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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The Real Value of Compliments
How should a leader receive a compliment? Compliments are easier to accept when you remember they are more about the person giving them than the person receiving them. You read that right. When others offer a compliment, they implicitly say, “I am the kind of person who notices your praise-worthiness, who sees excellence and good
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Push Harder
When you next sit down to craft your personal plan and vision and to set some long-term goals, I want you to think of Paul McCartney. Yes, that Paul McCartney. Considered one of the best bass players in the history of rock and roll, what he has accomplished in one lifetime is truly inspiring. McCartney
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A Recipe for Mediocrity
Sir Patrick Stewart began his pathway toward theatrical stardom when his acting teacher said his strategy would never lead him to success. The strategy? Ensuring against failure. Stewart admits he didn’t take chances. Instead, he convinced himself that playing it safe was the best way to forge a successful career. It wasn’t until he was
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The Fog That Shrouds Decisions
Too much emotion can blur a situation, a conversation or a dialogue. This is especially important when it comes to making critical decisions. Emotions are like a fog shrouding a decision-making process. In a heightened emotional state, people are unable to see, think or interpret clearly. It’s a lesson we know, but oft forget. Whenever
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Where the Struggle Ends
Research on positive psychology and wellbeing confirms that expressing gratitude amplifies happiness. The writer Neale Donald Walsch said something profound: “The struggle ends when the gratitude begins.”
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‘I Don’t Belong Here’
Muhammad Ali fought exclusively upright for over a decade before his nemesis, Joe Frazier, finally knocked him down in the 15th round of their famous fight at Madison Square Garden in 1971. By the time he hit the ground, Ali was behind on points and unlikely to win the match. Instead of staying down, Ali struggled
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Get the Turkeys Out of Your Life
At the end of their careers, many highly successful leaders describe surrounding themselves with good, talented, quality people as the key to their success. If we are to achieve great things in life and in business, they tell us, we need to “collect” people who are better than we are. People of good character and
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How Big Is Your Frying Pan?
Championship football coach Nick Saban often asks his team an odd question: how big is your frying pan? Coach Saban is referencing an experience he had once while fishing. He wasn’t getting any bites, yet another angler just upstream was pulling in fish after fish. Saban noticed he was releasing the big fish and keeping
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Distraction Is Your Daily Opponent
The clutter of distraction gets in the way of great performance — for leaders, and for teams. Distraction is the enemy. It gets in the way of focus. Anything that distracts a leader or a team from focusing on the task at hand is a huge problem. Distractions are everywhere and come in many forms:
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One Skill at a Time
Former Google CEO and tech titan Eric Schmidt has some advice for those who want to develop their ability to lead others: develop yourself one skill at a time. Dive deep into one functional area of leadership and master it. Then, branch out from a strength. Get great at giving feedback, or running meetings, or