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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Advocates Determine Our Future
Here’s a largely hidden career fact: We are rarely in the room when our career is decided for us. Behind closed doors, senior leaders make decisions that determine the opportunities we are given to pursue. Teachers, supervisors, coaches, parents, and directors exert this influence when we are not present to advocate for ourselves. We are
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Leaders Teach Their Mistakes
The value of learning from mistakes and failures cannot be overstated. Creating long-term excellence requires that we view our failures as learning opportunities for personal development. Leaders with this mindset own their missteps and derive a lesson they can carry forward. The popular idea of “failing forward” emphasizes this critical insight. Leaders who value the
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Reading the Situation Requires Understanding the Context
Self-awareness is an essential quality of all exceptional leaders. Leaders who are self-aware know their strengths AND their weaknesses, and understand how they are perceived by others. This allows them to monitor and regulate their behavior so as to be more effective in social situations. The black belt of self-awareness, however, is worn by leaders
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The Negative Symbolism of Small Acts
In close and long-standing relationships, both parties expect that whatever really matters to one person will matter equally to the other person. This is true no matter how small the issue, item, or grievance. For this reason, small issues and irritants can sometimes become big issues over time, as they become symbolic in the relationship.
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Developing a Thick Skin
You know the childhood chant by heart: “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” If only it were true. The fact is that words often hurt more than we like to admit. Most of us bruise too easily. We take offense anytime we get criticized. We sidestep rejection at
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All Leaders Are in the Hospitality Business
Great leaders think more about hospitality than customer or client service. This distinction is critical. Customer service focuses on delivering an exceptional product or service. Hospitality, on the other hand, is the degree to which a customer or client believes you are an advocate for their experience. In other words, the customer comes to believe
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When Loyalty Becomes a Liability
Loyalty is a principal virtue in life. Being loyal in relationships demonstrates resolute support for those we care about. We all admire those who demonstrate this core quality. Allegiance to others is a hallmark of great leaders and is often linked to their success. Among many benefits, loyalty creates stability in teams and fosters a
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Decisions Communicate Loudly
When leaders attempt to imprint important messages, such as strategy, values, and vision, down throughout the team and organization, they harness multiple mediums to get the job done. The most common of these is the formal communication organizations are known for — culture decks, mission and value statements, guiding principle documents, and emails that outline current strategy.
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Invite Expertise Into the Conversation
Experts are seemingly everywhere and often dominate important discussions with their facts and opinions. When debating the merits of a plan, subject matter experts can trump the views of leaders and quickly derail tactical plans and strategy. Bumping up against experts and expertise is never comfortable for leaders — especially when the leader feels strongly about
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Use Data to Inform Decisions, Not Make Them
Opinion in the absence of evidence or facts is bias or whim. Good leaders work hard to distinguish between unsupported opinions (of which there are many) and evidence-based viewpoints. Using data and numbers to help leaders and teams make quality decisions is, finally, the norm. Leaders across the world rely on data — big and