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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When Leaders Shouldn’t Be Vulnerable
Inclusive leaders view vulnerability as a leadership strength and not a weakness. They courageously share their feelings, fears, experiences, and doubts with those they lead to build authentic relationships and to grow as leaders. They openly share their honest emotions and thoughts as a pathway to stronger relationships, personal development, and a more fulfilling work…
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The Straw Man and the Scarecrow
As politics and political gamesmanship spill over into the workplace and everyday life, people are learning some of the worst political tricks and applying them in team meetings, advocacy, and presentations. It’s important for leaders to recognize these manipulative practices and to have an antidote that repels them. Perhaps the most common of these devious practices is
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The Danger of False Dichotomies (And They Are All Technically False)
People, decisions, and situations can be extremely complex. Making sense of what is really going on and why people do what they do requires good mental models. These schemas and frames help to cut through the clutter of complexity and can guide leaders to a simpler understanding that can be acted upon. The problem is…
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Are You a Poor Listener or Just Hard to Influence?
Some leaders get a bum rap regarding their listening skills. Although they’re accused of listening poorly, in actuality, they process and comprehend what others say and mean with aplomb. Their ability to pay sharp attention to others and understand what they communicate is beyond reproach. Yet they are told repeatedly that they have lousy listening…
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Learning to Think in Opportunities, Not Problems
Ask a leader to list 10 problems faced by the team, and they won’t hesitate to rattle them off. The request for 10 more wouldn’t be a heavy lift either. But ask the same leader to list 10 opportunities for the team, and they will likely struggle to complete the assignment. Identifying 20 opportunities will…
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Why Team Members Sometimes Hear Negative Feedback as Positive
A surprising thing sometimes happens after a team member receives direct and candid negative feedback about their performance. Even though the leader believes they have been straightforward and unfiltered in their criticism, the team member does not receive the message as negative. In fact, on some occasions, they actually hear the feedback as relatively positive, or at
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Ground Rule That Fosters Healthy Team Debate
To reach the best conclusion, decision, or position, leaders and teams sometimes benefit from a full-fledged debate on the issues involved. This requires team members to stake out competing viewpoints and then advocate strongly for their preferred perspective or outcome. In any debate, team members marshal facts and make the case for the correctness of…
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How to Spot a Bureaucrat
A bureaucrat isn’t a person or role as much as it is a mindset attached to someone with legitimate status or influence at any level in an organization. Bureaucrats are made, not born, and they come in all sizes, shapes, and colors. No matter what they have been asked to do or what role they…
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Showing Team Members How to Perform With Rigor
Every leader wants their team members to perform with rigor. To leaders, this means performing a task or assignment with strict attention to detail, thoroughness in execution, and careful consideration for accuracy. No cutting corners or looking for a fast solution. Rigor is all about examining every aspect of a situation or problem with an
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Since We Can’t Agree, Let’s Vote on It
To live up to the standard of inclusion and empowerment, as well as to foster buy-in and subscription to decisions, most leaders and teams operate from the decision rule of consensus. Consensus doesn’t require that everyone agree with the decision, but it does necessitate that everyone can live with the decision and execute it as if they agreed with it. To