The hottest Leadership Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top World Politics Topics

Nikki in NH

Things I Didn't Learn in School • 235 implied HN points • 22 Jan 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Leadership
  1. Nikki Haley's potential win in New Hampshire could lead to significant changes and a corrective feature in the US system.
  2. Haley's focus on fiscal responsibility and deflationary policies may impact US Treasuries and the economy positively.
  3. Her background, qualities, and approach suggest a shift in political norms and potential for US power and influence if she wins.

Apologies for Nihar Malaviya

SHuSH, by Kenneth Whyte • 216 implied HN points • 02 Feb 24
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Penguin Random House introduced a new CEO, Nihar Malaviya, following a detailed PR strategy.
  2. CEO transitions in big companies involve carefully managed public introductions and media appearances.
  3. Nihar Malaviya's atypical appearance and background challenged typical CEO stereotypes within Penguin Random House.

Resilient Cyber Newsletter #8

Resilient Cyber • 19 implied HN points • 06 Aug 24
🕹 Technology Leadership
  1. CrowdStrike is facing lawsuits after a significant outage affected Delta Airlines and many flights. This situation raises concerns about the reliability of software and the idea of software liability.
  2. Cybersecurity has many common mistakes, or anti-patterns, that organizations fall into. These include chasing the latest trends instead of focusing on core security practices.
  3. The SEC's new rules may be harming the effectiveness of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) in the U.S., making it harder for them to focus on reducing risks for their organizations.

University administrators have forgotten what leadership is

The Recovering Academic • 415 implied HN points • 13 Oct 23
🚌 Education Leadership
  1. University administrators are being criticized for forgetting what true leadership entails, especially in the field of academia.
  2. Leaders in higher education should prioritize trust, respect, and shared risk with faculty and staff for effective leadership.
  3. Lessons from military history, like trusting and respecting subordinates, can offer valuable insights into effective leadership practices in academia.
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How much power does Speaker pro tempore McHenry have?

Matt’s Five Points • 419 implied HN points • 04 Oct 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Leadership
  1. Patrick McHenry is acting as Speaker pro tempore following the vacancy of the Speaker's position. His authority is uncertain and is a topic of debate within the House.
  2. There is no clear precedent for what powers McHenry holds, which makes it difficult to determine if he can conduct normal House business or just oversee the election of a new Speaker.
  3. The decisions McHenry makes now could set important precedents for future Speakers pro tempore, affecting how much power they will have in similar situations.

Foundations

Venture Prose • 419 implied HN points • 04 Sep 23
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Success is about making people around you happy, including employees and customers, while also ensuring profitability for sustainability.
  2. Having a healthy balance is crucial; success should not drain all your energy, you must prioritize maintaining your physical and mental well-being to last in the long run.
  3. Happiness and fulfillment come from connecting with your inner self and surrounding yourself with the right people who share your aspirations and provide support.

Why Christians Love Plutarch

ancientlifecoach • 235 implied HN points • 16 Jan 24
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Leadership
  1. Plutarch's biographies help Christians understand the historical context of biblical events.
  2. Christian writers have used biography as a powerful tool to spread their message for centuries.
  3. Plutarch's stories of courage inspire Christians to face challenges with bravery and fortitude.

High Agency: The Mindset of Successful Leaders

The Engineering Leader • 218 implied HN points • 18 Feb 24
💼 Business Leadership
  1. High Agency means taking control of your life and making decisions without waiting for perfect conditions. It helps you be proactive and responsible for your outcomes.
  2. People with High Agency are resourceful and resilient, able to turn challenges into opportunities. They thrive on taking calculated risks and learning from their experiences.
  3. You can develop High Agency by taking initiative, accepting responsibility, and being adaptable. It's all about having the mindset to overcome obstacles and create your own path.

It’s Not About Me — That’s The Point

moontower: a stoner dad explains options trading to his kids • 235 implied HN points • 14 Jan 24
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Focus on being altruistic and a positive presence in the world, putting in the work and solving real problems.
  2. Believe in yourself to become the best version of yourself, even when faced with doubts.
  3. In a competitive investment landscape, understanding the job's challenges and rewards can help determine if it's the right fit for you.

One bottleneck at a time

The Engineering Manager • 21 implied HN points • 14 Jan 26
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Every system has one primary bottleneck at a time; improving other parts just creates more work waiting, so focus on the single constraint that limits throughput.
  2. Put your best people and attention on the ugly but critical work and subordinate everything else to fixing the bottleneck, even if it hurts short-term optics—this requires courage but yields real impact.
  3. Find where work piles up, take actionable steps to remove that constraint, measure progress, and then repeat the cycle at team, department, and company levels.

The Intensity Dial: Knowing When to Escalate and When to Back Off

The Caring Techie Newsletter • 12 implied HN points • 28 Jan 26
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Treat communication like an intensity dial — shift between gentle support and direct urgency depending on the situation instead of always being soft or always being blunt.
  2. Being too soft lets problems fester and breeds passive-aggressive resentments, while being too intense too early embarrasses people and shuts down trust.
  3. Escalate deliberately in small steps: make the impact and stakes clear, give the other person a fair chance to fix things, and set deadlines or escalation paths using simple diagnostic questions to choose the right level.

Time is finite

Respectful Leadership • 54 implied HN points • 15 Nov 25
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Time is limited, so it's important to recognize that we don't have endless chances to succeed. We need to make the most of our time and decisions.
  2. Entrepreneurs often believe that things will always improve with just one more attempt. However, sometimes, those extra tries can lead to setbacks.
  3. Looking back, certain choices may seem small but can have significant impacts on success. What seems minor at the time might slow down progress enough to be detrimental later.

The Most Important Meeting of Your Year

DruGroup • 79 implied HN points • 14 May 24
💼 Business Leadership
  1. The nominating committee is super important because it decides who will lead in the future. The people you choose will shape the agenda and priorities for your group.
  2. Having a diverse group of nominees is crucial. It helps ensure that the leadership reflects different backgrounds and perspectives, making the organization stronger.
  3. Leading a nominating committee well can make a big impact. If you prepare properly and focus on the right issues, you'll set your organization up for success for a long time.

Vitamin B for Engineering Teams: Psychological Safety

The Healthy Engineering Leader • 59 implied HN points • 04 Jun 24
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Psychological safety in teams is really important. It helps everyone feel safe to share ideas, make mistakes, and ask questions without fear.
  2. There are four stages of psychological safety: inclusion safety, learner safety, contributor safety, and challenger safety. Each stage builds on the previous one to help teams grow and work better together.
  3. Just like vitamins are essential for our health, psychological safety is essential for a healthy and effective team. When teams feel safe, they can innovate and succeed.

Ne pas écouter ses investisseurs

Venture Prose • 499 implied HN points • 19 Feb 23
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Investors may push for hyper-growth, but it's okay to build a company at your own pace.
  2. Investors will critique your execution, but it's important to read between the lines and improve where necessary.
  3. Focus on having the right attitude and work ethic to set the pace for your team, even if it means not always rushing.

How to drive me crazy 🤯

Venture Prose • 379 implied HN points • 28 May 23
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Ownership is key: Acknowledge mistakes, apologize, reflect, and avoid blaming others. It's important to take full responsibility.
  2. Increase awareness: Connect and interact with others, understand their needs, and reflect on yourself. Being self-aware is crucial for healthy relationships.
  3. Embrace progress over success: Failure is part of the journey, and the ability to grow and evolve is vital. Avoid getting stuck in a fixed mindset and strive for continuous improvement.

«Я не боюсь понести ответственность, если это необходимо»

Faridaily • 373 implied HN points • 17 Feb 23
🌍 World Politics Leadership
  1. Robert Shlegel, a former Russian politician, spoke out against the war in Ukraine after years of silence.
  2. Shlegel expressed regret for past decisions and is unafraid of facing consequences for his current actions.
  3. He believes that change in the current regime in Russia may only occur over time due to internal and external pressures.

Eric Yuan: The Rise Of Zoom

Category Pirates • 373 implied HN points • 13 Feb 23
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Eric Yuan, founder of Zoom, had a vision to make the world a better place through seamless communication.
  2. Yuan's category design philosophy focused on prioritizing customer happiness and building a product that customers truly love.
  3. Zoom's success in dominating the video conferencing market was attributed to Yuan's vision, tenacity, and focus on end-user satisfaction.

Managing cancer, an agency and building SaaS products

Kenny’s Sub • 99 implied HN points • 14 Apr 24
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Managing a business while dealing with serious health issues like cancer requires clear delegation and smart prioritization. It's important to have a supportive team that can share the workload.
  2. Building a business with multiple co-founders can offer different strengths and perspectives. Sharing a common dream and working closely together helps in navigating the challenges of starting a company.
  3. Balancing client work with developing your own products can be tricky but is essential for long-term success. Treating internal projects like client projects with clear goals can help maintain focus and ensure progress.

S06 - EP 01 --> Pirates in the Navy: How to build a 0-to-1 machine and bypass the bureaucracy

Product Hustle Stack Newsletter • 9 implied HN points • 02 Feb 26
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Make culture the foundation: hire fast-moving, problem-solving people who bypass bureaucracy. Seed that pirate mindset in ripples so it spreads beyond the core team.
  2. Give leaders the right signals, not busywork: report on risk velocity and create invisible governance so executives can spot and remove blind spots without micromanaging.
  3. Anchor decisions with simple rituals and a single currency: choose something like customer obsession and run repeatable rituals so the initiative becomes a predictable, scalable machine rather than a one-off effort.

Friedrich Merz is the Most Incompetent Chancellor the Federal Republic Has Ever Seen

eugyppius: a plague chronicle • 190 implied HN points • 11 Jul 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Leadership
  1. Friedrich Merz is viewed as a very incompetent Chancellor in Germany's history, with many believing his mistakes are largely due to his lack of understanding of politics.
  2. His approach led to political chaos, especially in navigating alliances and nominations, resulting in a weakened position for his party.
  3. Merz’s recent comments on judicial nominees caused significant backlash, demonstrating how poorly he manages critical issues, impacting his government’s stability.

Effectiveness is Signal minus Noise

A Bit Gamey • 20 implied HN points • 11 Jan 26
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Effectiveness comes from identifying the few things that truly matter and subtracting everything that interferes with them.
  2. Noise is socially acceptable — it feels like progress because it produces meetings, frameworks and consensus, but it quietly drains momentum and attention.
  3. Real focus means saying no and cancelling projects even when it’s uncomfortable; ask what the signal is, what’s interfering, and what would happen if you removed that interference.

Stocks; Xi Thought; Nukes

Sinocism • 176 implied HN points • 06 Feb 24
🌍 World Politics Leadership
  1. Stock market in China dropped sharply but recovered after regulatory intervention and state buying.
  2. Xi Jinping Thought campaign has ended, but uncertainty remains about its impact on cadres.
  3. Ousted PLA officials faced removal for 'serious violations of discipline and law', with more detentions occurring.

Reflections on Four Years at Notion

startupdiaries • 354 implied HN points • 02 Aug 23
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Find what keeps you hungry: Hunger and drive were crucial in navigating the world, from childhood struggles to succeeding at startups like Notion.
  2. Adaptability wins: The ability to reinvent value and adapt amid constant change, especially in hyper-growth environments, is key to success as an early startup employee.
  3. Ultimately, look inwards: The soul and warmth of a company like Notion stem from its vision, courage to be different, and ambition, all nurtured from within.

Confidence vs. Arrogance

The Breaking Point • 459 implied HN points • 05 Sep 23
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Confidence is important in business but crossing into arrogance can lead to mistakes.
  2. Being confident means knowing your strengths and weaknesses, while being humble.
  3. Regular self-evaluation is essential to maintain a healthy perspective in business.

No more coding vibes in the efficiency era

Dev Interrupted • 210 implied HN points • 19 Jun 25
🕹 Technology Leadership
  1. The focus on just hiring more engineers is outdated. Now, it's important to measure productivity based on real outcomes and impact rather than just feelings.
  2. AI can help with tasks, but it doesn't understand your specific business context. It's important to use AI wisely and not rely on it for critical thinking or decision-making.
  3. To improve productivity, teams need clear context and communication about goals. Understanding the 'why' behind their work is essential for success.

Management Rituals: Quarterly Check-ins

QUALITY BOSS • 79 implied HN points • 04 May 24
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Quarterly check-ins help managers stay updated on their team's accomplishments and goals. They create space for important conversations about progress and development.
  2. The check-in process includes asking six questions that focus on both past achievements and future aspirations. This backward and forward approach ensures a comprehensive view of performance.
  3. These meetings do not replace regular feedback but complement it by providing a dedicated time for discussing growth and performance over a longer timeline.

What does extreme ownership really mean?

Arpit’s Newsletter • 176 implied HN points • 04 Feb 24
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Extreme ownership means taking initiative and completing tasks without waiting to be told what to do.
  2. Keeping everyone on the same page by proactively sharing progress and potential roadblocks is crucial for success.
  3. Extreme ownership does not mean working twice as hard, but rather taking complete ownership and ensuring delivery of assigned tasks.

Pioneering the Future of Work.

The Future Does Not Fit In The Containers Of The Past • 29 implied HN points • 14 Dec 25
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Work and jobs are uncoupling: full-time jobs are shrinking while new employee types like agentic and fractionalized workers are emerging, driven by AI, changing demographics, and new marketplaces.
  2. The office will be unbundled into collaboration hubs, third spaces, and home, and companies will access talent more flexibly through platforms and AI, focusing on outcomes instead of fixed positions.
  3. Everyone will need constant reskilling and new leadership skills as AI shifts the value of knowledge, and careers will move toward portfolio, fractional, or company-of-one models where culture and adaptable skills matter most.

The Tale of Two Teams

Software Design: Tidy First? • 1281 implied HN points • 19 Feb 24
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Software development teams can take two different paths over time - one struggling to maintain progress and innovate, the other accelerating and exceeding expectations.
  2. Executives play a crucial role in steering teams towards successful software development by fostering a culture of continual improvement, tidy code, automation, and collaboration.
  3. Understanding software design fundamentals as an executive can help diagnose ineffective teams, bridge communication gaps between business and technology, and inspire innovation and excellence.

TBM 275: "Bad" Strategy. Why?

The Beautiful Mess • 1256 implied HN points • 01 Mar 24
💼 Business Leadership
  1. A company strategy is actually a collection of individual strategies. Each person within a company has their own strategy they try to advocate for.
  2. The communicated strategy in a company is often a negotiated narrative, and the real strategy might not be fully disclosed. There are subtleties and contexts behind the scenes.
  3. Strategies are a negotiation. What may seem objectively right might not align with the current status quo. Different people in different roles might perceive and act on strategies uniquely.

Burning

Venture Prose • 339 implied HN points • 11 Jun 23
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Companies in the startup world face the risk of 'burning out' due to various reasons like lack of product-market fit, slow growth, or unsustainable economics.
  2. Entrepreneurs fall into categories like 'High Flyers' who start strong but need to sustain hype, and 'The Burn-Outers' who struggle to manage work-life balance while pushing their companies forward.
  3. Running a company successfully requires a balance of fundamental work, intense focus, and clarity of vision, along with surrounding oneself with a supportive team to navigate challenges.

How to Interview Like a Pro

Perspectives • 11 implied HN points • 23 Jan 26
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Interviewing is a distinct skill separate from doing the job, so practice how you communicate and structure answers until you can clearly show your fit.
  2. Prepare a small bank of adaptable stories that prove failure, leadership, influence, and impact, and tailor those stories to what each company values.
  3. Focus on what the interviewer actually hears—connect first, show judgment, pause to collect your thoughts when needed, and help them imagine you already owning the problem.

Build What You Depend On

Kathy PM • 13 implied HN points • 24 Jan 26
🕹 Technology Leadership
  1. Use your own product for real, high-stakes work — not demos — so every moment of friction becomes obvious and compels fixes.
  2. Dogfood the way customers actually do, including the API and cross-team workflows, and do it continuously so slow, repetitive annoyances surface.
  3. Make sure the people who feel the pain can act on it; dogfooding only improves the product when teams have the agency to fix issues and earn real trust.

The cult of positive thinking comes for academe

The Recovering Academic • 356 implied HN points • 14 Feb 23
🚌 Education Leadership
  1. Positive thinking originated as an antidote to Puritanism and is about trying to think positively as a practice or discipline.
  2. In academia, positive thinking can enable gaslighting where university leaders may manipulate or undermine faculty concerns to align with their personal visions.
  3. Negative thinking, while often seen in a bad light, can be essential for seeking truth and survival by challenging assumptions and serving as a tool for vigilantly assessing reality.