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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Essential Work for Great Leaders
Ask any of the great talk show interviewers—Winfrey, Letterman, O’Brien, Kimmel—and they will tell you that no matter how successful, famous or established the interviewee, they always want to know how they did. After the interview, they all ask the same questions: How did that go? Did I do okay? What did you think? The
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Experience Can Be Detrimental
Researchers who study survival situations, where decisions determine life and death, stumbled upon a most unusual finding. So surprising is this pattern, they pored through the data on survivors with the hope they were wrong. But, the conclusion became painfully clear: beginners, and those who lack experience in a given situation, normally survive. The seasoned
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How Not to Emerge as a Leader
The process by which leaders naturally emerge when there is not a designated authority is still somewhat shrouded in mystery. On the other hand, how not to emerge as a leader is perfectly clear and worth remembering: Sit back and watch. Contribute very little to the group discussion. Keep your ideas and opinions to yourself
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The Hidden Weakness of Close-Knit Groups
Everything has a downside. Even strong team cultures and close-knit relationships. The more cohesive the group or relationship, the more susceptible it is to “groupthink.” The idea of groupthink emerged in social psychology in the 1970s to describe the desire of group members to conform to other members’ opinions. Interestingly, this happens most frequently when
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Questions Matter More Than Answers
When confronted with a problem, the brain seeks an answer. Many brains in one room will argue over competing answers in hopes of reaching an understanding of which answer is best. This is how it is done. We solve problems through discussion and advocacy. Examine breakthroughs and creative new approaches, however, and we learn that
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A Star in the Sky Worth Reaching For
Interviewers commonly ask well-known leaders for the best advice they have ever received. Usually, the replies are good reminders and join a long list of celebrated but obvious wisdom. Every once in awhile, a leader offers a piece of advice that elevates the conversation and asks us to reevaluate who we are as both leaders
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What Are You Not Doing?
Sometimes, it’s what you don’t do that matters most. We live in a world of to-do’s. The advice we receive is full of prescription and action. But, what about what we’re not doing? How important is that? Consider your family or team. Ask yourself this important question: What am I not doing that is hurting
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Repeat New Routines Relentlessly
The small behaviors we learn and integrate into our lives from a very early age are the habits that make us who we are. We are trained in habits from the moment we become social actors — when to cry, how to be polite, when to be quiet, how to smile. We become the collection
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Learning to Lead Beyond Linear Time
Some leaders are too productive. I don’t mean they get too much done, but their extreme focus on linear time blinds them to judge productivity exclusively on speed, efficiency and tasks accomplished. We know precisely how long it should take to walk to the car, boil water, or to write a simple email. We evaluate
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Good Decisions Require More Than Just Trusting Your Gut
How important are instincts to great decision makers? VERY IMPORTANT! But to answer that question accurately, let’s be clear what leaders mean when they attribute decisions to instinct. Instinctive decision-making is not about making guesses or having hunches. As we analyze and deliberate during normal decision processes, we are often left with more than one