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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Good Leaders Make the Room Smarter
The best leaders don’t try to be the smartest person in the room. Instead, they guide the room, so its collective intelligence shows up. By making the room smarter, they raise the ceiling of what the team is capable of. Decision quality and after-decision execution both benefit when team members are invited to bring all
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Don’t Decide for Others by Withholding the Invitation
Don’t Decide for Others by Withholding the Invitation
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Call Out and Get Curious About a Team Member’s Improvement
Call Out and Get Curious About a Team Member’s Improvement
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Beyond Praise: Why the Best Leaders Use Higher Forms of Recognition
Motivation largely lives inside the individual. Leaders can’t force someone to care or increase their inner drive. Thankfully, high-performing team members arrive armed with a healthy dose of self-motivation. They bring ambition, pride, and a commitment to excellence, no matter where they work or who they work with.
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Good Leaders Say ‘No’ for Those They Lead
Good Leaders Say ‘No’ for Those They Lead
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How the Best Leaders Normalize Not Knowing
The decision quality of an organization is partially reflected by how often its leaders and team members say, “I don’t know.” The common admission of a lack of knowledge signifies humility and a commitment to learning. I-don’t-know-cultures promote psychological safety, learning, collaboration, and precision. Better yet, they make higher-quality decisions. When leaders and team members
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When Selecting Between Internal and External Candidates, Give the Insider the Edge
When selecting talent for a critical position, leaders often evaluate talent from inside and outside the organization. You would think internal candidates would have a leg up in this selection process. After all, they have a track record within the existing organization, and their skills and talents are well known and proven. But external candidates
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When Team Members Openly Disrespect Each Other
Disrespect between team members can severely change how the larger team interacts. When it is obvious that one or more team members disrespect the competence or character of a colleague, the dynamic within the team becomes guarded, uncomfortable, and less open. Leaders must stop the damage and fix the problem before it poisons the entire team.
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Leading Team Members Who Are Truth Tellers
Some team members prefer to speak their mind. Unfortunately for the team, they offer their direct and candid views about everything and all the time. They believe anything less lacks integrity, even though their remarks often offend, insult, and miss the point. Managing a team member who contributes unedited and unfiltered viewpoints often means doing
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Redirecting the Message Toward a Different Audience
Redirecting the Message Toward a Different Audience