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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Where Else Would You Like to Be?
When he was nearing 80 years old, legendary Chicago Bears football coach George Halas was asked how much longer he intended to work and coach. He replied, “It is only work if you would rather be somewhere else.” When the passion to get to work starts from the first minute of the morning and lasts
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Small Signs of Respect Tell People You Honor Relationships
Small signs of respect between people go a long way in establishing a positive and mutually influential relationship. This is especially true in new relationships where the values and character of the other party are largely unknown. Giving respect through small gestures says more about who we are to others than just about any other…
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Going Last Increases Your Luck
Going Last Increases Your Luck. People not only remember more accurately what happened recently, but in the face of competing information or when choosing between alternatives, those who judge have a distinct bias for the last performance. This is especially true if the last presentation or performance has distinct qualities. Comparison between competitors makes the…
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Encouraging Others to View Critical Feedback as a Reward
Encouraging Others to View Critical Feedback as a Reward. Those team members fixated on improving actively seek feedback and view it as a reward. The more specific and critical the feedback is, the more they relish it. But that’s not true for most people. Encouraging those less inclined to request feedback to view it positively…
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Why Some People Don’t Like Public Recognition
The best leaders don’t avoid offering public recognition when it is warranted just because some team members dislike it. Instead, they insist on confirming that everyone on the team believes a single peer deserves such an accolade. Better yet, they occasionally let the peers offer the recognition. It always takes excellence to recognize excellence.
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Making the Day More Enjoyable by Doing the Most Difficult Things First
Try this: Make a list of everything you need to do today. Now, rank this task list based upon what you most want to do and least want to do. Place those tasks that are easiest and most enjoyable at the top and those you dread or find less pleasurable at the bottom. Next, start…
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A New Year Challenge
Here’s a fact for everyone who lives a busy life: You say “Yes” far too often. You agree to attend, participate, speak, and lend a hand to others more often than you should. The reasons you lack the discipline to say “No” as often as you should are legion. You want people to like you.
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Praise Without the “But” Is the Best Reinforcer
Taking the opportunity to throw a suggestion or criticism when offering praise sounds like an efficient and effective way to kill two birds with one stone. Praise reinforces the behavior or action you desire to have repeated, while the suggestion shows the team member how to further improve their performance. This is known as the
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Bravery in Leadership
Brave leaders possess the mental and moral strength to face danger, risk, and fear by focusing on what needs to be done rather than on the potential consequences. In the words of Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., “Bravery is improvisation in the face of impending disaster.” Rather than letting fear rule one’s thinking and action,…
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Ratings Versus Rankings
Rankings showcase losers more than they highlight winners. The goal of great teams is to have all A players and winners. This is where ratings against a set of standards come to the rescue. The motivating alternative to a ranking system is a criterion system where success is determined by whether people reach a specific…