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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Great Partnerships Defer to Expertise and Passion
Great relationships and partnerships are full of debate, humor, collaboration, and disagreement. Making decisions together requires working through complex issues and different points of view. Breaking the gridlock of disagreement when both parties feel strongly about an issue is critical for sustaining a robust partnership. Doing this, however, is not always easy and has the…
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Don’t Tell People They Are Wrong – Tell Them How Right You Are Instead
Don’t Tell People They Are Wrong – Tell Them How Right You Are Instead. Experienced leaders and smart thinkers can sometimes fall into a habit of telling people they are wrong before they give them what they consider a better answer or view. The idea of pointing out that others are wrong in their thinking,…
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Leading Team Members Who Don’t Want a Relationship and Want to Be Left Alone to Do Their Work
The world of leadership style has seen drastic changes over the last 50 years. We’ve gone from an exclusionary, top-down, command and control orientation to an inclusive, empowering, and consensus-oriented approach. Team members expect a very different style of leadership from those who hold the title.
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Where Do You Stand With Your Leader?
Leaders commonly expect team members to check in with them when engaging in important tasks and assignments. Some leaders insist on being asked for their views, while other leaders simply want to be kept up to speed on what has transpired. Looking at a composite of conversations leaders have with team members, we can generalize…
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Gratefulness Is More About the Future Than the Past
Gratefulness Is More About the Future Than the Past. When we are truly grateful, those around us can sense the awe and optimism we have even with the future’s uncertainties. This energizes others and inspires the kind of hope they need to become more grateful, as well. As the old maxim goes, ”A grateful mind…
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Teaching Grit
The Hard Thing Rule is the daily practice of something outside your comfort zone. It is a practice that includes a bounty of feedback and requires a deep commitment to finish or achieve the end goal. Engaging against that daily challenge requires an individual to alter their normal tendencies, teaching them to develop more Grit.
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The Secret of Olympic Motivation
Good people want those they care about to be proud of them. The desire for that pride can sometimes be the push they need to overcome the obstacles preventing them from ultimate success. For Gregory, like so many other Olympians, the secret to motivation was to want his family to experience the thrill of victory…
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I Already Do That!
It’s somewhat surprising to many leaders how often team members who receive actionable feedback and recommendations for improvement respond with, “I already do that!” This answer sometimes reflects a passive resistance to the advice; however, more often than not, the team member truly believes they are already performing the suggested action. They often lack an…
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Learn to Treat Senior Leaders as a Resource and Not as an Authority
More seasoned, experienced, and senior leaders often get involved with matters across the organization. In their attempt to add value and make others more effective, they commonly direct traffic, issue orders, call for meetings, and create strategies for addressing problems. They jump right over those below them who operate the ship. In their desire to…
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What’s in Your Way?
Good leaders do everything in their power to remove obstacles that prevent team members from being the most productive they can be. Anything that stands in the way of a team member reaching their full potential and being the best they can be is ripe for discussion. Good leaders know that even when they are…