when the time comes. The key is to prepare now by selecting a positive memory, song, or image…
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Short and Sweet Tastes Better
In a world where information is too plentiful and often overwhelming, brevity helps to capture attention and emphasize what really matters. Compact messages are usually more memorable and impactful. Team members who want to stand out quickly learn the power of brevity and strive for it in every interaction. They never use two or three…
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Use Reverse Q&A to Learn What’s Really Going On
By engaging in Reverse Q&A sessions continually throughout the year, leaders soon crack the code that unlocks candid communication. When conducted concurrently with large group forums where any question can be posed to leaders, Reverse Q&A allows leaders to promote a culture of transparency and trust where everyone feels accountable to open communication. Discussion of…
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Unwavering Optimism During Extremely Challenging Times
We look to leaders for many things: confidence, strength, conviction, vision, and judgment, to name just a few. Of the many qualities great leaders exemplify, perhaps none is more important than the ability to remain optimistic in the face of extreme difficulty, while also objectively confronting the challenge. This duality of optimism and realism
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Team Members Who Turn Off Their Cameras During Virtual Calls
Good leaders understand the impact facial cues and gestures, even on video, have on the meanings people ascribe to one another. They also know that face-to-face interaction fosters appreciation and deeper understanding within the team. Giving people the flexibility to participate in video or virtual calls is a great convenience for everyone. Requesting that team…
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End-User Engagement Is the Best Proof of Progress
Why do great organizations track so many varied and unique user metrics? Because at the end of the day, it is users that determine how successful an enterprise is and will be. Take a hard look at the user metrics in place in your organization. What other user metrics would give you a more accurate…