The hottest Company Culture Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

Forever Young.

The Future Does Not Fit In The Containers Of The Past • 36 implied HN points • 29 Jun 25
💼 Business Company Culture
  1. Having a growth mindset can help you stay forever young, just like how technology constantly updates itself. It's important to keep learning and adapting your thoughts.
  2. There's a difference between feeling young and actually being young. As we age, it's okay to embrace wisdom but also to find ways to maintain a youthful spirit.
  3. Letting go of certain roles or mindsets when the time is right can help you grow. Staying relevant means knowing when to pass the baton and step into new opportunities.

Values of My Hypothetical Company

Sarah's Newsletter • 199 implied HN points • 10 May 22
💼 Business Company Culture
  1. Company culture is critical for employee happiness and retention, with clear values fostering alignment and unity.
  2. Values in relationships and business overlap, emphasizing the importance of shared core beliefs for effective communication.
  3. Key principles like valuing individuals, balancing logic and emotion, trusting employees, and working with intention and urgency can drive success in company culture and relationships.
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Pros and Cons of a C-level Job in 2024+

The Uncommon Executive • 19 implied HN points • 14 Mar 24
💼 Business Company Culture
  1. C-level executive roles offer significant impact on company trajectory and industries, allowing for big bets and tangible results in a shorter timescale.
  2. Executives have more control over their schedule, better anticipation of risks, and the ability to create work for others at well-run companies.
  3. The executive role comes with overflowing stress from high-level accountability, feelings of loneliness at the top, and a distance from day-to-day operations.

Alexa, WTF Happened?

The Radar • 19 implied HN points • 05 Mar 24
💼 Business Company Culture
  1. Amazon's customer service has shown signs of declining quality, leading to customer dissatisfaction.
  2. The shift from customer obsession to profit focus at Amazon is evident in interactions with customers.
  3. There are concerns about Amazon's business practices and treatment of customers, as highlighted by various incidents of mishandling customer issues and funds.

A Dream Indeed

The Radar • 39 implied HN points • 25 Apr 23
💼 Business Company Culture
  1. Authenticity in workplace culture leads to better results and engagement. Employees feel a sense of safety, invest more time and energy, and focus on long-term goals.
  2. Honesty is essential for building trust and equality within teams. Open communication loops prevent insularity and negative outcomes, like the Enron scandal.
  3. Companies often sacrifice their values for shareholder interests. Boards prioritize shareholder value over principles, leading to short-term cost controls and reduced transparency.

How I almost quit because of $75

Leading Developers • 114 implied HN points • 27 Feb 24
💼 Business Company Culture
  1. Throughout your career, there will be moments where you consider quitting. It's important to weigh the reasons behind your feelings and analyze your options before making a decision.
  2. Sometimes, finding new challenges and growth opportunities can be discovered outside of work. Exploring different avenues and testing your skills in various areas can provide valuable experiences.
  3. Building strong relationships with colleagues and having trust in your team and the direction of your company can be key factors in deciding to stay and overcome challenges at work.

Hard Goodbyes

davidj.substack • 143 implied HN points • 24 May 23
💼 Business Company Culture
  1. Leaders may face difficult decisions when letting go of team members, even if it's the right thing to do.
  2. Communication and managing expectations are crucial in the process of letting go of team members.
  3. It is important to prioritize hiring the right people to avoid the challenging situation of having to let someone go.

Interviewing Company CEOs: The Must-Ask Question Checklist Every Investor Needs

Behavioral Value Investor • 126 implied HN points • 30 Jul 23
💼 Business Company Culture
  1. Prepare questions for a CEO interview to focus on 'what' and 'how' without being accusatory.
  2. Before interviewing a CEO, decide your goals such as learning, relationship building, or understanding culture.
  3. Topics to cover during a CEO interview include strategy, customers, economics, capital allocation, company culture, and CEO motivations.

How to love the office

Make Work Better • 136 implied HN points • 19 Apr 23
💼 Business Company Culture
  1. Employees are happiest and most productive when they have control over their work environment.
  2. Technology like AI is changing the way we work and collaborate.
  3. Face-to-face interactions in the office are crucial for communication, learning, and innovation.

How the world's best companies build strong cultures

Afridigest • 55 implied HN points • 14 Dec 23
💼 Business Company Culture
  1. The essay explores actions taken by top companies like Nvidia, Facebook, and DoorDash to build and strengthen their cultures.
  2. African tech companies with strong cultures empower employees and allow room for graceful failure.
  3. The content on Afridigest provides insights for startup founders, operators, and investors in Africa and beyond.

Managing Developer Feedback Effectively | Atlassian’s Andrew Boyagi

Dev Interrupted • 14 implied HN points • 14 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Company Culture
  1. Using surveys alone isn't enough for getting developer feedback. It's better to use data and metrics to understand their issues more clearly.
  2. Setting clear goals for improving developer experience can help align teams better and boost productivity. Everyone needs to be on the same page.
  3. Company culture plays a big role in connecting development efforts with business goals. A positive culture makes it easier for teams to work together effectively.

Company Culture and Leadership

Fish Food for Thought • 13 implied HN points • 08 Jan 25
💼 Business Company Culture
  1. A company's culture often reflects its leadership. If leaders ignore ethics, the whole organization can suffer as a result.
  2. Leaders must take accountability for their company's actions. Not addressing unethical behavior can lead to major problems down the line.
  3. Creating a safe space for employees to speak up is important. When employees feel heard, it helps prevent small issues from becoming large scandals.

Diya Jolly (Incoming CPO at Xero, ex-Okta)

The Takeoff • 19 implied HN points • 20 Mar 23
💼 Business Company Culture
  1. Lagging indicators for product success include revenue, mid-level indicators involve usage metrics, and early indicators consist of feedback from target customers.
  2. Building a strong product culture involves deep customer empathy, a focus on business growth, a drive for learning, and a collaborative team culture.
  3. Success in product management is measured by revenue generation, usage metrics, and meeting target customer needs through strategic decision-making.

Why Must You Pay Sales People Commissions?

Dan’s Substack • 2 HN points • 19 Apr 24
💼 Business Company Culture
  1. Salespeople being paid commissions is a common practice, but it can lead to various recurring problems like high turnover and internal disputes.
  2. Research suggests that higher incentives, like commissions, can actually reduce performance in some cases, which is a counter-intuitive result.
  3. The debate over sales commissions reflects two different views of worker motivation: Theory X, where employees are seen as lazy and need external rewards, and Theory Y, where workers are viewed as self-motivated and thrive on autonomy.

TWH#54: Unshackling The Organization

The Hagakure • 39 implied HN points • 13 Apr 23
💼 Business Company Culture
  1. Success lies in being clear about who you are as an organization.
  2. Netflix's approach focuses on clarity, decentralization, and continuous improvement.
  3. High talent density, radical candor, and removing controls are key for creating a thriving work environment.

Clive's Departure from Oxford Confirmed

ASeq Newsletter • 7 implied HN points • 11 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Company Culture
  1. Clive has left Oxford Nanopore, and Rosemary Sinclair Dokos and Lakmal Jayasinghe are taking over his roles. They seem like good choices for the company.
  2. Clive's leadership was important to the company's vision and success, and many believe it could have struggled without him.
  3. There have been several senior departures from Oxford in the past year, which might have changed the company's culture, but product and strategy changes are still unclear.

Thoughts on Infinite Games

A Small, Good Thing • 19 implied HN points • 08 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Company Culture
  1. Playing the infinite game in business means building something that will outlive the current players.
  2. Companies need to be flexible and adapt to changes to become 100-year companies.
  3. Balancing learning new domains with software development is a key challenge for individual contributors.

Uniting Data Fiefdoms Under Your Banner

TeamCraft • 13 implied HN points • 30 Oct 23
💼 Business Company Culture
  1. Uniting data fiefdoms under one banner can be challenging due to siloed incentives and data fragmentation.
  2. Data functions often lack proprietary data but have access to all data, highlighting the importance of understanding data context.
  3. Creating a Single Customer View can be a game-changer for businesses, enabling better attribution and decision-making based on a holistic customer journey.

GRANTED: Your stress probably isn't burnout and your professional decline probably isn't imminent

Granted • 19 implied HN points • 02 Jul 19
🏥 Health & Wellness Company Culture
  1. Burnout is not the same as stress. Feeling overwhelmed can be healthy but burnout is persistent emotional exhaustion.
  2. Your professional peak relies more on acquired wisdom than innate intelligence. Investing in the next generation is valuable.
  3. Empathy in company culture is crucial. Developing empathy is a soft skill that can be learned through genuine care and effort.

GRANTED: The value of going outdoors, outside your expertise, and to the outsiders inside your team

Granted • 19 implied HN points • 03 Mar 19
💼 Business Company Culture
  1. Spending time outdoors has benefits like increased test scores for kids in Finland and lower mental health disorders for adults near green spaces
  2. Hiring versatile individuals who excel in at least one area can lead to more innovation in companies
  3. Creating a sense of belonging for remote workers is important for their well-being and productivity

GRANTED: When to trust your gut and how to get people to embrace change

Granted • 19 implied HN points • 29 Nov 18
💼 Business Company Culture
  1. Hire based on motivation and ability to learn rather than talent or credentials to be future-ready.
  2. Trust your gut only in predictable environments with regular practice and immediate feedback; if not, gather evidence to test your intuition.
  3. Encourage employees to speak up by rewarding them for raising problems, concerns, suggestions, and solutions to foster a positive company culture.

I ask three questions

Basta’s Notes • 4 HN points • 14 Apr 23
💼 Business Company Culture
  1. Ask meaningful questions during job interviews to truly understand the role, the team, and the company.
  2. Avoid asking generic questions like 'What's the culture like?' or 'What are the working hours?'
  3. Focus on questions that prompt stories or reveal deeper insight about the work environment and culture.

Serendipity and Remote Work ✨

Mica’s Newsletter • 2 HN points • 12 Mar 24
💼 Business Company Culture
  1. In-person interactions are crucial for sparking spontaneous conversations and new ideas, which are often limited in structured remote meetings.
  2. Serendipitous connections among colleagues from different departments can lead to innovative features, products, and even startups.
  3. Designing workspaces to encourage interactions and chance encounters can be key to fostering creativity and innovation, as seen in examples like Building 20 at MIT and the Apple headquarters.