Field notes
Field Notes
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 naturally single out those team members whose contributions stand out. Those who take charge, operate with initiative, and drive assignments forward get the bulk of the praise and recognition from leaders. It only makes sense to focus on those out in front and who make things go. But great leaders don’t forget about the team members who operate in the background.
Thanking people in advance for something they would do anyway is simply a nudge and nothing more. But it works. Perhaps the most important thank-you nudges for leaders are:
Expressions of appreciation for quality work before it has been completed.
Thanking people for their candidness before they are candid.
Thanking them for following group norms before they do. Consider incorporating these nudges in your everyday leadership. You might find that team members live up to the expectations that you set. Sometimes people just need a little nudge to do what they always intended to.
Leaders naturally treat their best team members differently than others. They give them more time, attention, responsibility, and information. When it comes to those with extraordinary talents and skills, leaders commonly give the Superstar the extra resources they need to perform at their best. Within reason, whatever the Superstar asks for, they get. Leaders smartly do their best to keep the Superstar satisfied and committed to the team. Special treatment for the Superstar does not undermine the goodwill and collaborative spirit of the team…as long as three issues are excluded from this distinctive approach.
Sitting for long periods of time is an inescapable fact of life for many leaders. One downside of an increased dependence on virtual calls and meetings is equal dependence on a sedentary work style. The dangers posed by sitting for extended periods are well-known. Prolonged sitting is associated with an increased risk of chronic diseases, weight gain, back pain, increased risk of depression and anxiety, and the potential for blood clots in the legs. Because leg muscles serve as regulators of blood sugar levels and have a tremendous impact on circulation, sitting for long periods can also increase inflammation throughout the body. The bottom line is that sitting is a killer. Leaders who sit for long periods eventually suffer the consequences.
A common recommendation leaders hear from those above them is to work to become more strategic. Thinking, acting, and engaging more strategically sounds like straightforward advice and feedback. But what does it actually mean? In some cases, the idea of becoming more strategic is exactly what it sounds like. The feedback points to the need to craft better plans for achieving goals and objectives.
As leaders gain more experience and rise in organizations, they invariably lead people who do work they have never done and know things that they don’t know. As a result, leaders are often asked questions they cannot answer or even understand. So, how do leaders show up credibly to those who are more expert than they are? Good leaders don’t lose confidence in their authority to lead, nor do they feign that they know things they don’t. Instead, they dig in and do what all leaders who lead experts do to establish their credibility. They focus on understanding what obstacles stand in the way of their experts.
Learning what makes their work more difficult, the processes and people they depend on to deliver their work, what impediments or roadblocks get in their way, and the deadlines and pressures they face — that’s what experts want from their leaders. They don’t need guidance. They need resourceful support.