Field notes

Leaders who facilitate acts of service build teams in the process. When team members use their talents to serve the community, they lift themselves up and learn how to better collaborate. Now that’s a Win-Win.

The fear of disappointing people can paralyze you. It’s evidence of the stock you have in what others think of you. But using that fear to motivate you is what good people do. It’s usually not enough just to make others proud. You need a dose of trepidation to keep you on your toes. Not surprisingly, when we do the right things, the fear disappears.

Many people, leaders included, operate based on their feelings. Their behaviors and choices reflect what they are feeling at any given moment. How they feel determines what they do or don’t do. For instance, when things are going well and they feel positive, they are more likely to spend time with team members and dig into how they are doing.

Good leaders encourage team members to speak their minds and disagree when they feel it is important to do so. But even with the most open and receptive leaders, team members must follow a commonsense protocol to avoid ruffling feathers or creating ill will. This age-old formula is worth articulating now and again. Here are the six core ground rules: Rule One: Do it in private.

As organizations and teams grow and add more people, it is easy to lose the camaraderie and personal connection between team members. More remote work, people working in different locations, and the fast pace of concentrated tasks all contribute to the loss of what a small and tight-knit culture feels like.

“In order to be exceptional, you have to be an exception.” So says NBA executive Sam Presti. Presti, the general manager of the Oklahoma City Thunder, would know. Over the last decade, Presti has traded for and drafted unheralded players who later became superstars. He has an eye for talent, especially for those players who have yet to develop into something special.