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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Repeat New Routines Relentlessly
The small behaviors we learn and integrate into our lives from a very early age are the habits that make us who we are. We are trained in habits from the moment we become social actors — when to cry, how to be polite, when to be quiet, how to smile. We become the collection…
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Learning to Lead Beyond Linear Time
Some leaders are too productive. I don’t mean they get too much done, but their extreme focus on linear time blinds them to judge productivity exclusively on speed, efficiency and tasks accomplished. We know precisely how long it should take to walk to the car, boil water, or to write a simple email. We evaluate…
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Good Decisions Require More Than Just Trusting Your Gut
How important are instincts to great decision makers? VERY IMPORTANT! But to answer that question accurately, let’s be clear what leaders mean when they attribute decisions to instinct. Instinctive decision-making is not about making guesses or having hunches. As we analyze and deliberate during normal decision processes, we are often left with more than one…
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This Email Comes With a Countdown. 3, 2, 1…
Over the course of our lives, we have been conditioned to change our behavior when a countdown is introduced. Sports, game shows, rocket launches, video games and sales promotions often use a countdown to mark the end or beginning of something important. The countdown pushes people to act, or as Amazon tells us, if we…
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Not Responding Is the Ultimate Checkmate
In 1776, the new United States of America was fighting the best army in the world. George Washington needed a surprise to gain an advantage, so he made a daring crossing on the Delaware River above Princeton to engage the enemy. Unfortunately for Washington, a loyalist spy named Moses Doan observed Washington and his boatload…
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Great Leadership Has No Off Switch
In addition to painting, Pablo Picasso was also a sculptor, a printmaker, and a theater designer. French artist Henri Matise was a painter and a draughtsman in addition to his work as a printmaker. Painter Marc Chagall also excelled as a glassmaker and a tapestry maker. We see a similar pattern in painter Joan Miró,…
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Hunt Like Tom Brady
At the zenith of his Super Bowl-winning stardom with the New England Patriots, quarterback Tom Brady hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live. During the rehearsals leading up to his appearance, Brady was particularly watchful of Lorne Michaels, the legendary founder and producer of the show. He peppered Michaels with questions, looking for insights and…
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Talent Density Requires Tough Decisions
Talent attracts talent. Talent density refers to the consolidated talent of the group or team. It goes up when the “right” people join the team and weak performers depart. Talent density goes down when the wrong people leave. High performers thrive in any environment where talent density is high. This includes our engagement with world-class partners and…
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Would You Pass This Secret Trust Test?
As leaders rise in organizations and become more senior, they regrettably receive information that is more filtered and less candid. It’s just a fact of upward feedback. People generally offer less honest feedback when engaging those leaders above them in a team or organization. To preserve their reputations and goodwill with those they report to,…
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The Power of the Unreasonable Challenge
Several decades ago, Sandy Tatum crafted the words that define golf’s U.S. Open. After the first round at Tatum’s home course of Winged Foot, the host of the 1974 championship, no player was under par. The course was so hard it was giving the players fits. The best player in the field, Jack Nicklaus, rolled…