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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Ask Team Members to Create Their Own Goals
This is the season when planning and goal setting for the next year takes up mindshare for both leaders and team members. Setting individual goals to be achieved in the next calendar year sets expectations for team members and keeps them centered on their personal performance and development. Goals are the lifeblood for enhanced performance,
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Who Are the Best Informal Coaches and Mentors on Your Team?
Behind the scenes, under the radar, and without being asked, team members work to improve the knowledge and skills of less experienced colleagues. They informally coach, mentor, guide, and tutor junior members of the team, helping them navigate the organization and leading them to higher performance. The generosity and leadership these team members display often
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Why Does My Organization Have So Many Meetings?
In far too many organizations, the stream of meetings is endless. They occur back-to-back and all day long. Instead of getting things done, people gather to discuss getting things done. For every meeting that rightly serves to inform, update, and engage, there are other meetings where the primary purpose is to signal commitment, busyness, and
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Why Granting a Favor Makes You Like People More
The counterintuitive idea that asking people for small favors produces feelings of liking is hard to understand but has been known for centuries. People generally believe they must feel warmth and connection before choosing to help someone. Liking people before agreeing to help them seems like the natural order of things. But the opposite is also true.
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Do You Watch Too Many Revenge Films?
Thoughts of revenge can channel complex emotions—anger, grief, humiliation, and power—into a controlled narrative with closure. The idea of exacting revenge restores feelings of agency and control and amplifies feelings of empowerment. Reclaiming power through decisive action is invigorating to watch and think about for many people. No wonder revenge movies are one of the
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Be Careful Not to Weaponize Gratitude
When used as a directive, rather than as an expression, gratitude can be highly coercive. Telling people they should be grateful chills dissent and legitimate concerns and complaints while dissuading people from challenging the status quo. Leaders rarely do this intentionally, but the effect is the same nonetheless. Statements like “You should be grateful for your job,” “You
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The Best Gratitude Practice Isn’t What You Think
Being thanked, valued, and appreciated has an oversized impact on how people feel about themselves, feel motivated to perform, and feel connected and trustful with others. When leaders are grateful for what people do, they unleash a flood of positivity that team members carry forward with how they approach everything they do. The idea that
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Getting to ‘No’ Faster
There is nothing more frustrating or deflating than spending oodles of time and energy on a project or initiative only to have it negated in a few seconds by a leader who doesn’t agree. Some leaders are notorious for blowing up the hard work of a team or task force with a single utterance of
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Promoting a More Candid Discussion in Real Time
Even outspoken and highly engaged teams sometimes find a specific issue or topic that is difficult to discuss. The more the leader pushes for open and candid dialogue, the harder it is for the team to loosen up. Leaders are often at a loss as to how to break the logjam and get the team discussing the
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Creating Awareness About a Problem or Opportunity Others Don’t Yet See
Good leaders see around corners, recognize patterns quickly, and often see problems and opportunities before others notice them. Even though this visionary quality is an asset to the team, it presents a unique challenge. A leader who simply informs the team about their clairvoyant view often invites skepticism, doubt, and rejection. People resist being told