The hottest Management Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Business Topics

Discomforts of Great Design Management

Product Composition • 117 implied HN points • 03 Mar 23
🪑 Design Management Trust Responsibility Scalability Authenticity
  1. Your work in design management is naturally unquantifiable, leading to anxiety and dissatisfaction in many managers.
  2. As a design manager, prioritize building trust with your team, even in challenging situations.
  3. Design managers need to be responsible for the output, not just facilitate, and balance scalable with unscalable practices.

How to Coach People Effectively

Kartick’s Blog • 17 implied HN points • 08 Feb 25
💼 Business Coaching Leadership Management Career development Communication
  1. Set clear expectations for coaching by charging a fee and giving homework. This helps find serious candidates and saves time.
  2. Listen actively to the person being coached and tailor your advice to their understanding. Use questions that guide them to their own conclusions.
  3. Keep conversations focused on one topic at a time and use visual aids to clarify points. This makes discussions more effective and organized.

SaaS X-Ray and IPO Markets w/ Stan Zlotsky (Pendo.io)

Hard Mode by Breaking SaaS • 98 implied HN points • 09 Nov 23
💼 Business Technology Finance Investing Operations Management
  1. Investors seek a balance between growth and profitability in tech companies going public.
  2. Investors value companies that have shown a path to profitability and solid management teams.
  3. Understanding unit economics and aligning internal teams with investor metrics are crucial for SaaS companies navigating the IPO journey.
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I Screwed Up. Here's What I Learned.

The Radar • 39 implied HN points • 22 Mar 24
💼 Business Leadership Management Administration
  1. Strong leadership is not always sufficient. It's important to balance leadership, management, and administration.
  2. Avoid neglecting any of the three leadership imperatives for too long. Juggling them dynamically is crucial.
  3. Leadership involves more than just love. It requires a combination of heart, brain, and bones to be effective.

How College Presidents Can Last In The Job To Create Lasting Change

The Future of Education • 198 implied HN points • 14 Jun 23
🚌 Education Leadership Higher education Innovation Management
  1. Creating lasting change in colleges and universities takes time and effort, not a quick fix.
  2. College presidents face challenges with shorter tenures despite increasing institution crises.
  3. Successful long-term college presidents leveraged Tools of Cooperation and Change theory to lead significant transformations.

✅ Misstep to model: Women in PR's exemplary response to diversity shortcomings

Wadds Inc. newsletter • 39 implied HN points • 18 Mar 24
💼 Business Public Relations Diversity Management Marketing Industry Trends
  1. Women in PR faced criticism for not including diverse voices in their Shadow Board, which was a big disappointment considering their goal of promoting women in leadership.
  2. In response, they quickly took action by reviewing their practices and setting goals to improve representation and create a more inclusive culture.
  3. Their example shows how organizations can learn from mistakes and genuinely commit to making meaningful changes for diversity and inclusion.

Changing my mind on whether managers should keep coding

peoplefirstengineering • 8 implied HN points • 05 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Software Engineering Management Empathy Leadership Coding
  1. It's important for managers to stay connected to coding, as it helps them empathize with their team. Being hands-on can improve understanding of the challenges engineers face.
  2. Empathy in leadership goes beyond just understanding tasks; it involves recognizing individual emotions and how they affect performance. Good managers should tailor their support based on team members' unique situations.
  3. Challenges in coding create a shared experience among team members. Managers who code can better relate to the ups and downs, building trust and a stronger team dynamic.

Breaking Free Of Endless Discussion Loops

PeopleStorming • 79 implied HN points • 29 Nov 23
💼 Business Management Communication Productivity
  1. Consider setting a 'doc-time' protocol to convert lengthy, unproductive discussions into written documents to ensure clear progress and avoid wasting time.
  2. Include sections like context, why the problem matters, who is involved, discussion history, proposed alternatives, and decision-making process in the document.
  3. Encourage clear ownership and empower team members to drive the process of transitioning from discussion to document for more effective and efficient communication.

Ivory towers jeopardize value creation

Ageling on Agile • 59 implied HN points • 04 Feb 24
💼 Business Management Collaboration Value Creation Organizational Culture Agile methodologies
  1. Ivory towers in organizations can create conflict and hinder collaboration between teams with different objectives.
  2. To foster value creation, it's essential for individuals in leadership positions to step down from ivory towers and actively collaborate with all stakeholders.
  3. Blocking the learning loop by maintaining ivory towers can lead to wasted time, effort, and money, hindering the organization's ability to adapt in a fast-changing world.

Down-to-earth guide to Engineering KPIs

🔮 Crafting Tech Teams • 99 implied HN points • 28 Sep 23
💼 Business Management Team Performance
  1. Measuring team performance with KPIs can be chaotic and fascinating, revealing patterns and challenges in the process.
  2. Individual contributions can influence team behavior towards gaming KPIs, leading to increased numbers but decreased satisfaction.
  3. Balancing the use of KPIs in team management is crucial to prevent negative impacts on client relationships, employee satisfaction, and business outcomes.

✅ Monday briefing: Celebrating 150 Substack newsletters

Wadds Inc. newsletter • 99 implied HN points • 02 Oct 23
💼 Business Media Public Relations Management Social media Artificial Intelligence
  1. The newsletter has celebrated its 150th edition, continuing since it started during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. It's designed to help readers understand weekly top stories in their community.
  2. There are growing concerns about issues like greenwashing and the unequal payment for news subscriptions. Many people want diverse news sources but struggle to find value in paying for them.
  3. AI technology is rapidly evolving, with tools like ChatGPT now having internet access. This raises questions about how AI should be regulated globally as it becomes more integrated into various sectors.

"A Problem With Authority"—The Person You Think You Are Punching May Not Exist

72 Degrees North • 59 implied HN points • 31 Jan 24
💼 Business Management Workplace dynamics Corporate culture Bureaucracy Hierarchy
  1. There may not be people who inherently have a problem with authority, it could be a construct created by workplace environments.
  2. Disobeying authority doesn't necessarily stem from resistance to orders, but could be rooted in impatience, arrogance, or ego.
  3. Corporate hierarchy and authority can sometimes be arbitrary and driven by societal norms rather than individual merit or charisma.

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.

Nine rules for effective meetings

A Bit Gamey • 6 implied HN points • 15 Dec 24
💼 Business Management Leadership Productivity Meetings Teamwork
  1. Every meeting should have a clear leader and a specific purpose. This helps everyone know what to focus on and what to achieve.
  2. It's important to keep everyone involved in the discussion, but also to stay on topic. This means selecting participants carefully and using tools to stay organized.
  3. Conclude meetings with clear actions and responsibilities. This ensures that everyone knows what they need to do next and helps keep things moving forward.

Optimise for Change when Pressured for Features

🔮 Crafting Tech Teams • 39 implied HN points • 29 Feb 24
💼 Business Management Finance Product Development Entrepreneurship
  1. Businesses with low outcomes for big budgets may get stuck in a negative feedback cycle due to perceived ineffectiveness, leading to frugality and pressure.
  2. When pressured for features, it's important for teams to optimize for change to adapt to evolving demands and challenges.
  3. Optimizing for change in high-pressure situations can help businesses break free from stagnant cycles and drive better outcomes for their investments.

[P] BL: Accounting for Henshall

Nongaap Investing • 5 implied HN points • 14 Dec 24
💼 Business Investing Finance Accounting Management Corporate
  1. BlackLine has a new director known for his skill in mergers and acquisitions. People are curious if he can help the company grow through strategic takeouts.
  2. Nongaap investing focuses on understanding the true value of companies beyond just their financial reports. This approach can give investors a better idea of potential investments.
  3. The content shared is meant for paid subscribers, indicating a focus on delivering exclusive and premium insights.

A Note: What Is "Management" Anyway?

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality • 92 implied HN points • 28 Feb 24
💼 Business Management Consulting Theory Bureaucracy Market
  1. Management is different from hierarchical command-and-control, bureaucratic obedience, and market haggling. It's about reconciling various interests for the smooth operation of the system.
  2. Peter F. Drucker viewed the manager as a trustee of civilization and envisioned a role that balanced freedom, efficiency, equity, and order.
  3. Management is seen as a profession that aligns the interests of all stakeholders while ensuring the free development of individuals within society.

Wandering In the Tall Weeds

The Radar • 59 implied HN points • 31 Dec 23
💼 Business Management Talent Communication Leadership
  1. In the corporate world, mismanagement of talent can lead to catastrophic outcomes such as financial strain, loss of critical knowledge, and decreased morale among remaining team members.
  2. People leave their jobs primarily due to poor management, including factors like work/life balance, insufficient compensation, lack of growth opportunities, and bad bosses.
  3. Insecurity caused by unclear communication, downsizing, and pay cuts can trigger regrettable attrition, where valuable talent leaves, leading to mediocrity and strategic failure.

How to Build a World Class Engternship Program

Jake [Building in NYC] • 39 implied HN points • 27 Feb 24
💼 Business Internships Startups Engineering Management Career development
  1. Internship programs often fail because interns get little guidance and engage in low-value projects. Startups need to realize that internships shouldn't just be about cheap labor but setting interns up for success.
  2. Effective internships focus on growth and clear expectations. Setting clear roles and feedback practices helps interns feel engaged and lets them know how to succeed.
  3. Building a supportive culture is key. Grouping interns, encouraging pair programming, and giving them ownership of tasks help create a positive learning environment.

Bits, Bytes, and Bylaws: Timeless Computing Laws (Part - 2)

Wisdom over Waves • 59 implied HN points • 28 Dec 23
🕹 Technology Software Development Programming Organizational Design Metrics Management
  1. Adding more people to a late software project can make it even later due to various factors like onboarding time, increased coordination needs, and additional deployments causing outages.
  2. When a measure becomes the target, it loses its effectiveness, leading to actions like renaming variables or engaging in practices that prioritize metrics over true code quality.
  3. The structure of the software often mirrors the communication structure of the organization that designed it, showcasing the impact of company dynamics on software architecture.

Writing better performance reviews: assembling the data

It Depends / Nimble Autonomy • 19 implied HN points • 05 May 24
💼 Business Management Human Resources Performance reviews Leadership Employee Development
  1. Start collecting data for performance reviews early in the year. This will help you avoid last-minute stress and ensure you remember important information.
  2. Use various sources for your review data, like meeting notes, emails, and feedback from peers. This way, you gather a well-rounded view of the employee's performance.
  3. Make performance reviews a meaningful summary of ongoing feedback. They should reflect the whole year and not just recent events, helping both the employee and the company.

How To Start a New Role - Part 2

Fish Food for Thought • 4 implied HN points • 24 Dec 24
💼 Business Leadership Management Strategy Career development Organizational Culture
  1. When starting a new role, it's really important to listen more than you speak. Spend your first days understanding the team and the work they do instead of rushing to make changes.
  2. Use the 90/10 rule for communication: listen 90% of the time and speak only 10%. This helps you gather insights to make better decisions later.
  3. Focus on stopping projects that don't add value rather than starting new initiatives right away. This helps clarify priorities and shows you're willing to make tough decisions for the benefit of the team.

Help others make better decisions

Ruben Ugarte's Growth Needle™ • 59 implied HN points • 12 Dec 23
💼 Business Leadership Decision-making Management Organizational Behavior Stakeholder engagement
  1. Encourage your team to write down their decision-making process. This helps clarify steps and improves alignment.
  2. Identify key stakeholders in decisions. Knowing who matters most can streamline communication and decision-making.
  3. Look for ways to improve the decision-making process. Discussing it openly can reveal areas of improvement to help the team work better.

Insights into the future role of public relations in management

Wadds Inc. newsletter • 99 implied HN points • 27 Jul 23
💼 Business Management Public Relations Research Communication Consulting
  1. Public relations saw a boost during the COVID-19 pandemic, which suggests its potential future importance in management. It's important to understand how PR can be both positive and negative depending on its use.
  2. The author has faced difficulties developing a strong argument and is currently reconsidering his work to make it more dynamic and engaging. It often requires starting over to create better clarity and focus.
  3. The connection between management and public relations is not well-studied yet, and there's a chance to make meaningful contributions to this field. Tightening the research scope could help in making it more manageable and impactful.

Better call ChatGPT

The Jolly Contrarian • 39 implied HN points • 09 Feb 24
💼 Business Artificial Intelligence Legal Contracts Technology Management
  1. The study compared human legal reviewers with large language models, showing that machines performed better overall.
  2. Experienced lawyers had the least agreement on what was important in contracts, showcasing the importance of human judgment in legal analysis.
  3. Utilizing large language models may lead to efficiency gains but also introduces complexities and potential risks in legal processes.

The Ways Microsoft Security Copilot Can Enhance Security Operations with Microsoft Intune

Rod’s Blog • 59 implied HN points • 08 Dec 23
🕹 Technology AI Security Cloud Management Integration
  1. Microsoft Security Copilot is an AI-powered security solution that supports security professionals in various scenarios like incident response and threat hunting, using plugins for wider threat visibility and context.
  2. Security Copilot integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Intune, aiding in managing user access to organizational resources, simplifying device management, and supporting the Zero Trust security model.
  3. Security Copilot helps analysts manage identities and devices, deploy apps, and monitor compliance and security posture using natural language commands, queries, and AI-generated dashboards and reports.