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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Leaders Who Hedge Before Admitting the Answer Is No
Leaders are just like everyone else. They like it best when others accept their decisions and favor their answers. They are not immune to the feelings of inadequacy when others react negatively to what they say or do. So, too often, when they anticipate a strong reaction to a decision, they offer a temporary hedge
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The Stories We Tell Ourselves About Problems
What stories about problems do you like to tell yourself? The stories leaders spin about problems are both natural and necessary. It is almost impossible to begin the process of finding a solution without one. The best problem-solvers understand this and make this step explicit. Better yet, they interrogate the story and make sure its…
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Learn to Park Ideas for Later
Keeping meetings on time and on track is never easy. That’s why great leaders employ a Parking Lot, where off-topic ideas or comments can be parked and discussed later. A simple flip chart or whiteboard works marvelously to capture such issues. You can even use the title Parking Lot in bold letters. Anytime an off-topic…
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The Fatigue of High Standards When Selecting Talent
High standards sometimes slow down key decisions to the point of frustration. Leaders who reject inferior answers or solutions until the team finds a better one can wear people down. The temptation to accept a workable decision becomes ever stronger as time marches on and yet another choice has been classified as substandard. Fatigue can…
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When Things Look Grim, Be Quick to Accept the Downside
Music can serve as a transition, a backdrop, or an announcement. Specific songs can add energy, create emphasis, or signal important meanings or values. Maybe that’s why people so look forward to selecting just the right song for the occasion. Encouraging team members to select the song that best represents them or the moment doesn’t…
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Let Your Team Members Select the Song
Music can serve as a transition, a backdrop, or an announcement. Specific songs can add energy, create emphasis, or signal important meanings or values. Maybe that’s why people so look forward to selecting just the right song for the occasion. Encouraging team members to select the song that best represents them or the moment doesn’t…
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No One Is Too Senior to Be Wrong
Everyone agrees that close-mindedness is a disease that undermines effective leadership. Leaders who presume they are right and refuse to consider other points of view make a mess of whatever they encounter. The quality of their decisions can be found at the dollar store. When combined with a feeling of entitlement or privilege, inflexibility in
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Don’t Delay an Obvious Decision
Don’t Delay an Obvious Decision. Problems don’t pause for red lights. They continue to advance until they are solved. Taking your time to think things through and act prudently should be the default course of action. But when the answer is as clear as daylight, any delay prevents progress. Postponing the obvious choice can also…
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Urging Team Members to Play More Aggressively
The pundits like to say that every moment is a new beginning. This rings true for those with an eye toward improving performance. But some moments are easier than others. Going from low energy to high energy, or passive play to aggressive play, makes the shift for improvement much harder. The best leaders know that…