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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What Shape Is Your Conference Table?
The physical design of any meeting alters the way in which team members interact with each other. Design influences how people orient and engage.
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Giving Up at Precisely the Wrong Moment
As the proverb suggests, the temptation to quit will always be greatest just before you are about to succeed. Before you give up on any arduous project or journey, make sure those you respect agree with you that quitting is the prudent course and not a reaction. Never forget, it is sometimes the last key…
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A Closet Full of Bad Paintings
Just like master painters, the best leaders work hard to keep inferior work products out of sight. They know too well that when team members focus on them, they begin to question their skills and talents. Once they review and learn from any representation of bad performance, like game film or process maps, they get…
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Surround Yourself With People Who Have It
Our habits are cemented by the people we spend the most time with. By surrounding ourselves with people who have mastered the habits we desire, we fit in by acquiring those same habits. Those around you will naturally encourage you to do what they do in the way they do it. When multiple people share…
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The Pain of Exclusion Is Real
Used as a last resort, leaders who purposely exclude team members will often find a huge shift in their willingness to play along. The power of social connections and relationships is fundamental to humanness. Before a leader accepts a team member who rejects the group and refuses to comply with ongoing rules and commitments, perhaps…
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The Power of a Shared Leadership Experience
The power of a widely shared experience is a common ingredient of many of the best teams and organizations. The best leaders know an organization’s culture can be brought to life through a foundational experience shared by all or many. Nothing links team members better than a great experience.
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The Disproportionate Influence of Quiet Leaders
Some of the best leaders in any organization are reserved, thoughtful, and quiet people. They defy the stereotype that leaders must be dynamic or charismatic to create followership. In a room full of leaders, quiet leaders typically outnumber the outspoken types.
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When Aspirations Don’t Line Up With Skill
Self-awareness is not as common among team members as we would like to believe. Truly knowing one’s strengths and weaknesses in vivid detail can be elusive for some. Colleagues with low self-awareness are also commonly blind to how others see and judge them and their skills. When a lack of awareness is combined with an…
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Living in the Future
Those who exclusively tolerate a painful present for a greater achievement later do so at great peril. This is a recipe for burnout, sourness, and chronic fatigue. Smelling the roses all day long is how the best leaders create a bridge between the present and the future. Anything less is destructive to the spirit.
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Refuse to Be Disrespected
You can’t force someone to respect you. Respect is something others give you. Unfortunately, not everyone thinks highly enough of you to grant you respect. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be treated respectfully. There’s no reason on earth for someone to treat you poorly. Those with self-respect refuse to be disrespected. A refusal to