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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Winning is the Learning Multiplier
We’ve all heard and agree with the maxim, “It’s not the best team that wins but the team that plays the best.” But what about the interplay between happiness and performance? Briefly contemplate these two statements: • “A happy team is a winning team.” • “A winning team is a happy team.” Do you resonate
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The Life Leaders Have Chosen
Success as a leader has multiple components. A good number are challenges rarely experienced by those who don’t lead. That’s part of why leadership is sometimes described as lonely enterprise — particularly when the leader is facilitating the goals and performance of others. Few people can relate or identify to exactly what a leader goes
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Leave Out the Gristle
What a leader doesn’t say often speaks much more loudly than what they do say. This is especially true when it comes to giving people direct feedback. Leaving out the empty and negative comments that provide no utility is a sign of a leader who understands the power of saying more by saying less. Take
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Perhaps You Need a New McGuffin
Thanks to the filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock, we know the recipe for many thrillers is something called a “McGuffin.” A McGuffin is an object or device that serves as a trigger for the plot. The McGuffin, often cloaked in mystique, is a motivating force for the storyline and the actors’ behavior. Objects like the Maltese Falcon,
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Pair Candor With Curiosity
Admitting that you don’t know something signals self-confidence and sincerity to others. This acknowledgement is not the sign of weakness that so many leaders believe it to be. Only leaders who know very little would pretend to know everything all of the time. By acknowledging they don’t know something, a leader shows themselves to be
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Think Circle Not Balance
As metaphors go, the idea of “work-life balance” suggests we face a tradeoff for which there is no perfect answer, only the promise of stability. Being “in balance” is what we strive for, although we implicitly know that equilibrium is hard to attain and even harder to sustain. The “work-life balance” metaphor has been around
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Create Like Picasso
Just in case you’re feeling particularly productive this week, consider a comparison to Pablo Picasso. The Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, and ceramicist lived for a total of 33,380 days. Born in 1881, he became one of the most influential artists of the 20th Century. He died in 1973. Picasso was otherworldly productive. During his lifetime, he
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Can’t Duck This Convo
Telling people that they are not succeeding and must find another role or position is one of the hardest things for good leaders to do. Unfortunately, the gap between skill and ambition can be wide for some people. Worse, it’s often without them even realizing it. Ducking this conversation puts everyone at risk. Having this
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Are You a Great Follower?
Before asking someone if they will follow you, ask yourself first: Would you follow you? Think about the qualities you must possess to be worthy of followership. Make a list. Reflect upon whether you strive to display those qualities every day. Being competent is essential — but not enough. The same goes for being sincere, authentic,
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Gratitude Is the Ultimate Compounder
One of life’s most amazing facts is this: You can’t be grateful and unhappy at the same time. Try it, and you’ll soon see. We talked about this a few weeks ago. Any time you chose to be grateful, whatever unhappiness you might be experiencing evaporates. If someone you lead is experiencing unhappiness, remind them