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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Guidance Before Autonomy
Giving team members and colleagues autonomy and control over how to complete tasks and assignments motivates and inspires them to do their best work. Research consistently shows that team members who feel empowered, valued, and trusted to execute on their own become more productive and effective. Leaders who have learned the benefits of empowering others
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A Relationship Challenge: Greet Everyone You Come in Direct Contact With
There is something special about a person who chooses to greet everyone they come in direct contact with. With a simple gesture, they convey that people and relationships matter to them. When a leader follows this principle, it carries an additional meaning. Leaders who greet everyone they come in direct contact with project a deep
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Rethinking Team Member Rewards
When it comes to rewarding team members for exceptional work and results, leaders are often in a rut. They rely on the same four or five rewards to recognize people. In addition to increased compensation and monetary rewards, leaders depend too heavily on public awards and acknowledgments, work flexibility and time off, development experiences, and
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How to Listen to Everyone Without Listening to Everyone
Good leaders use silence to encourage more dialogue and openness from others. By not filling the void of immediate response, leaders encourage others to offer their candid views and opinions. Too many leaders can’t stop themselves from offering a quick opinion or position, which can discourage competing views. More silence and restraint from response normally…
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Silence at the Wrong Time Can Send a Powerful Message
Good leaders use silence to encourage more dialogue and openness from others. By not filling the void of immediate response, leaders encourage others to offer their candid views and opinions. Too many leaders can’t stop themselves from offering a quick opinion or position, which can discourage competing views. More silence and restraint from response normally…
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Outcome Goals Are Overrated
One of the more creative acts of leadership is setting goals that inspire performance. Setting goals is easy, but crafting goals that narrow attention, build excitement, and motivate people to achieve is artful. The best leaders are masterful goal setters who think long and hard about the targets they place in front of others. They know
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The Difference in Salespeople With an Affluent Mindset
Thinking as if they don’t need a sale to make ends meet makes them more aggressive and confident in attaining one. The most successful salespeople don’t always have a better style, approach, or strategy. Sometimes, they simply have a different mindset.
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People Who Rush Through Tasks and Assignments
Some team members work fast. Sometimes too fast. Despite being highly skilled, their work is full of errors, and the quality of their output is lower than it should be. They might value speed over accuracy and quality for a variety of reasons.
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Leading Team Members With an Adversarial Edge
Some colleagues are testy with everyone and on any topic. They take an adversarial stance as their default position and style. This makes them more argumentative, resistant to competing ideas, pessimistic about plans and strategies, and disrespectful of others. In many cases, team members with an adversarial edge have no idea about how they come…
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Agreeing to an Operating Principle Before a Difficult Discussion or Debate
A leader who extends their authority or influence beyond acceptable limits is said to be “overreaching.” This often happens when a leader makes decisions outside of their purview, takes control over situations or people with whom they have no authority, or takes actions well beyond their expertise.