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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Body Language and the Search for Hidden Meaning
There is little doubt that body language can exude confidence, anxiety, awkwardness, and charisma. Experts tell us that roughly 80 percent of the meaning of a message lies in the nonverbal expression of it. No wonder so many seemingly smart people invest a lot of time and money into predicting what people believe and feel…
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Don’t Let Your Family Down
Pride is a powerful motivator. Among many factors that inspire complete performance, family pride stands out. The idea that we represent everyone who came before us is an exceptionally powerful and emotionally poignant feeling. Many of the most successful athletic coaches remind their team members to make their family proud through their actions and choices.…
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The Pecking Order of Culture, Strategy, and Talent
The best leaders invest in all three of the essential characteristics of success, Culture, Strategy, and Talent. They hold themselves accountable to selecting superior talent, setting a compelling strategy, and creating a high-performance culture. Organizational success is a three-legged stool dependent on all three legs. Three is a lucky number.
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The Invisible Power of Trust Between Teammates
Many of the most profound influences in life are not visible. Think gravity, magnetic fields, friction, and ultrasound. The invisible world often governs what happens in the material world. The same is true in teams. We can’t see trust between teammates but we can witness the startling effect it has on performance. The words differ but they…
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Prepare Upstream for a Major Decision
When a high-stakes decision looms large on the horizon, smart leaders talk through the possibilities upstream forseveral weeks or months before the critical analysis begins. This is not a discussion about the decision. Rather, it is a conversation about the nature of the decision. The best place to start this discussion is to ask the fundamental question:…
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On Becoming a More Courageous Leader
Courageous leaders have the same fears and trepidations as everyone else but make the choice to act anyway. We know a leader is courageous by what they do. We’d all agree that it takes courage for leaders to admit their mistakes, buck a trend, challenge consensus, ask for criticism, and send tough messages. It’s not…
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Admired Leaders Are a Rare Combination of Result and Followership
Leaders who share both qualities—results and followership—are exceedingly rare and enjoy an unusual respect from almost everyone around them. Colleagues, clients, and friends reserve the label Admired to describe the impact these leaders have on the enterprise and on people. Listen for the Admired word and you will likely find it attached to a leader…
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When Leaders Reduce Their Status, People Tell Them the Truth
Leaders who push status aside get more honest answers to their questions and more candid ideas in discussions. This makes for a powerfully collaborative environment where the team’s collective skills can shine and quality decisions can be made quickly. Minimizing leadership status creates a different conversation between leaders and team members, one that is more…
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Make It Easy for Others to Comply
Three hundred cards needed to be signed by hand. The busy leader couldn’t find the time to sit down and spend multiple hours scribbling their signature and greetings on such an overwhelming pile of cards. So they procrastinated and promised to get to the stack. But, after several days, the cards sat untouched on a…