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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Why Do Team Members Work So Hard?
The success of any organization depends on team members working hard and making the necessary sacrifices to get the job done. Leaders know that a highly motivated workforce delivers more effort, quality, and output, so they do their best to light a bonfire of inspiration and motivation to propel them forward. By asking themselves what…
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Consider Holding a Strategic Message Tryout
The age-old idea of Tryouts can serve an important but enjoyable role in the workplace. Absent the threat of being cut from the team, a tryout gets people’s juices flowing. The test of showcasing one’s skills in front of peers and leaders compels team members to bring their best game. They practice, rehearse, and compete…
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Never Accept Someone Else’s Definition of a Problem
Team members naturally raise problems to be solved. They bring needed decisions to the attention of leaders. Team members describe the risk/reward of the issue and presume, from their perspective, that a solution will make matters better or easier. Leaders are tasked with deciding whether this problem is worth the time and resources to address,…
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Compelling Presentations Have a Strong and Unique Throughline
Great presentations have a backbone. One idea or message serves as the foundation for everything that gets said. By tying every fact, illustration, story, data point, anecdote, and example to this hub, the presentation is easier to follow, becomes more memorable, and is likely to be more persuasive. Presentation experts call this central message a…
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We Are Not Yet Ready to Think in Trillions
The problem is that trillions is so much bigger than billions that people have a hard time understanding how to appreciate the difference. To illustrate this point, consider this. One million seconds equates to 11 days. A billion seconds is equivalent to roughly 32 years. But a trillion seconds is on a different order of…
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The Advice on How to Offer Praise Is Changing
There’s a controversy brewing in parenting circles, and it’s all about changing the way authority figures, like parents, give praise. The debate has implications for leaders of all varieties, including corporate leaders. The argument that experts are making suggests that parents should never tell their children they are proud of them. At least not in…
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Lean Organizations Are More Productive
Does your organization tilt toward lean or heavy? Discussing the philosophy preferences of your colleagues is a good place to start to make your staffing decisions intentional. While there are no “right” answers, how an organization staffs has tremendous consequences for how the work gets done and on who arrives and wants to stay.
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Your Admiration for Others Reveals Your Core Values
To clarify your core values, consider asking this question instead: What qualities do I most admire in others? The answer to that question normally reflects the values we hold most dear. Contemplate the two or three qualities you most admire in others by reflecting on your experiences and reactions in your many prized relationships. This…
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Thomas Edison and the Power of Team Laughter
Great teams enjoy a playful quality and a peer-like conversation. Superb team leaders are often both the instigators and the recipients of good-humored escapades. When everyone on the team sees themselves on the same level as the team leader, they feel more comfortable in taking risks, speaking their minds, and accepting criticism. Edison knew that.…
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When Decisions You Don’t Agree With Come Down From Above
On occasion, a decision that a team leader doesn’t agree with comes rolling downhill from higher up in the organization. Those on the receiving end of the decision may strongly believe that the decision is wrong-headed, creates risk, or has significant unintentional consequences. Perhaps they have had the chance to argue against the decision but…