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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Shared Risk Is More Rational
Sometimes, people want leaders to take all of the risks without any real downside if they fail. Recently, former PGA champion Rich Beem was challenged to a competitive wager by an amateur who had great confidence in their golf game. The amateur asked Beem to play for $10 a hole, as long as he could
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Reframing Shifts the Vantage
Reframing a perennial challenge is often a much-needed kick in the pants. Changing the way we and others view a situation, experience or idea can have a profound impact on how we approach them. Reframing shifts the vantage by which we view an issue and thereby impacts how we address it. When we see an
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From Thoughts to Destiny
Mahatma Gandhi clarified the cause-and-effect relationship between thoughts and outcomes: “Your beliefs become your thoughts, your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, your actions become your habits, your habits become your values, your values become your destiny.” Read it again. Let that sink in. No wonder Gandhi remains one of the most
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Believe You Are Responsible
Leadership is said to “emerge” on the best teams when others step up and act like leaders without being asked to do so. But emergent leadership requires more than making the choice to lead. It first requires that a person takes responsibility for something. When a leader takes responsibility and believes their values require them
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Silence Shouldn’t Always Be Broken
Silence in conversations is often uncomfortable. So, we move quickly to fill the void. But as leaders should we? Perhaps, the better approach is allow the conversation to simply settle for a moment. This encourages others to fill the space while we wait patiently for them to do so. A leader can learn a lot
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Who Do You Want to Be?
The leader you become depends largely on what you think of yourself. When you believe in being a positive influence, you’ll be more positive. The critical question to ask yourself is: Who do you want to be? When you want to be a leader who recognizes and supports others, you’ll find ways to do so
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Genius Simplifies the Complex
Harvey Penick was a teacher many of whose students went on to achieve great things in the game of golf. Penick’s “Little Red Book” is the best-selling sports book of all time for one reason: He simplified the complex. Let me tell you an academic secret: Anyone can make something more complex, but it takes
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Hold Yourself Accountable First
Once you explore your choices and actions, you are in the best position to examine others and find the root causes of whatever is raising concern. Great leadership requires this honesty. Leadership starts with you.
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Make Less of a Critical Question
Good leaders could learn a thing or two from a fictional TV homicide detective named Lt. Columbo. A true staple, the program ran on American network television for more than 30 years. In every episode, the show’s writers include an interview technique which has become Columbo’s trademark. As you might recall, the disheveled and clumsy
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Admire the Problem
When the solution to a problem seems particularly troublesome, or the impact of an unaddressed problem causes havoc, the best leaders take the time to “admire the problem” before they attempt to wrestle it to the ground. Admiring a problem requires us to understand it more deeply: why it has proven difficult to get a