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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‘Tuck Your Shirts In’
Basketball legend James Harden, one of the game’s most prolific scorers and eventual nine-time All-Star, was traded to the Houston Rockets in 2012. He showed up without much street cred and without knowing much about the organization, the coach or his new teammates. In his very first practice, he took notice of something that bothered
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Don’t Get Fooled By Resulting
We often learn the wrong lessons when good things happen. This is especially true when it comes to making decisions. We too often fool ourselves into thinking our decisions always produce the outcomes we experience. As the physicist Richard Feynman wrote, “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the
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Do Common Things Uncommonly Well
For leaders who strive to achieve excellence, doing simple things well is critically important. Excellence in anything requires us to do common things uncommonly well. As one writer suggests, “Only those who have the patience to do the simple things perfectly will acquire the skill to do difficult things easily.”
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Always Expression Not Possession
One of the great myths of leadership is the belief that leadership resides in power, status, titles, and authority. Leadership resides in actions, messages, decisions, behaviors, and choices.
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Small Changes Create Momentum
When your goal is to reach 25 pushups, the smart path is to start with doing just two. When your goal is to organize your closet, the best path is to start with just your pants. When your goal is to change your team meetings, it is a good idea to begin by first changing
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The Gray Way to Better Decisions
Black and white thinking can appear decisive but often results in poor decisions and choices. Thinking in gray allows leaders to explore all the options and the implications and unintended consequences associated with a decision. As anthropologist Ruth Benedict wisely pointed out, “The trouble with life isn’t that there is no answer, it’s that there
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The Real Value of Compliments
How should a leader receive a compliment? Compliments are easier to accept when you remember they are more about the person giving them than the person receiving them. You read that right. When others offer a compliment, they implicitly say, “I am the kind of person who notices your praise-worthiness, who sees excellence and good
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Push Harder
When you next sit down to craft your personal plan and vision and to set some long-term goals, I want you to think of Paul McCartney. Yes, that Paul McCartney. Considered one of the best bass players in the history of rock and roll, what he has accomplished in one lifetime is truly inspiring. McCartney
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A Recipe for Mediocrity
Sir Patrick Stewart began his pathway toward theatrical stardom when his acting teacher said his strategy would never lead him to success. The strategy? Ensuring against failure. Stewart admits he didn’t take chances. Instead, he convinced himself that playing it safe was the best way to forge a successful career. It wasn’t until he was
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The Fog That Shrouds Decisions
Too much emotion can blur a situation, a conversation or a dialogue. This is especially important when it comes to making critical decisions. Emotions are like a fog shrouding a decision-making process. In a heightened emotional state, people are unable to see, think or interpret clearly. It’s a lesson we know, but oft forget. Whenever