Field Notes

Some people are gracious sometimes but not most of the time. Other people are generous on occasion but not as a rule. And some are charming when they want to be but turn off the charisma when it doesn’t serve their interests. Showcasing a skill, behavior, attitude, or persona at times doesn’t mean that’s who people are. It simply means they have the ability to project an aspect of themselves when they want to. How they behave and show up consistently is who they really are. The authentic self is displayed by what people do most often. Consistency is the key. The question for those who judge and assess people and their talents and character is how to know what is temporary and what is permanent. Said another way, what is on display and what is real? One common fallacy makes this judgment even harder. The Fallacy of Composition posits that people commonly infer what is true of a part must be true of the whole.

When it comes to strategy, more minds are better than one. Good leaders rely heavily on the influence of colleagues, subject-matter experts, and other key stakeholders to debate the benefits and drawbacks of a new strategy under consideration. The more input, the better. This team effort helps to produce a set of strategy options for achieving the long-term goals essential for continued success.

In a world of fleeting organizational loyalty and remote work, the realization of how portable talent is has become top of mind for many leaders. Highly skilled team members can bring their assets to organizations across the globe, often without relocating geographically. The acceptability of working remotely, or mostly so, has amplified the view that talent is highly portable and susceptible to competing offers. News of bidding wars for top performers has ushered in a new and difficult challenge for leaders in nearly every industry. The idea that highly skilled team members can make a fast transition and apply their experience and knowledge in a new organization, however, is drastically overstated.

Experienced leaders and decision-makers know that the timing of a decision can be as critical as the choice itself. All major decisions come with a hidden clock. It is up to the decision-maker to determine the ideal moment to make and execute the decision or face the unfavorable consequences associated with poor timing. Those repercussions can be severe. Every decision has an ideal window of time from which the advantages of the choice can be fully realized. Ideally, a decision is made at just the right time to fully address a problem or pursue an opportunity.