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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If You Don’t Believe Me, Maybe It’s Time to Ask Your Peers
Good leaders are caring, thoughtful, and candid when giving feedback to team members. Through their feedback and advice, they attempt to amplify a team member’s strengths and help them to change or overcome their weaknesses. On occasion, a team member receiving their leader’s feedback disagrees with it and chooses not to act on it. This…
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Be Careful Not to Celebrate Yourself When Celebrating Others
Celebrating yourself as you hold up others and recognize their accomplishments is more common than leaders think. The statement, “I knew this would happen when you finally took my advice,” is a prime and common example.
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Leaders Who Refuse to Submit to the Mob
Leaders are obligated to make the right call, no matter how unpopular it is or what pressure they face from outside or inside forces. Unfortunately, the pressure to bend to a vocal minority that maintains a persistent drumbeat is often very real and can wear down even the best of leaders.
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Stop Trying to Fix People
People are shaped by a unique blend of biology, experiences, and environment. Some things about them are highly malleable, while other features are more permanent. In other words, some personal attributes can be changed while other qualities can’t. Understanding this distinction is crucial for leadership success.
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Keeping Yourself Top of Mind
Keeping Yourself Top of Mind. Smart leaders know the power of a simple reminder. Keeping yourself top of mind with those who can reward you with assignments, contracts, invitations, and projects sometimes makes all the difference.
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Leaders Who Tease Others Must Be Open to Being Teased Back
People who are fond of each other often engage in good-natured teasing. Mutual teasing expresses closeness and signals that the parties are comfortable with each other and enjoy the mutual exchange of light humor. It often builds and solidifies relationships by displaying affection in a playful way.
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Using a Code Word to Help Others to Regulate Their Bad Behavior
Some leaders and team members say or do the wrong thing. Frequently. Those who are self-aware and responsive to feedback set their sights on regulating their behavior whenever they are triggered or find themselves “doing that thing” — the very thing they would prefer not to do.
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Leaders Who Attention Bomb
Leaders who give a team member a flurry of attention often do so to make the person more committed and loyal to them. Attention makes people feel special, while profuse attention makes people feel obligated. This calculated behavior is designed to draw the team member in and make them more dependent on or beholden to
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Treating Your Team Like a Family
It’s not uncommon for some leaders to treat their teams as families. They ask everyone on the team to care, trust, respect, and support each other unconditionally, regardless of their performance or contribution.
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Utilitarianism in Professional Relationships
People who develop and maintain professional relationships only to serve their own needs and purposes don’t fool anyone for very long. By prioritizing personal benefits over personal attachments and emotions, these utilitarian mercenaries don’t develop authentic or rich relationships with others. Instead, their relationships remain shallow, underdeveloped, and transactional.