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.
Search Field Notes
-
You’ll Figure it Out
When it comes to solving a highly complex or knotty problem, leaders would sometimes be wise to ask others to generate a creative solution without their assistance. This is especially true when a practical solution seems nearly impossible, and team members don’t have a clue about where to start. Leaders who swoop in and assist
-
Getting the Team to Execute Twice as Fast
Results-focused leaders are unreasonably impatient with the pace of execution. When it comes to completing a task, they have a need for speed. They want everyone and everything to go faster. So, they ask those in charge of execution to find a way to shave some time off the clock. Any incremental improvement is a
-
The Best Self-Affirmations Aren’t Perfectly True Just Yet
The positive statements leaders and performers tell themselves to raise their confidence and keep themselves calm under pressure are more than just personal pep talks. They are essential for maintaining a positive mindset during performance. By regularly repeating a self-affirmation, leaders and performers cultivate the inner confidence that is so important for focused execution. The
-
Helping Team Members Find the Highest Vision of Themselves
Good leaders often believe more in their team members than they believe in themselves. That’s because exceptional leaders choose to see people in terms of their potential. By observing the skills and talents they bring to their work and their interaction with their colleagues, good leaders develop a view of what they are capable of.…
-
How Goals Can Make You Less Successful
As the story goes, legendary investor Warren Buffett was asked by his private pilot, Mike Flint, how to set better goals. Flint was frustrated with the progress he was making toward his aspirations and sought Buffett’s wisdom on the matter. Buffett responded by asking Flint to write down his top 25 goals in life. After he completed that
-
The Ability to Distinguish Big Problems From Small Ones
For leaders, spending time on problems that others should handle is both a time-wrecker and a morale spoiler. Delegating small problems and issues to trusted colleagues is how good leaders maximize their productivity. The best leaders understand that concentrating their efforts and time on the big problems is how progress happens. Wasting time on anything
-
Think About Repurposing Great Content
Leaders and teams sometimes produce some amazingly great content. For instance, a video that perfectly captures the vision, an essay on how AI will impact the team, or an Instagram post and photo describing the impact of music on well-being. The content is typically shared, receives rave reviews, and then is filed away, erased, or…
-
Expressing Confidence in a Team Member’s Abilities After a Poor Performance
Compassionate leaders seek out and offer support to those team members who underperform. They ask weak performers to share their perspective as to what occurred and why. Good leaders listen actively and then volunteer their observations. After the initial discussion, they may agree that the performer needs a different game plan or strategy for the
-
How Leaders State Goals Has an Impact on Action
Goals are not created or stated equally. Leaders rightly set short and long-term goals based upon the strategy and vision of the organization. But how they state them is a critical choice that is often overlooked. Goals, like many other concepts, can be stated in the positive or the negative. Consider the difference between a
-
The Solace of a Third Place
Third places offer an environment where you can shift out of execution mode and immediate pressures, where you can see challenges more clearly. The most admired leaders make these spaces non-negotiable because they know their effectiveness depends on having room for reflection and renewal. Without this, leaders often remain trapped in reactive thinking, missing the…