The hottest Execution Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Business Topics

TBM 325: Skeptoptimism – Thinking Slow, Acting Fast

The Beautiful Mess • 952 implied HN points • 01 Dec 24
💼 Business Team Dynamics Planning Execution Leadership Risk management
  1. Thinking slowly helps in planning well and reducing risks. It's not sitting idle; it's about being active and experimenting with ideas.
  2. Being a skeptoptimist means balancing a belief in teams with a realistic view of challenges. It's important to express confidence in the team's ability to succeed while addressing risks.
  3. It's key to involve others in 'slow thinking' to ensure they understand and support the process. Sharing your thoughts can help bridge the gap between deep exploration and action.

Never Excuse as Stupidity

Anarchonomicon • 314 implied HN points • 25 Jun 23
💾 History Military Britain Execution
  1. Admiral John Byng was executed for 'failing to do his utmost' in a battle, sparking controversy and outrage
  2. Byng's execution was seen as a politically motivated act that led to significant public and elite backlash
  3. The Royal Navy's success and dominance in history was attributed to the skill and ruthlessness of its officers, despite facing immense challenges

Doing Fast & Slow

Venture Prose • 279 implied HN points • 07 May 23
💼 Business Leadership Management Work-life balance Achievement Execution
  1. Set a pace of execution that matches ambition and expectations to avoid subpar efforts and performance from your team.
  2. Find a balance between being fast and slow in your thinking and actions, while being intentional about setting expectations and goals.
  3. Work-life balance is like a rope that tightens and loosens, finding equilibrium between being super busy and not, rather than aiming for a perfect balance.

The misguided yearning for a better plan

Wednesday Wisdom • 104 implied HN points • 30 Oct 24
💼 Business Management Execution Education Engineering Incentives
  1. Having a better plan isn't the solution; it's all about how well you execute the plan you have. Good results come from good execution, not just a fancy plan.
  2. Many people look for secret techniques to improve, but the truth is that everyone knows what to do. The problem is usually that they just aren't doing it well.
  3. Instead of searching high and low for a better plan, focus on improving how you do what you're already doing. Making small changes in execution can lead to big improvements.

Setting and Measuring Objectives

Build To Scale • 98 implied HN points • 05 Sep 23
💼 Business Management Goals Strategy Execution Accountability
  1. Setting clear and achievable objectives is crucial for organizational success. Avoid overly ambitious goals that may lead to dysfunctionality.
  2. Use a straightforward approach like SMART goals for setting objectives. Regular follow-ups help assess progress and address obstacles.
  3. Promote collaboration and alignment among departments in goal-setting. Encourage transparency, accountability, and coordination across the organization.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

In Between Two Forces

Building Rome(s) • 15 implied HN points • 20 Jan 25
💼 Business Management Leadership Strategy Execution Collaboration
  1. Technical Program Managers (TPMs) help connect the vision of leaders with the execution of managers. They play a key role in ensuring that strategies are implemented effectively.
  2. Collaboration with Product Managers is crucial for TPMs. Working together helps them handle complex projects and achieve great results.
  3. TPMs need to be clear and adaptable. They must turn challenges into opportunities and keep teams focused on success, no matter the situation.

Tiers of Transaction Finality for Rollups

Cryptocurrency and Friends • 58 implied HN points • 21 Feb 23
🔮 Crypto Blockchain Rollups Transactions Execution Cryptocurrency
  1. In rollup transactions, finality occurs in three stages: Sequencer's Promise, Order Finality, and Execution Settlement.
  2. The Sequencer promises correct transaction execution, the bridge determines final transaction order, and Executors verify and enforce execution.
  3. Separating transaction ordering from execution allows for quick order finality and potential delays in execution settlement in rollup transactions.

How we increased execution by 10x at Coda | Oliver Heckmann - Head of Engineering at Coda

platocommunity • 39 implied HN points • 13 Dec 23
💼 Business Management Productivity Execution Planning Tools
  1. Cutting down planning time to 10% allows for better focus and higher quality plans, leading to increased execution speed.
  2. Bridging the Planning-Execution Canyon by synchronizing OKRs in planning and execution documents improves insight, accountability, and progress tracking.
  3. Creating centralized Team Hubs with all important information in one place reduces information silos, fosters transparency, and promotes unified teamwork.

getting stuff done

Midnight Musings • 19 implied HN points • 19 Feb 24
💼 Business Leadership Teamwork Management Execution Culture
  1. It's really important for everyone on a team to be clear about what success looks like. When everyone understands the goals and expectations, it helps avoid frustration and saves time.
  2. Planning is key before starting projects. When people know their roles and the project scope from the beginning, things go smoother and it's easier to stay on track.
  3. Good communication can make a big difference. Sharing information openly helps build trust and keeps everyone on the same page, leading to better teamwork and collaboration.

Evaluating Team Effectiveness with a Data-first Approach | Bhavini Soneji, Executive Leader (ex-Cruise, Headspace, Microsoft)

platocommunity • 19 implied HN points • 15 Feb 24
💼 Business Leadership Metrics Team Dynamics Execution Measurement
  1. Empowering people to discover their strengths and amplify their impact is key in leadership.
  2. When measuring team effectiveness, consider the three buckets: what (strategic value), how (execution), and who (team dynamics).
  3. Combining measurement with follow-through techniques is crucial to determine if you're measuring the right things and drive continuous improvement.

Ruthless Ruth Brown Snyder

Marlene’s Newsletter • 4 implied HN points • 31 Dec 24
💾 History True Crime Execution Murder
  1. Ruth Snyder became the first woman to be executed at Sing Sing in 1928. Her crime was shocking and included her planning the murder of her husband with the help of her lover.
  2. She was unhappy in her marriage and had an affair that turned dark. The couple's plan involved murder and framing it as a robbery, but it quickly unraveled when police started investigating.
  3. Despite blaming each other during the trial, both Ruth and her lover were convicted and sentenced to death. Their story inspired the famous movie 'Double Indemnity', highlighting the consequences of greed and betrayal.

Balancing your execution, re-planning the roadmap

🔮 Crafting Tech Teams • 19 implied HN points • 27 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Execution Planning
  1. The roadmap is crucial for tech organizations, requiring careful planning, estimations, and collaboration among departments.
  2. Addressing technical debt and support tickets is an important aspect of balancing execution and re-planning the roadmap.
  3. Subscribing to Crafting Tech Teams gives access to in-depth posts and a 7-day free trial for the full archive.

Losing always sucks. Even writing this sucks

Brick by Brick • 45 implied HN points • 05 Jul 23
💼 Business Sales Engineering Value Execution Customer Insights
  1. Losing sales opportunities can be a great learning opportunity for both sales and engineering teams.
  2. Sales losses can occur due to reasons like lack of alignment with customer needs, inadequate value proposition, and price constraints.
  3. To learn from sales losses, it's important to assess gaps in perceived value, interview customers for insights, and continually review reasons for lost deals.

The 3 key jobs of a product manager: Recognize the problem, Structure a solution, and Execute

amivora • 9 implied HN points • 28 Feb 24
💼 Business Management Strategy Execution
  1. As a product manager, it's crucial to recognize the customer's problem by understanding their struggles and spotting patterns in their experiences.
  2. To structure a solution, PMs need to frame hypotheses, identify target audiences, set milestones, define success metrics, and make consistent decisions.
  3. Executing on the solution involves creating urgency, holding the team accountable, dividing work efficiently, and being willing to fill in gaps to ensure the product ships.

Getting started with Haskell and Nix

Letters From Paradise • 5 HN points • 20 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Programming Environment Configuration Execution Automation
  1. Getting started with Haskell can be challenging due to multiple environment setup options like cabal, stack, and Nix.
  2. Nix is a purely functional package manager that allows you to create separate environments for different programming needs, making experimenting with new technologies easier.
  3. Using commands like `nix-shell`, shebang options, and `shell.nix` files can streamline your Haskell development process and save time.

Chasing highs that hurt your product

Product Managers at Work • 6 implied HN points • 19 Jun 23
💼 Business Product Management Analytics Team Management Execution Prioritization
  1. Jumping into implementation without sufficient customer discovery can hurt product success.
  2. Focusing on firefighting and feature development without data analytics can be detrimental to the product.
  3. Constantly pinging team members about updates may not be an efficient way to drive execution; creating efficient systems is key.

How to Run Effective Sprint Planning Sessions

The Incrementalist • 4 HN points • 30 Jul 23
💼 Business Management Planning Execution Teamwork Productivity
  1. Bulk of the sprint planning should happen 2 weeks leading up to the sprint start, allowing time for preparation and setting the stage for success.
  2. During the sprint planning session, focus on high-level sprint review and alignment, while detailed discussions should occur prior to the meeting.
  3. Each team member should take ownership and drive their work stream, creating tickets and breaking down work into manageable chunks, ensuring a proactive and self-driven approach.

How to have a kickass kick-off meeting

Askwhy: UX Research, Product Management, Design & Careers • 0 implied HN points • 08 Aug 23
💼 Business Management Communication Planning Execution Stakeholders
  1. Kick-off meetings set the tone for a project and involve aligning stakeholders on the problem and solution.
  2. Key attendees in a kick-off meeting include sponsors, engineering teams, designers, and cross-functional teams.
  3. Ideal preparation for a kick-off meeting involves ensuring key stakeholders are aligned beforehand and sharing necessary context.

It all comes from being extra-clairvoyant

Venture Prose • 0 implied HN points • 07 Jun 18
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Leadership Self-Improvement Decision-making Execution
  1. Optimistic Clairvoyance helps founders improve their instincts and intuition to understand their environment and make better decisions.
  2. Maximize receptiveness and learning velocity to understand why and how you take certain actions.
  3. Achieving execution excellence requires surrounding yourself with the right people and making continuous adjustments.

Growth Is Not Gross

Venture Prose • 0 implied HN points • 02 Feb 16
💼 Business Growth Execution Metrics Measurement Scaling
  1. Continuously growing your business is crucial. If you're not growing, address the issues and keep moving forward.
  2. Focus on tracking one single, relevant metric to ensure growth. It's essential for progress and success.
  3. Measure growth accurately on a compound basis, either weekly or monthly. Understanding the impact of growth is vital for business development.

Tháp thành công

Thái | Hacker | Kỹ sư tin tặc • 0 implied HN points • 30 Apr 17
📖 Philosophy Success Strategy Execution
  1. Success hierarchy includes attitude, approach, and goal as top priorities, not just strategy or tactics.
  2. It's crucial to identify personal goals before diving into tasks like learning programming languages or choosing operating systems.
  3. Being proactive, valuing time, willing to learn from mistakes, and questioning things are key attitudes for personal growth.