Why the 13th Field Note Exists
Every day, leaders make decisions that shape people, organizations, and communities.
Most of those decisions don't begin with strategy. They begin with perception. What we notice. What we overlook. What we assume. What we believe deserves our attention.
The purpose of The 13th Field Note is not to tell leaders what to think. It is to help them see what they could not previously see.
Every essay, conversation, observation and episode exists to strengthen one capacity: recognizing what deserves your attention before you commit people, time, and capital.
The 13th Field Note is where the Lionhearted Discipline continues growing through observation, reflection, and conversation.
What the 13th Field Note is All About
Most of us learn to recognize what everyone else already sees. The accepted wisdom. The familiar explanations. The visible patterns. The observations that have become so common they are rarely questioned.
Occasionally, however, a different observation emerges. One that doesn't simply add another perspective. It changes how you understand everything that came before it.
The 13th Field Note exists to uncover those observations. The hidden pattern beneath the pattern. The insight that quietly reorganizes everything else.
Once you see it… it becomes difficult to unsee. Some observations simply change the way you think. Others quietly reshape the way you lead. The purpose of The 13th Field Note is not to finish the conversation. It’s to begin one worth continuing.
Two Ways to Continue the Conversation
The 13th Field Note Newsletter
Thoughtful essays for founders, CEOs, and leaders who want to sharpen their judgement and deepen their discernment.
Each edition begins with something leaders already recognize. Then explores the hidden pattern beneath it. Not quick tips. Not productivity hacks. Not recycled leadership advice.
Just enduring observations forged through practice, refined through reflection, and translated into practical leadership. Each Field Note is another observation from a body of work that continues evolving through practice.
The 13th Field Note Podcast
Conversations for leaders who want to think more deeply about leadership, organizations, growth, and human flourishing. For many readers and listeners, these conversations become the beginning of a deeper exploration through the Lionhearted Disciple.
Some episodes explore ideas from the Lionhearted philosophy. Others examine real leadership situations through the Lionhearted Discipline. Some feature conversations with founders, CEOs, and practitioners navigating their own next stage of growth.
Every episode follows the same Lionhearted way of thinking. It begins with a recognizable leadership reality; reveals the hidden pattern beneath it; reframes what deserves attention; and concludes with greater clarity about what comes next. Together, the newsletter and podcast form an ongoing conversation about leadership, organizations, and what growth is asking of us next.
Explore Recent 13th Field Notes
If you spend time with The 13th Field Note, something subtle begins to happen.
You stop reacting to symptoms. You begin recognizing patterns.
You stop searching for better answers. You begin asking better questions.
You stop assuming growth simply creates more work. You begin recognizing what growth is asking you (and your organization) to become capable of carrying.
You stop seeing leadership as managing people. You begin seeing leadership as intentionally creating the conditions through which people and organizations become capable of carrying what comes next.
You don't simply accumulate more knowledge. You begin seeing differently. And once you begin seeing differently, you begin leading differently.
Built in Practice, Refined through Reflection.
The ideas shared through The 13th Field Note were not conceived in theory. They were forged through decades of building businesses, strengthening mission-driven organizations, leading teams, launching ventures, navigating growth, making difficult decisions, reflecting on what happened, and refining what proved true.
For nearly three decades, leaders have invited Amanda into pivotal moments where those observations could be tested, refined, and applied.
Over time, one realization became impossible to ignore. Although leaders, organizations, and sectors appeared remarkably different on the surface, the underlying patterns were often the same.
The Lionhearted philosophy emerged through disciplined practice, repeated implementation, intentional reflection, and the recognition of patterns that remained true across businesses, mission-driven organizations, leaders, and sectors.
Every Field Note is another enduring observation from a practice that is still unfolding.
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