The hottest Management Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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#36: Ready for the unexpected

The Uncertainty Mindset (soon to become tbd) • 39 implied HN points • 08 Jul 20
💼 Business Management Innovation Risk Strategy Entrepreneurship
  1. Thinking about the future as uncertain helps organizations adapt better to surprises. They can adjust their plans quickly when things change unexpectedly.
  2. A risk mindset focuses on specific expected outcomes and can lead to scrambling when things don't go as planned. This creates stress and confusion in uncertain situations.
  3. Being prepared for the unexpected allows organizations and people to continue functioning normally, even when faced with surprises. This kind of mindset is especially useful in today's unpredictable world.

You Shouldn't Start a Community

David Spinks' Newsletter • 8 implied HN points • 23 May 23
💼 Business Community Entrepreneurship Marketing Management Career development
  1. Building a community is a massive amount of work and takes 10x more time than expected.
  2. Measuring the success and impact of a community is challenging as it is removed from revenue.
  3. Creating and managing a community involves dealing with various challenges like content creation, conflict management, and difficult decisions.

Should you take on a turnaround?

Probable Wisdom • 1 HN point • 18 Mar 24
💼 Business Leadership Decision-making Management Career Professional Growth
  1. Consider the level of commitment and urgency in a turnaround opportunity, as they shape the conditions and leadership needed.
  2. Evaluate if the turnaround opportunity aligns with your personal goals and capabilities to ensure a good fit.
  3. Different types of turnarounds require different leadership archetypes like Prophets, Heroes, Pathbreakers, and Maestros, based on varying levels of commitment and urgency.

🚀 Level Up - Becoming A Great Technical Program Manager (Live Cohort Course Coming Soon)

Building Rome(s) • 9 implied HN points • 21 Mar 23
💼 Business Professional development Courses Management Education
  1. The course is designed for people in technical program manager roles looking to advance their career.
  2. The seminar will cover lessons learned, frameworks, and strategies to excel as a TPM.
  3. The course details include a planned schedule, pricing, limited class size, and virtual platform.
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Can You Hear the Pain?

Rethinking Software • 2 HN points • 14 Aug 24
🕹 Technology Software Development Agile Management Engineering
  1. Many developers are unhappy with Agile and Scrum. They feel it leads to more stress and micromanagement instead of helping them.
  2. There's a strong desire among developers for more autonomy in their work. They want to solve problems themselves rather than follow strict daily tasks.
  3. People are questioning the effectiveness of Agile methods. If developers are not thriving under these processes, it might be time for a change.

Sweating small stuff / Milestones & Estimates / We need to change how we interview TPMs

Building Rome(s) • 7 implied HN points • 13 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Management Planning Interviewing
  1. Sweating the small stuff is crucial in tech program management, focusing on minor details that can lead to major obstacles.
  2. Using milestones instead of estimates can improve project planning and organizing tasks effectively.
  3. There is a need to revamp the way Technical Program Managers (TPMs) are interviewed, with a more tailored approach to assess their skills.

On the Limits of One Mind

TeamCraft • 6 implied HN points • 20 Nov 23
💼 Business Management Leadership Startups Technology Product
  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.

Launch: Short-term energy, big time results

DruGroup • 19 implied HN points • 07 Sep 21
💼 Business Leadership Management Entrepreneurship Opportunities Investments
  1. Launching something means putting quick effort into helping others start without planning to take over. This can empower them to take charge themselves.
  2. When you launch, you should use resources like time, money, and energy to support the project. It's all about investing without owning it long-term.
  3. It's important to set a clear time limit for your involvement in a launch. This helps prevent taking on too much responsibility and allows others to step in when needed.

Warn: A little of your time to save others a lot.

DruGroup • 19 implied HN points • 31 Aug 21
💼 Business Leadership Management Ethics Productivity Teamwork
  1. Leaders should share warnings to help others avoid wasting their time on bad opportunities. It's important to give colleagues a heads-up when you spot something that isn't worth their effort.
  2. Warning others can help clarify priorities in an organization. By communicating what to avoid, it allows everyone to focus on the most important tasks together.
  3. Using warnings highlights the values and ethics of a workplace. It helps make it clear when something is unethical, which is good for team integrity.

Avoid these risk communication anti-patterns

Building Rome(s) • 9 implied HN points • 22 Feb 23
💼 Business Risk Communication Management Leadership Team Dynamics
  1. Risk communication patterns can be ineffective, even with simple green, yellow, red indicators.
  2. Teams reporting different patterns of risk may reveal underlying issues like confidence, uncertainty, or fear.
  3. To improve risk communication, dig deeper into dependencies, shift uncertainties to red, and promote clear reporting and decision-making.

Bless: One of the most underestimated roles of a leader

DruGroup • 19 implied HN points • 24 Aug 21
💼 Business Leadership Management Organizational Behavior Employee Relations Coaching
  1. Leaders play a big role in blessing others' ideas. When you give your support, it helps people feel confident to move forward with their plans.
  2. Sometimes people come to leaders seeking permission to proceed. By giving your approval, you empower them to act and take on new challenges.
  3. Leaders can protect those they support by standing up for them. This shows others that you believe in their work and helps keep them focused on their goals.

Dodge: How to conserve your time through subtle evasion

DruGroup • 19 implied HN points • 10 Aug 21
💼 Business Leadership Productivity Management Work Life Time management
  1. Avoid taking on too much by limiting access to your time. Think about how available you are to others through email or social media.
  2. Take your time responding to requests. Delaying your answer lets you prioritize and decide what really matters.
  3. Use pause statements when someone pressures you for a quick answer. This can help manage their expectations and keep your focus on important tasks.

Ask Aadil - Wrong way to use the TPM function

Building Rome(s) • 7 implied HN points • 12 May 23
💼 Business Management Leadership Product Management Program Management Workplace dynamics
  1. Technical Program Managers operate on two planes: strategic and tactical.
  2. The real value of TPMs comes from operating on both strategic and tactical planes.
  3. To fix the situation of using TPMs in the wrong way, help evangelize the TPM role, ensure the culture is right for a TPM, and ease in the TPM role while establishing a Program Charter.

You made this? I made this.

readfromdisk • 1 HN point • 26 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Development Programming Management Teamwork Ownership
  1. Sometimes in organizations, teams might prefer to own something symbolically rather than dealing with its responsibilities and maintenance.
  2. It can be more appealing to showcase a shiny solution without actually fixing deep-rooted problems in the organization.
  3. Working on real solutions and solving actual problems might be less glamorous but more impactful than just claiming ownership for the surface.

Shipt: Moving from startup to mature product organization

Behind the Product • 1 HN point • 13 Feb 24
💼 Business Management Product Feedback Analytics Hiring
  1. The shift from project-led to product-led culture is important for growth and longevity.
  2. Structuring a product and tech organization around market segments and operational functions is crucial for a multi-sided marketplace like Shipt.
  3. Emphasizing outcome-focused and metrics-driven problem-solving, and actively seeking and incorporating customer feedback are key priorities for Shipt's product organization.

Valid Concerns of Middle Management

TeamCraft • 6 implied HN points • 04 Sep 23
💼 Business Management Leadership Power Dynamics Career progression Team Dynamics
  1. Middle managers face challenges in being sandwiched between executives and individual contributors.
  2. Sharing power as a middle manager can be difficult, especially when dealing with power dynamics and responsibilities.
  3. Being an effective interface between executives and teams is crucial for middle managers, requiring transparency about their power and educating teams on company operations.

Narcissists vs. pushovers

Klement on Investing • 2 implied HN points • 27 Feb 24
💼 Business Management Finance Research Behavior Analysis
  1. Narcissistic CFOs tend to manipulate equity analysts, especially those who are perceived as easily influenced.
  2. Narcissistic CFOs employ various persuasion tactics when meeting with analysts, focusing more on analysts deemed pushovers.
  3. Analysts are more likely to issue optimistic forecasts and better ratings for companies with narcissistic CFOs, potentially leading to less reliable information for investors.

Leadership

We're Gonna Get Those Bastards • 3 implied HN points • 19 Mar 24
💼 Business Leadership Management Motivation Workplace dynamics Success
  1. Leadership styles vary - from raising stress levels to inspiring by example or delegating effectively like Elon Musk.
  2. Effective leadership doesn't always require yelling or being a hardass, but can be achieved through setting high standards and providing incentives.
  3. Different people respond to different leadership incentives - some may be motivated by money, titles, causes, or personal charisma.

Shou Zi Chew: The Man Behind TikTok's Global Success

China Story • 2 HN points • 26 May 23
💼 Business Technology Investing Entrepreneurship Management Startups
  1. Shou Zi Chew invested in Internet giants like Xiaomi, JD.com, and Alibaba before joining TikTok.
  2. Shou Zi Chew left his comfort zone by transitioning from an investor to CFO at Xiaomi before becoming CFO and later CEO at ByteDance.
  3. As CEO of TikTok, Shou Zi Chew faced challenges related to regulation, user data, and geopolitics, demonstrating resilience in navigating the tough landscape.

Letter #96: Larry Page and Sergey Brin (2004)

A Letter a Day • 2 HN points • 01 Jul 23
💼 Business Technology Management Investing Entrepreneurship Companies
  1. Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google in 1998 and restructured it as Alphabet in 2015, focusing on core offerings.
  2. Google's founders emphasize serving end users, prioritizing long-term goals, and taking risks for high-reward projects.
  3. Their corporate structure aims at stability and independence with a dual class stock system to retain control over strategic decisions.

Inside Pinduoduo: A Glimpse into the High-Pressure Management and Temptations of a Chinese E-commerce Giant

China Story • 2 HN points • 27 Apr 23
💼 Business Corporate culture Management Tech industry Employee Relations Ethics
  1. Interviewers at Pinduoduo weed out those who speak out to maintain a silent workforce.
  2. Pinduoduo uses high salaries to tempt and drive discourse among employees.
  3. Pinduoduo tightly controls employees to prevent leaks, including strict social interaction rules and non-compete agreements.

Parkinson's Law: It's Real, So Use It

The Engineering Manager • 2 HN points • 29 Feb 24
💼 Business Management Productivity Leadership Organization Communication
  1. Setting challenging deadlines can lead to better results by manipulating scope, resources, and time.
  2. Deadlines are crucial for productivity and help create a sense of urgency that leads to tangible progress.
  3. Utilizing weekly reporting cadences and communicating clear deadlines can reshape how people approach their work and drive productivity.

So you want to be a manager - Part 3: The bad and the ugly

The Caring Techie Newsletter • 4 implied HN points • 09 Aug 23
💼 Business Management Leadership Decision-making Teamwork Stress management
  1. Transitioning to engineering management involves shifting from an individual mindset to a team mindset
  2. Embracing discomfort, making difficult decisions, and managing emotions are key challenges for managers
  3. Managers must adjust to reduced personal flexibility, increased meetings, and a focus on time management

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.

Management

Fish Food for Thought • 2 HN points • 03 Jan 24
💼 Business Management Leadership Complexity Global Influence
  1. Ikigai is a concept that ties together the essentials for happiness: something to do, someone to love, and something to hope for.
  2. Effective management involves nurturing potential, guiding careers, and creating environments for creativity and innovation to flourish.
  3. A noble manager strikes a balance between meeting organizational goals and ensuring employee well-being, fostering loyalty and trust within the team.

#42: Room for discovery

The Uncertainty Mindset (soon to become tbd) • 19 implied HN points • 19 Aug 20
📚 Literature Books Publishing Writing Food culture Management
  1. A book can be interesting to many types of readers, not just one specific audience. It can appeal to people who enjoy high-end cuisine or want to know more about restaurant culture.
  2. People often wonder why traditional ways of running businesses don't work well anymore. Understanding new hiring and goal-setting methods can help create better workplaces.
  3. Publishing is tricky because books often have to fit into one category. This can make it hard for unique books to reach the right readers.

Why won't anyone define AI?

Fund Marketer • 1 HN point • 15 May 24
💼 Business Finance Investing Technology Consulting Management
  1. AI is often described in vague terms, making it hard for people to understand what it really is and what it can do.
  2. Generative AI is a new technology, but many tasks it claims to simplify are still quite complex and require careful management.
  3. In the financial industry, costs are rising while fees are decreasing, which has led to increasing interest in using AI for efficiency.

Potential impacts of Large Language Models on Engineering Management

Stuff on Engineering • 4 implied HN points • 30 May 23
🕹 Technology AI Management Engineering Models Automation
  1. Large Language Models can help managers analyze team members' activities and provide insights for improvement.
  2. Artificial intelligence models can assist in assigning tasks tailored to individual team members' needs for growth.
  3. Performance reviews may become automated, but managers need to ensure data quality and avoid biases in the process.