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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Some advice is solid but hard to enact, sustain, or live up to. This is one of the all-time gems: The best rule of thumb is to only speak about others as if they were in the room with you.
A successful crew chief, like Knaus, must have a nose for talent. Beyond skill and experience, he looks for team members with the character and personal values that will shine on race day. Knaus is known for an unusual test at the end of his selection process.
After a candidate’s interview, Knaus walks the prospective team member to the parking lot to say goodbye.
And to check out their car.
Skilled athletes and performers would never contemplate going into action without a full warm-up routine. Yet many leaders do it all the time. Without a sequence to get them primed and ready, leaders put themselves at a disadvantage in performing at their highest potential. Great leaders don’t make that mistake.
Here’s an interesting contradiction.
People are more likely to confront bad or rude behavior directed at someone else, while they are willing to accept or tolerate that same behavior when it is aimed at them. In many cases, defending others feels more justified than standing up for yourself. People typically minimize the harm done to themselves unless it is extreme. This is especially true of those they know well who behave rudely.