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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The Chilling Effect of Strong Reactions
Coordinating this with others is equally important. Encouraging others to have the same conversation and to push through their discomfort of giving feedback allows the hyper-sensitive party to fully grasp the issue and come to grips with it. Slowly over time, everyone involved creates a new pattern where reactions are less intense and the chilling…
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Great Slides, Bad Decision
Slide deck presentations have their use and place. Facilitating great decisions isn’t one of them. When making major decisions, the best leaders turn toward narrative documents to encourage the kind of intense discussions necessary for quality decision-making. When it comes to decision-making, they avoid depending on bullet-driven slideshows. In the words of Secretary and General…
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What Leaders Do First in a Crisis Defines Them
What Leaders Do First in a Crisis Defines Them. We most admire leaders who make solving the problem their highest priority. Can you blame us?
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Are You a Lamp, Lifeboat, or Ladder?
Are You a Lamp, Lifeboat, or Ladder? Some words never lose their impact for teaching leaders how to lead. A case in point is a quotation from more than 700 years ago by the 13th-century Persian poet Rumi. He wrote, “Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder. Help someone’s soul heal. Walk out…
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Teaching Others How to Compete
Good leaders make competitions fun by designing quick challenges where the winners are honored and the losers must engage in a mild sanction. Toasting the winners, dressing in a particular outfit the next day, or serving the winners coffee creates good-natured teasing that elevates team spirit and gets everyone to raise their game. Competition brings…
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Deciding the Desired Outcome of Meetings Before They Begin
Prior to the launch of a meeting, the best leaders introduce the desired outcomes of the meeting, stating them clearly so that everyone knows exactly what the conversation is expected to achieve. Letting everyone know the specific result that must be achieved in the meeting helps to keep everyone on track and encourages team members…
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The Beta of Data
The key is to know what data points matter most before we begin assembling the set. Diving deep on those factors will likely produce a more confident and effective decision. Less really is more when it comes to data and decisions. This maxim runs contrary to contemporary thinking. Don’t let the big data vogue fool…
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When Leaders Withdraw an Existing Reward
Leaders must be thoughtful when they believe withdrawing a reward is the right decision. They should do so only when it is absolutely necessary. They then need to be prepared to make their case and endure the reaction. Leadership is hard for many reasons. Some reactions are not perfectly rational. Withdrawing an existing reward makes…
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Increasing the Odds of a Windfall
Windfalls normally follow the bumpy path of good fortune, but like all unexpected outcomes, leaders can increase the probability of chance by thinking creatively about what is around the corner and looming unseen overhead. When an opportunity appears on the horizon, the lucky are better prepared for it.
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Protecting Against Hubris
The dangers of hubris are well known, and need to be avoided. Leaders with high self-esteem and who project confidence have nothing to fear, unless they allow their pride to escape the normal constraints of reality. Remember that confidence isn’t thinking you are better than everyone else. True confidence is realizing that you have no…