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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Leaders Who Listen to Disagree
A surprising number of leaders don’t listen to understand. They listen to disagree. This approach to listening allows leaders to stand out for their expertise, intelligence, and conviction. Unfortunately, it also robs them of their ability to connect with and learn from others, making them susceptible to poor decisions, false assumptions, and untested viewpoints. Simply…
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The Silent Career Derailer of Defensiveness
As leaders and team members rise in organizations and take on expanding responsibilities, one factor has an outsized influence on their promotability: how defensive they are. Highly defensive people overreact when others disagree with them or when they receive unfavorable news and feedback. This can be a career killer.
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In the Face of Adversity, Leaders Must Redefine Success
When the headwinds are strong and the organization’s goals can no longer be met, leaders must remember to redefine success for the team. It is not enough to simply lower the bar or to set new and achievable goals.
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The Philosophy of Breaking People Down Before Building Them Up
Military training in much of the world relies on a philosophy of breaking old habits, reshaping identity, and instilling discipline to prepare soldiers for the rigors of combat. Military academies describe the process as “tearing down to build up.”
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Team Members Who Wait to be Told What to Do.
Common wisdom would suggest that team members who wait to be told what to do lack initiative or are less engaged than they should be. But while some team members do prefer to “clock in” and receive instructions, the leader is usually to blame for their lack of drive and resourcefulness.
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Do You Ask and Answer Your Own Questions?
To guide an audience’s reasoning about an issue, leaders sometimes ask and answer their own questions. The ancient Greeks coined the term hypophora to describe the device speakers and writers use to ask a question and then immediately answer it themselves. Some examples: “Why do we need to change? Because if we don’t, our competitors…
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The Anticlimax of Achieving a Big Goal
Leaders commonly feel a letdown after achieving a long-sought goal. The big prize becomes a source of hope, identity, future happiness, and self-worth. When it is finally reached, reality can feel smaller than the energy spent chasing it. Pursuit creates momentum and meaning. Working toward something big gives the everyday structure and focus. People depend…
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The Art of Indirect Confrontation
People disagree when they hold opposing views, opinions, or positions. The struggle is over who is right or whose argument is stronger. When people confront, they often pose a direct challenge to the rules, standards, or values governing the relationship or team. Confrontation expresses dissatisfaction over the other party’s violation of an implicit or explicit…
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Why Do Leaders Tolerate Poor Performers?
Tolerating poor performers is a common failure for far too many leaders. Inexplicably, leaders and managers who know better cover for weak performers and offer a wide variety of rationalizations for doing so. In many cases, they believe showing loyalty to a colleague supersedes short-term effectiveness. They err on the side of giving people a…
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Revisiting the Johari Window
Developed in 1955 by psychologists Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham, the Johari Window has long been a mainstay of self-awareness work. Countless therapists, counselors, and coaches use the model to help people understand themselves and their relationships with others. The Johari Window is divided into four quadrants, based on what you know about yourself and what others…