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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Leaders Don’t Take ‘No’ as the Final Answer
The best leaders treat “No” as a signal to understand what’s underneath. They recognize that “No” is usually not the final word, answer, or truth. So, they push to explore what is behind it. And whether getting to “Yes” will just take some revisions or more time. Receiving a No can make leaders defensive. No one likes to
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Organizations That Prioritize Good News
Positive cultures attract and retain talent. Leaders who highlight wins, successes, and positive results boost morale and energize the team. Positivity creates the momentum to push past obstacles, setbacks, and adversity. By reinforcing progress, leaders can also make people feel that their work matters. There’s a lot to be said for an organization or team
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What is Your Learning Strategy?
Leaders differ in what information they look for and gather as they learn something new. Some start with the big picture, while others begin with the details. Both strategies have their strengths and weaknesses. Top-down learners want an overview first. They seek summaries, frameworks, and conceptual maps to orient themselves. They try to quickly understand
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Why People Confuse Dominance and Control With Leadership
Gather school-age children together, leave them alone with a ball, and a game will likely break out. One child will name the game they want to play and begin separating the other children into two teams. Another child will typically claim the second “team captain” role. Then the two sides begin to play the game.
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Consider Shrinking the Change
Big change requires explaining the big picture. When introducing big change, leaders naturally explain the reason for the change and the risks of not making a shift. They lay out the vision for the change and the many milestones that will mark the progress the team needs to make. But when facing a daunting shift
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Transferring the Leadership Mantle to a Successor
The hand-off from one leader to another is seldom perfectly smooth. It looks simple on paper, but in reality, it is a fragile moment for the team, the leader, and the successor. Leaders often become their role. Their decisions, relationships, and reputations are tied to who they are as leaders. Letting go can be like
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Leaders Who Empower a Surrogate to Speak for Them
Busy leaders gain leverage by empowering others. Delegating tasks to team members buys leaders time for more strategic activities. Giving team members full ownership of projects develops their talents and allows leaders to attend to critical decision-making issues. Good leaders are effective delegators. For senior leaders, delegation is a requirement. Depending on others to take
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Giving One Last Chance to People Who Aren’t Making the Grade
No matter how hard they try, some team members significantly and consistently underperform. They possess many skills but lack the ability to put them altogether. Despite many opportunities and a heap of coaching, their results haven’t improved. The harsh reality is that their performance doesn’t warrant a spot on the team. Convincing these team members
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My Leader Only Gets Soundbites About My Performance
Here’s a common dilemma for team members and leaders who report upward. The senior leaders who judge them often only get secondhand soundbites about their performance. They generate strong views from limited information, pieced together from snippets of indirect conversations and opinions. As a result, senior leaders form simplified narratives about some team members, leaders,…
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On Becoming a Leader Everyone Roots For
The qualities that make up great leadership have been debated for centuries. The question of how to best lead others will likely never be answered to anyone’s full satisfaction. That’s because the competing goals leaders must pursue to be effective make leadership exceedingly complex. Great leaders must motivate team members while holding them accountable for