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.
Search Field Notes
Keeping Yourself Top of Mind.
Smart leaders know the power of a simple reminder. Keeping yourself top of mind with those who can reward you with assignments, contracts, invitations, and projects sometimes makes all the difference.
Although common wisdom suggests getting pumped up during competition can, at certain moments, positively affect performance, research confirms that competitive arousal has more downside than upside. Star athletes who frequently show the world what it looks like to get pumped up probably don’t want to hear that arousal more typically hurts performance than helps it. When performers of any kind become competitively aroused, they think poorly, often derailing whatever the best strategy is to accomplish their goals.
The best leaders create three distinct sets of tasks and priorities. Those that must be attended to today, those that need to be completed this week, and those that are weeks and months away.
Like everyone else, leaders think poorly of some people. Because of their actions, beliefs, or past performance, they hold some people in low regard, even in contempt. To maintain a cordial atmosphere, effective leaders do their best not to display or leak their distaste, but that doesn’t resolve or address the disrespect they feel regarding the person. The challenge leaders face is not how to overcome their dislike, but how to maintain their objectivity in the face of their disfavor.
The feeling of being intimidated is uncomfortable at best, and terrifying at worst. At one time or another, everyone has found themselves unnerved by a new challenge, a highly intelligent person, a moment of extraordinary performance, a physically imposing person, or a high-pressure social situation.
As it turns out, a Win-Win is less than ideal. Win-Win focuses on the goal of agreement where all parties feel they have gained some benefit, typically through collaboration and a back-and-forth exploration of what works best for everyone.