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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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,…
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Be Reluctant to Offer Delicate Feedback
Getting others to ask for feedback that will likely sting seems like an impossible task. This is especially true when the person in question is unaware of the criticism, or when the information will be viewed as delicate or sensitive. Letting team members know we have important feedback but are reluctant to share it is…
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What Relationships Do I Need to Invest In?
Leaders like to think they intuitively know what issues are most important to focus on to improve their effectiveness. Critical relationships are often missing from this list. Knowing what relationships to invest in more heavily is a leg up towards making the team more effective. The quality of a leader’s relationships is an unequaled measure…
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The Affirmative Reprimand
An Affirmative Reprimand makes it clear the infraction was a serious misstep, but also creates an expectation that the error in judgment will not occur in the future. When a team member feels supported by the prediction of a better future, they hear the reprimand as a line in the sand they dare not cross…
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If You Need an Answer Right Now, the Answer Is “No”
As the Greek playwright Sophocles warned, “Quick decisions are unsafe decisions.” In reality, it’s not the fast decision that is the real problem. Instead, it is the request for an immediate decision that creates the resistance.