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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Expertise Is a Matter of Context
When making decisions, formulating strategy, and solving problems, everyone benefits from more information, data, and background. The context surrounding a challenge provides an initial pathway forward and often informs how to best tackle the dilemma. More, not less, context is always appreciated and preferred. Interestingly, some people need a lot more context than others to
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Stop Fishing for Compliments
Asking others for their opinion of our work or performance or seeking suggestions for improvement will produce an occasional compliment that is part of the learning process. For the best among us, the idea is not about fishing for praise, but in learning how others honestly see us and our performance. This is what confident…
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Busting the Myth of Leadership Expertise
Busting the Myth of Leadership Expertise. Myths about leaders and leadership travel the world and back again. Despite empirical evidence to the contrary, once a myth becomes well accepted, it is hard to shake it off. The problem is that when other people repeat something often enough, everyone begins to believe it. The idea then…
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How the Best Hotels in the World Deliver Exceptional Service
By rewarding employees with the same quality service at another property, these brands create a pride of service that is unmatched in almost every other segment of the service industry. When employees are also customers, they deliver unequaled service. Allowing colleagues to experience and see the world as a customer or client is something many…
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How Colleagues Are Terminated Really Matters
The best leaders know some leadership acts carry huge symbolic weight. Promotion, compensation, and termination are the lightning rods of meaning in every organization. How team members are terminated carries long-term implications for leaders. Truly caring about people is always the best leadership choice.
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The Habit of Summarizing Conversations
There are always people doing great things out of view. Team members who work in other parts of the organization or who are junior or do specialized tasks unconnected to you are common. Too often, these colleagues do impressive work and sustain a record of excellence but fall below your radar. Yet, one of the…
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Identifying the Talent You Can’t See
There are always people doing great things out of view. Team members who work in other parts of the organization or who are junior or do specialized tasks unconnected to you are common. Too often, these colleagues do impressive work and sustain a record of excellence but fall below your radar. Yet, one of the…
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Challenging People to Think
Challenging People to Think. Good leaders get people thinking differently. They challenge others to stretch their views beyond what is comfortable and commonplace. People naturally gravitate toward confirming their existing beliefs and opinions, and they seek out others to validate their views.
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The Highest Compliment a Leader Can Receive
The Highest Compliment a Leader Can Receive. Like everyone else, leaders like to be complimented for the good results they produce and the manner in which they get there, both individually and through their team. Giving leaders praise for achieving extraordinary outcomes feels like a crowning achievement to most. When good results become a consistent…
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Identifying Mediocre People in the Recruiting Process
Identifying Mediocre People in the Recruiting Process. Designing a talent selection process where the team’s best performers get a crack at assessing those they will work with pays big dividends in the hunt for exceptional talent. The most ambitious, driven, and skillful team members will repel a mediocre candidate by just engaging in honest conversation.…