The Hagakure

The Hagakure offers insights for tech leaders to navigate complexities in work life and personal growth. It emphasizes trust, compassion, embracing uncertainty, and systems thinking. The content spans from handling managerial challenges, personal development, to organizational culture, advocating for a blend of personal well-being with professional efficiency.

Leadership and Management Personal Development Organizational Culture Systems Thinking Trust and Compassion in Workplaces Efficiency and Innovation Hiring and Team Building Mental Health and Burnout Feedback and Communication Career Growth

The hottest Substack posts of The Hagakure

And their main takeaways

The Hagakure #87: One Year In

92 implied HN points • 12 Jun 25
💼 Business Leadership Management Startup Product Development Systems Thinking
  1. It's important to build a connected system for your team that everyone understands and trusts. This helps improve productivity and makes sure everyone knows their role and responsibilities.
  2. Staying honest and present with your team is key. Being approachable and authentic can help build strong relationships, especially during tough times.
  3. Embracing change quickly is vital, especially when new technologies emerge. Don't hesitate to adapt your strategy and structure to meet new challenges head-on.

The Hagakure #88: Your Org Chart Isn’t Ready for AI

26 implied HN points • 17 Jun 25
💼 Business Team Dynamics AI Integration Product Development Critical Thinking Organizational Change
  1. Traditional team structures need to adapt for AI projects. Everyone should work together from the start, rather than following a strict order of tasks.
  2. Engineers play a vital role in shaping AI products. Their early input helps to avoid misunderstandings and creates better outcomes.
  3. Building critical thinking into the team is important. Everyone should be involved in discussions about what and why things are being built, to help the team adapt and move quickly.

The Hagakure #86: One Job

61 implied HN points • 27 Jan 25
💼 Business Leadership Management Startups SaaS Strategy
  1. Giving control to your team is important, but first, you need to make sure they understand their tasks clearly. This way, people can make better decisions without relying on just one person.
  2. To help your team succeed, they need competence in their roles. This includes being good at problem-solving, communication, and understanding processes.
  3. As a leader, your job is to create a clear vision and help develop your team's skills. This allows everyone to work better together and feel more empowered.

The Hagakure #85: In The Trenches

61 implied HN points • 28 Dec 24
💼 Business Leadership Startups Entrepreneurship Management Technology
  1. The author recently took a new job as a startup CTO and is sharing his real experiences in this role. It's a change from coaching others to being hands-on again.
  2. He wants to provide honest insights about the challenges he faces instead of polished advice. It's about showing the true ups and downs of the job.
  3. The author invites readers to join him on this journey and share what they want to learn about being in a leadership position. It's a way to connect and engage with everyone interested.

The Hagakure #64: The Heart of W. Edwards Deming

113 HN points • 24 Aug 23
💼 Business Leadership Management Humanitarianism Organizational Culture
  1. W. Edwards Deming emphasized the importance of systems thinking and statistical process control in achieving quality and quantity in production.
  2. Deming's heart and compassion played a significant role in inspiring hope and confidence in the people of Japan, contributing to their rapid post-war recovery.
  3. Leading with compassion, embracing interconnectedness, and nurturing living systems over optimizing machines are key lessons from Deming's story.
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The Hagakure #61: Sunday Round-Up

115 implied HN points • 13 Aug 23
💼 Business Leadership Decision-making
  1. Improve performance by leading with trust and compassion, engaging in conversations, reducing fear, and providing guidance instead of advice.
  2. Enhance hiring effectiveness by building a system, partnering with recruitment experts, being authentic with candidates, aligning values, and focusing on potential over experience.
  3. Scale yourself by allowing for high-quality decisions, sharing mental models, communicating processes, setting boundaries, and seeking diverse perspectives for better outcomes.

TWH#48: OKRs Are Not OK

53 implied HN points • 02 Mar 23
💼 Business Management Leadership Strategy Startups Organizational Behavior
  1. OKRs are commonly used in startups but often fail to work effectively due to misuse and lack of context.
  2. Senior leaders typically use OKRs for control and predictability, focusing on execution rather than learning and exploration.
  3. The VC-backed startup model emphasizes predictability and control over complex systems, which can hinder innovation and adaptive learning.

The Hagakure #76: Why Are You Not Hiring Junior Developers?

17 implied HN points • 06 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Tech industry Software Development Career development AI Startups
  1. Many companies mistakenly prefer seniors when dealing with software development, not realizing that complexity requires learning and teamwork
  2. Technical complexity and lack of disciplined leadership can lead to more focus on maintaining infrastructure, reducing room for junior developers
  3. Fast-paced startup environments often prioritize execution over learning, making it challenging for junior developers to gain experience and be hired

TWH#45: Against Overwhelm

48 implied HN points • 09 Feb 23
  1. Clarify your goals to help determine how to spend your time wisely.
  2. Conduct an Energy Audit to see where your time and energy are being spent.
  3. Design your ideal week to focus on what truly matters and improve weekly.

TWH#35: Principles

61 implied HN points • 14 Apr 22
  1. Self-awareness is crucial; don't fool yourself.
  2. Prioritize taking care of yourself first before helping others.
  3. Focus on what you can control and accept what you can't.

TWH#36: Working with a non-technical CEO

53 implied HN points • 21 Apr 22
  1. Start with the end in mind: Know your goal and what your team needs to become to achieve it.
  2. Your role as a leader: Focus on creating shared context with CEO, peers, and team to prioritize effectively.
  3. Learn, adapt, improve: Emphasize continuous learning, rely on feedback loops, and prioritize team success.

TWH#49: The Metrics of Fear

26 implied HN points • 09 Mar 23
💼 Business Leadership Trust Fear Learning Productivity
  1. Trust is crucial in organizations, and lack of trust leads to reduced collaboration and worse results.
  2. Many organizations get stuck in the cycle of doing the same things over and over, expecting different results.
  3. High work in progress (WIP) leads to negative effects like stress, burnout, and underperformance, and reducing WIP is crucial for better outcomes.

TWH#31: Commitment vs. Compliance

44 implied HN points • 17 Mar 22
  1. Leadership elicits commitment, not just compliance.
  2. Efficiency in work does not always lead to creativity and innovation.
  3. Inspiring leaders ensure their team feels seen, have a worthy mission, and align concerns.

TWH#S13: What I Read This Week

17 implied HN points • 29 Apr 23
🚌 Education Productivity Reading Writing
  1. Experiment with deliberate patterns instead of trying to change habits.
  2. Focus on making small adaptive moves for big results instead of big changes.
  3. Understand the neurochemicals of productivity and procrastination to be kinder to yourself when struggling.