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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When You Report to an Idiot
Some leaders are completely clueless. They are generally unaware of everything important and compound their ignorance by making bad decisions that you have to execute. If you report to an idiot, organizational life can be a very painful experience. Deciding to find another team or place to ply your craft is not an unreasonable call.
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Lower Your Voice to Get Heard
Common wisdom tells leaders that if they want everyone’s attention or to make their advocacy land with force, they must increase their speaking volume. Multiple people in a room or a meeting turn their attention to the loudest voice and often stop talking themselves when one voice dominates. The intensity of the language the leader employs,
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The Easy Way to Do It
Bill Gates prefers to choose a lazy person to do a hard job because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it. There’s wisdom in that idea, even though Gates says it to make a point about efficiency in thinking and not about rewarding lazy people. The hardest way is rarely the best
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Bad News Comes From You First
Sometimes bad things happen. News that’s not ideal has to be shared quickly with those who have to make repairs or may be impacted by the fallout. Among those who need to hear the news posthaste is your leader. Leaders hate to be surprised by bad news. The good ones would rather hear about what
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Is Contemporary Leadership Advice Really Just B.S.?
Great leadership doesn’t guarantee business or financial success. Instead, it promises to create the individual and team performance essential for that possibility.
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I Really Dislike One of My Team Members
Sometimes, holding your nose to avoid a foul odor also requires gazing away from the source of the scent. By focusing on the pleasant characteristics of a disfavored colleague, leaders can keep everyone engaged and working toward good outcomes. Highlighting what a leader does like or values about a colleague helps everyone to engage more…
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Leaders Who Yell and Ridicule on Purpose
Constantly yelling and carrying on doesn’t make anyone a better leader. What it does make is someone who becomes known as a screamer. And screamers are eventually ignored or marched to the nut house. Unless, they invent the iPhone.
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If You’re Not Elaborating, You’re Not Listening
If You’re Not Elaborating, You’re Not Listening. It is often the case that leaders believe themselves to be excellent listeners only to learn that others don’t feel the same. It may be that elaboration or the lack of it is the missing ingredient to this competing view. Good listeners process. Great listeners elaborate.
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Who Knew We Were in Violent Agreement?
Pointing out a leader’s need to have the last word and to be more right isn’t comfortable, but it can help a deeply troubled leader overcome a debilitating problem. Convincing someone who needs to be right that they are sometimes wrong is never fun. But it is the essential work of those who care.
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Co-Creating Organizational Change
Propelling change forward in any organization is a difficult leadership challenge. People naturally resist change and view it as uncomfortable, hard work, and time-consuming. They aren’t wrong. In the best circumstances, truly getting team members on board with a change requires a different approach. Instead of promoting the change, the best leaders co-create it with