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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Turn Values Into Everyday Companions
Instinctively, leaders know what they stand for in life. Even without recognizing they are doing so, leaders base decisions on their values all of the time. But there is a marked difference between knowing your values and becoming a value-driven leader. In our experience, all the best leaders are value-driven in everything they do. Value-driven leaders
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Resolve to Read Complex Stories More Often
Making a resolution to read more and scan less will pay dividends throughout the year. Even reading fiction increases a leader’s empathy, as they get to imagine how other people and characters see and experience things. So, read deeply and read a lot. In the words of author Fran Lebowitz, it is a good policy…
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Job One: Restraining Self-Interest
Too often, the positions others take on depend on how they will benefit from the outcome. Self-interest is normal but taken too far, it can get in the way of sound decision-making and can undermine trust. Self-interest crosses the line when our advocacy for what benefits us comes before what is best for the team
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‘Talent Instantly Recognizes Genius’
When an average thinker suggests that you’re exceedingly bright, you view the comment as a compliment and take it in stride. But when someone you believe is exceptionally smart suggests you are highly intelligent, the comment lingers and bolsters your self-esteem for hours, even days. Similarly, when someone creative tells you how innovative you are,
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Weak Leaders Prefer the Silence
In political circles, speaking truth to power is always in vogue. In the spirit of Mandela, King, Gandhi, and Scholl, those with strong convictions are encouraged to call out the false or biased assumptions held by those with higher status. This act of courage is seen as virtuous and necessary to prevent those with power
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The Maladjusted Lizards of Leadership
We have all worked with leaders who are emotionally unpredictable. Their reactions swing wildly based upon what has happened to them in the last few minutes. Their moods go up and down faster than the stock market, as they carry forward every interaction into the next one. When we chose not to engage them or
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Do You Detest Making Small Talk?
Finding common ground in new relationships is an essential first step for creating rapport and building connections. With strangers and those we don’t know well, this means making “small talk,” an idea that can bring grown men and women to their knees in fear or repulsion. Most people detest making small talk because it is
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Leaders Don’t Get Paid in Cash
How much does a leader get paid? In the words of conductor Zubin Mehta, “I don’t know but whatever it is, it isn’t enough.” Leadership is a tireless job. Thankless, too. The best leaders understand exactly what Bob Dylan meant when he wrote: “You’ll find out when you reach the top, you’re on the bottom.”
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A Better Way to Approach Potential Mentors
As we search for the insight, clarity, and perspective we aren’t getting from our current leaders and colleagues, the best among us seek out seasoned, successful, and experienced people who might serve unofficially as our mentors. In many instances, these prospective mentors barely know us. Some have retired or moved on to other organizations. Some may
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Why Leaders Fail to Meet Our Expectations
Leadership has evolved. Once upon a time, leadership was a straightforward matter: Be controlling, as well as directive. We expected leaders to issue commands — and they did. No one dared to “push back,” as we like to call it now. As society changes, so does leadership. We expect so much more from leaders than in generations