FieldNotes
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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Who Knew We Were in Violent Agreement?
Pointing out a leader’s need to have the last word and to be more right isn’t comfortable, but it can help a deeply troubled leader overcome a debilitating problem. Convincing someone who needs to be right that they are sometimes wrong is never fun. But it is the essential work of those who care.
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Co-Creating Organizational Change
Propelling change forward in any organization is a difficult leadership challenge. People naturally resist change and view it as uncomfortable, hard work, and time-consuming. They aren’t wrong. In the best circumstances, truly getting team members on board with a change requires a different approach. Instead of promoting the change, the best leaders co-create it with
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Leading Colleagues Older and More Experienced Than You Are
Recently-promoted leaders who inherit a role where those they lead are older and more experienced than they are confront a unique challenge. Gaining respect, trust, and credibility from those colleagues who may resent you requires a cool mind and a strong leadership presence. In the face of this challenge, leaders who become timid, deferential, or
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The Wheels of Team Alignment
When people are aligned, good things happen. Clearly understanding the goals, strategies, and tactics critical for success keeps everyone engaged and on point with the things that matter. A team rowing in the same direction and toward the same island is said to be aligned. This is easier said than done. What makes alignment so difficult
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Staying in Touch With Alumni
Former colleagues are a rich source of help to leaders and organizations. Alumni who know the organization and its leaders especially well are in the perfect position to lend a hand in ways that no one else can. Staying in touch and maintaining alumni relationships can pay huge dividends. Alumni who feel connected and valued
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If Only I Had Seen This Situation Before!
The best leaders make a conscious decision not to fall prey to this self-fulfilling thought. They remind themselves that they possess the creativity, smarts, and industry to figure out how best to proceed in a new situation. Rather than question what they don’t know regarding a situation, they rely on what they do know and…
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I’m Bad With Names
A person’s name is the most important word in the language — to them. Leaders who have trouble remembering the names of those they meet have one of two issues. Either they don’t really care about the people they are meeting, or they are too focused on the introduction to listen attentively to the name. They know
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Thinking in First Principles
The deeper a leader digs into a problem using this type of thinking, the more fundamental truths and assumptions are exposed. Great leaders, decision-makers, and entrepreneurs use first principles thinking to plot a new course and create entirely new solutions to age-old problems. Musk’s daring innovations across a number of industries speak to the power…
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Projected Confidence Does Not Always Come From the Inside
Learning to use the markers of confidence intentionally is something all good leaders should invest in. Here’s a short list of confidence markers: Emotional language Vivid words and descriptors Strong qualifiers Direct eye contact Diverse word choice Purposeful hand gestures When we are truly the expert, we use these cues profusely.
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Colleagues Who Don’t Pull Their Weight
In the words of a comic, the worst part of doing nothing is you never know when you’re finished.