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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Honor the Last Leader
When leaders take on a new assignment or role, they replace the leader that came before them. While some prior leaders retire or move to their next assignment after a successful run, in many cases, leaders supplant a predecessor who was not up to the job. Following an ineffective leader and leading a team that…
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Developing Your “No” Muscle
People have an odd response when they feel out of balance and without control over their time. They add things to an already overflowing plate. Decide today, before any new requests, what you will say no to. Write them down. Keep this list ever-present as a reminder. Now use the muscle and make it stronger.…
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Forgetting Is an Essential Skill
The best performers and athletes work hard to overcome setbacks in an exceedingly simple way —they forget about them. Forgetting is an essential skill that anyone can master. The key to forgetting is to force yourself to charge forward without delay. Any hesitation allows the mind to remember. Recalling the misstep is what top performers…
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When a Conflict Is Intractable
Not all conflict can be managed or resolved. On rare occasions, the struggle between people arises from profound distaste, disrespect, or mistrust.
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The Command-and-Control Hangover
Years after a leadership regime change, the effects of a command-and-control style can still be felt across an organization. When organizations suffer from the Command-and-Control Hangover, team members are reluctant to take risks or make decisions without the approval of those above them.
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Are You a Control Freak?
Being motivated by owning the results, having the autonomy to achieve them in your own way, and holding yourself and others accountable to the actions required does not make a leader a “control freak.” Quite the contrary. Those who create extraordinary results often focus on controlling the details that contribute to success and desired outcomes.…
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Finding Reasons to Celebrate
Celebration offers a sense of accomplishment and pride for the milestone achieved. It reminds team members about what is important and what needs to be repeated. Most of all, celebration tells people they are worthy of even greater success. The praise underscores the choices they have made.
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Making Your Own Luck
Essentially, all decisions are bets. If luck weren’t involved, the best poker players would win every time. The same is true for leaders. If not for chance and unpredictable influences, the smartest leaders would always make the right decision. For decision-makers, luck is either a negative, or a necessary ally. The best decision-makers strike a…
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Good Leadership Is Priceless
As a boy, consumer activist Ralph Nader remembers his parents quizzing him about the cost of groceries. They asked him the cost of a carton of eggs, a loaf of bread, a gallon of milk, and a bag of potatoes. Each time, Nader answered his parents correctly. Then, they asked him the price of the
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Avoiding Backhanded Compliments
Often without intention, leaders offer compliments that are insulting. Couching a hard truth in less-than-genuine praise is the very definition of a backhanded compliment. Funny enough, when people receive compliments laced with insult, they often respond positively — until they get the chance to think through what was actually just said. Then they seethe,