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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Revoke Bad Decisions Publicly
Given the enormous number of decisions leaders make throughout the year, it is only a matter of time before they lay an egg. A few bad decisions in the crate of good ones are virtually guaranteed. A policy decision with unintended negative effects. A process that creates resistance because of its complexity. A strategy that
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Is That the Best You Can Do?
Sometimes, even a simple question can push others to reach higher and attain achievements equal to their potential. Consider a question like this: Is that the best you can do? A leader might evaluate an initial work product. A first draft. An early performance. And when those seven words are deployed, they can drive talented and
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The Downside of Success
The highest distinction of culinary excellence in the world is a rating of three stars from the Michelin Guide. Only a handful of restaurants earn even one star, much less three. Chefs spend their entire careers hoping to receive the adulation and success granted with a Michelin star. Those who reach the zenith and consistently
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Seek Excellence Not Perfection
In our increasingly competitive world, perfectionism is on the rise. At a time when winning creates so much social value and attention, the desire to attain perfection is a natural consequence. Perfection, by definition, requires a hyper-focus on eliminating mistakes and errors. To compete without flaws is perceived as a means to ensure victory. But
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Ask Them to Prove It
Sometimes, challenge is the best way to push others towards excellence and help them grow. The idea is to “stretch” expectations, to encourage people to believe in themselves, and to push them out of the comfort zone of the status quo or mediocrity. As one leader expresses it, “You have to teach people to get
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A Vulnerable Leader Is a Courageous Leader
One of those hard lessons in both leadership and life is internalizing the idea that asking for help when you need it is actually a strength, not a weakness. This idea is highly correlated with another difficult concept to master — admitting you don’t know, that you don’t have all of the answers, even acknowledging there
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Experience Can Be Deceiving
Experience is often weighed too heavily when assessing talent. Leaders commonly place an extra thumb on the scale of experience when judging others. They have learned, falsely, that experience is to be given reverence, much like age and wisdom. They all go hand-in-hand, or do they? Do you have 20 years of experience or one
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Are You Ready for Victory?
Athletes and entertainers have created a myriad of expressions to celebrate victory in the moment. Fist pumps, flipping bats, pointing to the sky, leaping for joy, slapping a thigh, shaking hands in the air, sliding to a stop, running in a circle, chest bumps, heart-to-heart hugs, an idiomatic dance, shedding a shirt, making a muscle,
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Do You Have a Plan B for That?
Surprises make us feel out of control. That’s true for any organization or team. Both leaders and their followers dread surprises. They know from experience that unexpected events create confusion, zap confidence, and leave everyone feeling exposed. That’s why the best leaders are always running contingency plans in their heads. They always have a Plan
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The Medium Might Be the Problem
Sometimes, the message sent is not the message received. The multiple mediums and channels we use to communicate with others make it easy to miss or ignore important messages. In a big stack of emails, for example, it is commonplace to pass over a message and simply not see it. Or, at a glance, presume