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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Intense But Not Tense
Two letters can make a big difference. Consider leaders who create an intense work climate versus those who produce a tense environment. The best leaders strive for intensity to challenge people to excel; however, they eschew the kind of tension that undermines performance. Walking the fine line between creating intense or tense is not always obvious. Intensity creates the…
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Am I the Smartest Person in the Room?
Most leaders never consider what it’s like to be in a meeting with them. In many instances, it’s not easy. This is especially true for those leaders who insist on being the smartest person in the room. The problem, of course, is not that a leader is the most intelligent person in a room. The…
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How Many Direct Reports Can I Have?
A question many new leaders ask, and more experienced leaders should reconsider, regards how many direct reports a leader can manage successfully. When we examine leaders across many industries, it is not uncommon to see direct report numbers ranging from a handful to as many as 15 to 20. So, exactly how many direct reports…
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Lead Yourself First
Dee Hock, the founder of the credit card company Visa, suggested this about those preparing to lead others: “If you look to lead, invest at least 40 percent of your time managing yourself.” It doesn’t occur to many leaders that before you are capable of leading others, you must first lead yourself. Leading yourself…
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Praise Requires a Tricky Balance
Most leaders don’t give enough of it. Most team members want a lot more of it. Add to those facts that most leaders don’t know how to offer it, and we have ourselves a world-class leadership dilemma. We’re talking about praise, of course. How much praise you desire as a leader is a good indicator of how…
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Amplify Your Strengths
When reviewing a colleague on video who has a reputation for being an outstanding speaker, several qualities jump out. The speaker is not very articulate, often stumbling on words and phrases. Moreover, the use of empty expressions like “you know” and “right” is so common it is painful. In fact, non-fluencies and stammers are so…
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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. …