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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The Player-Coach Dilemma
A great player-coach leads by example in production and manages by investment in team member development. They are forever the consummate player and never let their performance drop or suffer. After all, no one refers to the role as coach-player for a reason. But they also know the force multiplier for the team lies with…
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The Importance of Self-Reviews in Performance Evaluations
For team members, Self-Reviews encourage reflection, build self-awareness, foster a growth mindset, and increase confidence. But the greatest advantage is for leaders.
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‘I Told You So’ Is Leadership Profanity
“I told you so” should never come out of your mouth. Good leaders do their best never to say it. That’s because they know very few leadership phrases invoke as much distaste, disgust, and defensiveness as those four simple words.
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The Impact of Strong Interpersonal Connections in the Workplace
The best leaders have learned an additional secret. Rather than sponsor a solitary team member to engage in a professional development program or experience outside of the organization, they underwrite team members to attend as dyads or triads.
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Who Is the Right Person to Make the Decision?
Lastly and most importantly, before delegating the decision, the best leaders already have a strong view regarding the criteria of success for the decision and what it must accomplish to be successful.
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Consider Your Feedback Density
The impact of feedback is most influenced by three critical qualities: how good it is, how frequent it is, and how dense it is.
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Leaders Who Act as Jupiter
The best leaders act like Jupiter, protecting the team from unwanted distractions. Be Jupiter. Without the 95 moons.
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The Practice of Giving Advance Notice for Workforce Reductions
The question always comes down to what leaders value. In a world with an increasing short-term focus, too many leaders follow the pack and disregard the long-term consequences of negative team morale and distrust. Good leaders don’t make that call because they value people more than they value short-term gain.
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Creating an Appetite for Feedback
Leaders who want others to seek their feedback begin by asking for theirs. This doesn’t mean requesting a general evaluation of their leadership effectiveness. A much better place to start is simply seeking their specific views and feedback for you regarding a recent meeting, a project, or a strategic initiative.
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Should You Ask Team Members to Read Before Discussions
Perhaps attempting the six-page memo and silent reading on one critical issue would prove a valuable experiment. But whatever process leaders embrace for more rigorous and objective debate, the key is to find a path toward better decisions. The quality of decisions at any organization most defines its long-term success. Would you care to read…