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.
Search Field Notes
-
Moving the Set Point of Happiness
When we frequently recount the people and experiences we are grateful for, we experience more joy. When gratefulness is on the daily diet of activities we prioritize, we can even recalibrate our set point, moving it higher. The bottom line is that the portion of happiness we experience is equally dependent on the quality of…
-
Are Good Leaders Equal or Fair?
For the best leaders, equality and fairness are yoked together to the point of being nearly indistinguishable. That’s because fairness is virtually impossible to achieve without equal treatment and respect. Leaders who create a workplace where fairness and equal respect thrive find themselves among colleagues who feel a sense of belonging and goodwill. From that…
-
If You Could Read My Mind
As much as we would like to believe the contrary, people never get better at reading our minds without our help. Good leaders don’t presume others know what they are thinking or experiencing. They tell them. How novel is that?
-
It’s What You Don’t Say When Giving Feedback
To prevent the kinds of interpretation that undermine a productive feedback discussion, the best leaders eliminate any negative comments that lack clear action to move forward. By attaching specificity and practicality to any criticism, the effective leader encourages a more positive reception. Eliminating any statement that might be seen as insulting because it can’t be…
-
Inoculating the Team Against the Threat of a Downturn
Good leaders don’t sugarcoat possible outcomes or fabricate arguments they know are likely not true. Instead, they make their honest viewpoints known with specific arguments before external information floods the airwaves. This motivates team members to discuss the unfolding events from a place of security and not one of alarm. Inoculating the team against the…
-
The Gap Between How You Feel About Others and How You Make Them Feel
Team members more often than not live up to the expectations admired leaders have of them. Better yet, with the tailwind generated by a respected leader behind them, team members become the best version of themselves. No wonder they will do anything not to let a leader like this down. This is what the power…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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?
-
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…