The hottest Leadership Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top World Politics Topics

The tragedy of the common leader

The Engineering Manager • 10 implied HN points • 30 Nov 23
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Having a strong peer group in middle management is important but can be challenging.
  2. The tragedy of the commons can result in self-interest and competition among peers with the same leader.
  3. Building relationships with peers based on value, conflict, or neutrality can improve collaboration and effectiveness.

Teamwork

Fish Food for Thought • 15 implied HN points • 19 Apr 23
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Teamwork is essential for achieving larger goals and solving complex problems
  2. Teams leverage individual strengths and make up for weaknesses, resulting in better performance
  3. Diverse teams lead to more innovation and better results, with benefits like reduced burnout and increased happiness for team members

Frameworks

Fish Food for Thought • 13 implied HN points • 28 Jun 23
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Frameworks help in organizing thoughts about growth stages of companies and products.
  2. Different frameworks like 3X by Kent Beck and PST by Simon Wardley provide insights into different stages of growth.
  3. Identifying the stage where you do your best work can help in career development and role selection.

It's all just leadership after all

The Engineering Manager • 10 implied HN points • 07 Nov 23
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Progression in management isn't just about managing managers, but also senior individual contributors.
  2. You can use the same management strategies for both senior managers and senior individual contributors.
  3. Focus on developing leadership in both roles by controlling the target and delegating the how.
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Change and Complexity

Fish Food for Thought • 14 implied HN points • 10 May 23
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Leadership and management are different yet complementary, needed simultaneously.
  2. Organizations face constant change and complexity, requiring both leadership and management.
  3. Both leadership and management are crucial for organizational success, with a need for a balance between the two.

Dependency Autopilot.

Essays • 2 HN points • 30 May 23
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Finding a balance between being a team player and an independent thinker is crucial in professional life.
  2. Dependency autopilot happens when individuals feel like they're just a cog in the machine, leading to tedium and stagnation.
  3. Combining the mentality of a team player with that of an individual innovator can unlock motivation and meaning in work.

Inspiring Yourself — and Your Team.

Essays • 2 HN points • 15 Aug 23
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Differentiate between external stimulation and internal inspiration for long-term success.
  2. Find ways to cultivate personal inspiration through meaningful goals and creative methods.
  3. In team settings, individual inspiration can positively impact the whole team, so identify and nurture it.

If You’re Running Every Meeting, You’re Failing Your Team

The Software Engineering Times • 1 implied HN point • 14 Jul 25
💼 Business Leadership
  1. If you're always running the meetings, it shows you might not trust your team to handle things. Good managers allow others to lead to help them grow.
  2. Letting your team lead meetings is a great way to coach them. Afterward, talk about what went well and what could be improved.
  3. Sometimes, wanting to control every meeting is more about ego than anything else. To build a strong team, you need to let go and support them instead.

023. Startup equity: The obvious, yet often-bungled way to motivate employees

Safe For Work (SFW) • 7 implied HN points • 13 Mar 24
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Employees often undervalue their equity in startup companies, leading to a lack of motivation and missed opportunities for potential financial gain.
  2. Startup leaders need to openly and honestly discuss equity with employees to help them understand its value and make informed decisions about their compensation.
  3. Engaging with the emotional aspects of equity and providing guidance on how to value it can lead to better employee motivation, productivity, and retention in tech startups.

#3 The Startup Party: reflections on the last 20 years, what could replace the Tories, and why

Dominic Cummings substack • 12 implied HN points • 09 Jun 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Leadership
  1. Dominic Cummings reflects on his time in No10, attributing Boris Johnson's resignation to various failures.
  2. Criticizes the EU for its ineffectiveness in AI regulation and the government's handling of biosecurity.
  3. Suggests that progress in AI safety may come from building rather than regulation and proposes a Taskforce to address AI challenges.

Nature of "Focus"

Building Rome(s) • 9 implied HN points • 21 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Leadership
  1. Focus in software engineering and product development is dynamic and multifaceted.
  2. Different stages of a project require different types of focus.
  3. Technical Program Managers face various challenges in maintaining focus.

Middle East 201

The Cosmopolitan Globalist • 3 implied HN points • 23 Nov 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Leadership
  1. The Middle East is affected by US elections, and many are eager to see how Trump's second term might change things in the region.
  2. There's a mix of hope and concern about Trump's leadership affecting peace talks and alliances in the Middle East.
  3. Important issues, like Iran's nuclear program and Israel's military strategies, are likely to be central in discussions during Trump's presidency.

TWH#S5: What I Read This Week

The Hagakure • 13 implied HN points • 05 Mar 23
📚 Literature Leadership
  1. Building rapport and understanding others' views is key in coaching or helping people.
  2. Extreme Programming emphasizes the need to embrace change and continuously improve practices.
  3. Developing productive habits and shaping inertia positively can lead to a fulfilled life.

Shape of "Trust" - Pt 3: Roads - When Teams Lack Trust

Building Rome(s) • 7 implied HN points • 13 Jan 24
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Trust is vital for effective teamwork, based on collaborative problem-solving, honesty, respect, mutual support, and open communication.
  2. Undermining factors of trust among teams include ego, politics, incompetence, and failure of leadership.
  3. Technical Program Managers (TPMs) can address challenges by promoting humility, managing relationships, identifying struggles, and advocating for transparency.

📈 📊 How to Develop and Write KPIs: A Guide for Product Managers 📋

The Product Channel By Sid Saladi • 3 implied HN points • 27 Oct 24
💼 Business Leadership
  1. KPIs are important tools that help product managers measure how well their product is performing. They show how close you are to reaching your business goals.
  2. To create effective KPIs, start with your business objectives and define specific, measurable metrics that relate directly to those goals.
  3. Regularly monitor your KPIs and be prepared to adjust them as necessary. This helps you stay on track and make informed decisions about improvements.

How to create buy-in and move immovable things; To Interim CMO or not?; Ten commandments of consumer behaviour

Femstreet • 7 implied HN points • 03 Dec 23
💼 Business Leadership
  1. The '15% + 1 level' rule for creating buy-in and moving immovable things emphasizes thinking one level higher to get buy-in for ideas.
  2. The ten commandments of consumer behavior stress understanding human nature for successful product adoption and growth.
  3. Consider hiring an interim CMO as a low-risk, high-return option to build your leadership team effectively.

Demystifying Strategy

SAURABH SAHA • 11 implied HN points • 30 Mar 23
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Strategy is more than just a plan; it involves exploiting weaknesses to achieve goals.
  2. An effective strategy involves comprehensive analysis, guiding principles, and tactical execution.
  3. To excel in strategy, one must be flexible, learn from the past, and adapt to changing environments.

So you want to be a Manager - Part 1: Are you sure?

The Caring Techie Newsletter • 9 implied HN points • 12 Jul 23
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Transitioning from individual contributor to engineering manager requires deep reflection and research.
  2. Engineering management involves leading and coordinating engineering activities, but it's not as easy as it may seem on paper.
  3. Successful engineering managers need a different skill set than individual contributors, including strong people skills and patience.

Wartime and Peacetime TPM

Building Rome(s) • 9 implied HN points • 03 Jun 23
💼 Business Leadership
  1. There are two types of Technical Program Manager personalities: Wartime and Peacetime.
  2. Different environments require different approaches: Wartime programs demand focus and urgency, while Peacetime programs allow for more experimentation.
  3. Wartime and Peacetime TPMs have distinct qualities: Wartime TPMs are decisive and action-oriented, while Peacetime TPMs focus on process and consensus-building.

Right Person, Right Role, Right Time

Fish Food for Thought • 7 implied HN points • 18 Oct 23
💼 Business Leadership
  1. The right person for a role at a specific time based on competencies is crucial for success.
  2. A leader's personality can impact company culture and performance.
  3. Leadership should evolve with a company's growth, necessitating succession planning and alignment with organizational culture.

Impact of AI on organizations

Fish Food for Thought • 5 implied HN points • 13 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Leadership
  1. Technological advancements, like AI, are reshaping organizational structures by influencing how tasks are divided, management roles are designed, and leadership is approached.
  2. The integration of AI in teams could lead to a future where individual contributors are not only expected to showcase leadership but also to take on managerial responsibilities, overseeing AI counterparts to effectively manage tasks.
  3. Offloading routine tasks to AI can boost the creative and strategic capacity of team members, allowing for a focus on innovation and problem-solving to drive project objectives efficiently.

How to break the cycle of firefighting and build engineering excellence

The Incrementalist • 2 implied HN points • 01 Jan 25
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Focus on identifying patterns in recurring problems so you can address the underlying issues, not just the symptoms. This can save time and resources in the long run.
  2. Engage your team in analyzing and understanding events to develop better strategies. Involving everyone ensures a shared understanding and ownership of solutions.
  3. Create processes and structures that promote proactive thinking and continuous improvement. This helps teams work more effectively and reduces the chaos of constantly putting out fires.

A New Playbook?

Fish Food for Thought • 6 implied HN points • 13 Dec 23
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Scaling: Top-down decision-making can slow down progress and hinder scaling as a company grows.
  2. Morale: Taking away autonomy can lead to morale issues within a team, impacting motivation and productivity.
  3. Innovation: Autonomy and empowerment drive innovation, and a top-down approach may stifle creativity and hinder progress.

Corporate culture starts at the top

Klement on Investing • 2 implied HN points • 16 Dec 24
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Leadership sets the culture of a company. If managers are good, employees will stay, but bad managers drive people away.
  2. High employee turnover often means poor corporate culture. People leave bad work environments, showing how they really feel about their jobs.
  3. Companies with staggered boards tend to have worse cultures. This setup allows old board members to stay, making it hard for shareholders to demand changes.

On the Limits of One Mind

TeamCraft • 6 implied HN points • 20 Nov 23
💼 Business Leadership
  1. When a CTO takes over as a CPO, it can lead to negative outcomes for both engineering and product functions.
  2. Expecting one individual to excel in both technology and product domains can be detrimental due to cognitive limits and lack of focus.
  3. A dual CTO/CPO role can result in a lack of product thinking, bias towards technical solutions, strategic edge loss, communication challenges, and difficulty in balancing responsibilities.

Staying Scrappy

Perspectives • 9 implied HN points • 19 Apr 23
💼 Business Leadership
  1. Scrappiness is about facing challenges head-on and being resourceful, even in business.
  2. Experiment and adapt to find success, like in 'scrappy sowing' to test ideas and learn from failures.
  3. Avoid anti-scrappiness factors like rigid processes, excessive vetoes, institutional memory, and fear of failure.