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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Does Extraordinary Success Require the Ultimate Sacrifice?
Leaders who are driven to create extraordinary outcomes are a different breed. We are told that those who strive for and achieve any semblance of greatness pay a significant price.
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Where Does Self-Confidence Come From?
Confidence wants to have a word with you. It wants to tell you that it springs more from insight than from personality, more from failure than from winning. In fact, the more you fail, the more confidence you build when you struggle through that failure and eventually master the task or performance.
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Working Backwards to Solve a Hard Problem
More than two decades ago, the leaders at Heinz food company tried something new to solve a pricing problem. They created what is now called price-based costing to address the profitability of their 9-Lives cat food brand.
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It’s Not About the Team Dinners
Legendary NBA Coach Gregg Popovich creates highly cohesive teams with star athletes who commonly like to go their own way. His teams are known for players who develop deep and lasting relationships with each other, and rally to support their teammates when times are tough.
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When the Winning Strategy Is Not to Play
Life throws many episodes at us that appear to require a response or defense. We always have a choice as to whether we engage or not. On occasion, the only winning strategy is not to play. This is especially true when responding will require us to stake out a clear position when we don’t have…
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When a Team Member Carries Someone Else’s Complaint
The subtext of any conversation refers to the underlying meanings and motivations people use to influence. By looking past the literal message, leaders can discern the agendas at play in any conversation. Through an examination of the subtext, leaders understand more accurately what is really being said.
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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.