Lessons

Lessons is a Substack centered around insights gained from experiences in startups and scaling companies, focusing on career growth, decision-making, leadership, organizational culture, and compensation philosophy. It offers pragmatic advice on managing teams, setting goals, designing processes, and fostering a productive and joyful work environment.

Career Growth Decision-making Leadership and Management Organizational Culture Goal Setting Process Design Compensation in Startups Company Planning Team Building Community and Learning

The hottest Substack posts of Lessons

And their main takeaways

Joy

393 implied HN points • 23 Jan 24

Joy at work is doing something you love even if no one paid you for it.
Finding joy in work comes from aligning your strengths with what you love doing.
Prioritizing joy at work can lead to a fulfilling and successful career.

J-Curves vs Stairs: Two Approaches to Career Growth

687 implied HN points • 10 May 23

💼 Business Career growth Risk management Personal Development Decision-making Professional Growth

Consider taking J-Curve leaps in your career for potential big payoff and growth.
Choosing between J-Curves and Stairs in career growth means balancing risk and safety.
Evaluate your own risk appetite and communicate your strengths when making career decisions.

Decision-making

550 implied HN points • 27 Jun 23

💼 Business Leadership Management Decision-making Teamwork Startups

Different situations require different styles of decision-making.
Organizations benefit from being methodical in selecting decision-making styles.
Having a structured decision-making system can improve efficiency and clarity.

Manage the What, Not the How

550 implied HN points • 25 Jul 23

💼 Business Management Leadership Delegation Coaching Alignment

Focus on managing the 'what' instead of the 'how' when overseeing a team.
Delegating effectively involves defining clear expectations and alignment around goals.
When things go wrong, consider letting situations play out, coaching on the 'how', realigning on the 'what', or coaching preventatively.

Time is emphasis: planning your calendar as a leader

511 implied HN points • 14 Apr 23

💼 Business Time management Leadership Productivity Delegation Strategy

Your calendar as a leader affects what gets done in the company and how you spend time and resources.
Setting clear priorities and having a structured calendar system are crucial for spending time on strategic priorities.
Create a calendar skeleton to lay out core activities and priorities, and regularly revisit and adjust your system.

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I hate OKRs... and other thoughts about goal setting

432 implied HN points • 28 Mar 23

💼 Business Goal setting Startups Decision-making

Having a goal-setting process is important for clarity and learning in a startup.
Less is more when defining goals for alignment and success.
It's crucial to make hard choices and set non-goals as part of the goal-setting process.

Minimum Viable Process

353 implied HN points • 21 Apr 23

💼 Business Management Processes Startups Decision-making Company Culture

Process is necessary as a company grows, but be cautious of adding too much without solving specific problems.
Minimum Viable Process means starting from first principles and solving real pain with iterative changes.
Good process can often mean removing things that are no longer effective or necessary.

Compensation for Startups: Designing Your Compensation Philosophy

255 implied HN points • 20 Jul 23

💼 Business Compensation Philosophy Startups Performance Implementation

Designing a startup's compensation philosophy is crucial when the company reaches around 50 employees.
Compensation decisions impact people's lives, perpetuate bias, and affect a startup's financials.
Key principles for designing a compensation philosophy include market-based pay, formulaic approach, and pay for performance.

Mapping your company's year: how to sequence the big processes

255 implied HN points • 07 Apr 23

💼 Business Planning Budgeting Performance reviews Sequencing

Sequencing big projects in your company efficiently can save time and streamline processes.
Key company-wide activities to schedule include board meetings, business reviews, budgeting, and performance reviews.
Being thoughtful about the timing of important processes like performance reviews can impact company productivity.

What are your job's lighthouse questions?

235 implied HN points • 17 Apr 23

💼 Business Management Scaling Workplace culture Leadership

Job descriptions in rapidly changing organizations expire quickly.
Use guiding questions instead of bulleted lists to navigate through chaos.
Lighthouse questions act as anchors in a storm of scaling by keeping focused on essential tasks.

Duct Tape

196 implied HN points • 05 Apr 23

💼 Business Leadership Management Team Building Hiring Organization

Building a team after finding success is like patching holes in a leaky bucket.
Prioritize hiring anchor leaders based on long-term importance and areas where duct tape won't suffice.
Use duct tape solutions like interim leaders to fill temporary gaps while focusing on key leadership searches.

Managing Inside Growing Companies

176 implied HN points • 21 Feb 23

💼 Business Management Leadership Startups Growth Teamwork

Managers inside growing companies need to accept that change is constant, and it's important to focus on facilitating the process of finding solutions rather than having all the answers.
It's okay for managers to acknowledge and accept the things they cannot control, and instead, focus on what they can control to set their team up for success.
Helping people on your team grow and learn is a crucial aspect that managers can control and should prioritize in a growing company environment.

Continuing the Club for the Glue People

157 implied HN points • 19 Mar 23

💼 Business Community Building Professional development Organizational Culture Leadership Membership

The Club for the Glue People is a community that brings joy and learning through experiments and discussions.
Key topics discussed include alignment, org design, letting go, and culture.
The community is launching its second cohort and an annual membership, inviting like-minded individuals to join.

Apply now for the Fall cohort of the Glue People Club!

98 implied HN points • 17 Jul 23

💼 Business Entrepreneurship Leadership Startups Community Networking

Applications are open for the Fall cohort of the Glue People Club
The program offers learning from startup leaders and connections with peers
The experience includes bi-weekly circles, lessons, and fireside chats with experienced operators

Compensation for Startups: Implementing and “Defending” Your Compensation System

58 implied HN points • 05 Aug 23

💼 Business Startups Compensation Implementation Philosophy Management

When implementing a compensation system for startups, focus on simplicity to ensure sustainability.
Establish centralized control to maintain the integrity of the system and avoid potential errors.
Key steps for initial implementation include creating/updating leveling system, designing compensation philosophy, and mapping employees to new levels and bands.