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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Remember ‘Rule Number 6’
Famed conductor Benjamin Zander likes to tell audiences this story: Two prime ministers are discussing the affairs of state when, suddenly, a man bursts into the room, huffing, and shouting. The hosting prime minister says to the man, “Peter, kindly remember Rule Number 6.” Peter immediately becomes calm, apologizes, and exits the room. About 15
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Defeated By a Winning Strategy
When conditions change, the smart ones among us adjust their strategies to compensate. Not doing so would obviously be foolish. Yet, we too often fall in love with our strategies. We presume what has worked so marvelously in the recent past won’t let us down regardless of external changes. So, we stay with our winning
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Wise Exercise of Decision Rights
By the simple virtue of occupying a leadership role, leaders have decision rights. That is to say, at the end of the day, the leader can make the call without consulting others and without agreement by anyone not in the mirror. But the best leaders know that exercising decision rights is a surefire way of
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How to Undermine Your Credibility
Leaders like to think in terms of effectiveness, credibility, influence, and prowess. They focus on how to attain those qualities. Charting a pathway forward toward desired outcomes is logical and smart; however, it behooves us to remember what it might take to create the opposite of our desired result. Toward that end, here’s a shortlist
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The Leader Who Is Late
Perhaps nothing is more annoying than a leader who does not respect others’ time. They show up late, start and end meetings without regard to the established times, expect people to wait for them, and ask others to spend the extra time that they themselves do not have. Leaders like this send a clear and
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Choose the Opposite of Fear
Fear undermines performance by creating self-doubt, anxiety, and nervous tension. Even the best leaders can, at times, become fearful of evaluation, expectation, miscalculation, and embarrassment. As we feel fearful in a given moment, pressure mounts, and our actions and thoughts become heavy and mechanical. Performance suffers, sometimes destroying the results we have worked so hard
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Naming the Behavior
When conflict in conversation spins out of control, bad things happen. Relationships can be irreparably harmed and the goodwill to work together can be destroyed. To avoid an escalation of emotions and extreme reactions, the best leaders “name the behavior.” This is a simple yet powerful way to diffuse conflict and allow others to regain
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Avoid the Micromanager Mess
Maybe you recognize these signs in a leader you know: Every task needs their eyes and approval. They know precisely where everyone is and what they’re doing. No one’s work is immune from their critique and endless editing. They rarely delegate tasks, preferring instead to have others contribute without owning the outcomes. They second-guess everything,
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Slice the Gordion Knot
In the ancient city of Gordion, King Midas tied a chariot to a post with an intricate knot. A wise oracle prophesied that the person who could untie the knot would become the ruler of all of Asia. Hundreds of soldiers and craftsmen tried and failed in the endeavor. Finally, in one version of the
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Run to the Roar
The roar of a mature lion can be both exhilarating and unnerving. It’s hard to believe how loud the roar can be, often reaching more than 115 decibels. That’s almost as loud as a serious rock concert. This roar is essential for hunting success, but not in the way we might think. When lions get