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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‘Only the Mediocre Are Always at Their Best’
Good leaders understand but never accept mediocrity by choice. They do their best to confront average performers and hold them accountable to the same standards everyone else is expected to reach. Those who would prefer to sit back and cruise along soon learn to raise their game or find themselves looking for other places to…
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Become a Better Listener and Gain Clarity With ‘Say More’
Consider becoming a better listener by asking others to expand on what they have said. By requesting that others SAY MORE, leaders can better resist the urge to reply before they fully understand. As several authors like to say, the best leaders learn to listen by listening to learn.
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The Many Ways of Being Heard
Team members who play it safe by keeping their opinions about issues more closely guarded run the chance of not being heard and therefore not being seen as fully engaged in meetings. The same is true for introverted or shy team members and for those colleagues who prefer to listen deeply before offering a view.…
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Good Apples in a Bad Barrel
When productive and committed team members are thrust into situations and environments with disgruntled colleagues, they are highly likely to be influenced negatively by them. Research over decades has confirmed that good apples placed in a bad barrel will turn sour. It’s not that team members are too easily influenced by the gripes and grievances…
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Pushing Against a Candidate’s Flaw
Occasionally, a job candidate with huge upside displays a glaring flaw that prohibits their selection. Despite a set of amazing skills, talents, and experience, they exhibit a fatal flaw that turns a favorable review into one of deep concern. Once the selection team fully considers this imperfection, they normally conclude it is too risky to…
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Leaders and Organizations Can’t Win When They Speak Out on Political Issues
As much as key stakeholders might want them to speak out, good leaders focus inward and not outward. No leadership team can or should speak for the entire audience of customers, team members, and investors. Weighing in on socially controversial issues undermines the ability to build a strong and cohesive team. People in organizations always…
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Preventing Initiative Fatigue
Leaders who believe that a sense of urgency and priority for all initiatives is how to get more done will soon find a team fatigued and exhausted. Instead, giving a team a healthy list of initiatives to move the organization forward but declaring which project has the highest priority is what good leaders do. Fatigue…
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Negotiating With Team Members Looking to Leave
It is inevitable over time that a valued team member will receive a substantial bid to work elsewhere. Offer in hand, they commonly inform the team leader of their intention to leave the organization. The leader must then decide whether they want to make a play to retain the talents of the team member and…
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Overcoming the Shadow of a Predecessor
Following a popular and effective predecessor can undermine the self-confidence of a new leader. Strong leaders who have held the role for a long time are a particularly tough act to follow. It is easy for leaders who follow an exceptional leader to feel self-conscious and less sure of their skills and talents. Those who
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The Importance of Retelling Stories of Success
With a renewed memory of success, team members are motivated to recapture the feelings and confidence that only success can generate. Everyone loves a good story, but they relish the success stories they were a part of. Good leaders remind the team of what they have accomplished so they are motivated to repeat that success.