The hottest Management Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Business Topics

Jack Welch's Theory of Leadership: A Model for Failure in the 21st Century

The Geek Way • 1 HN point • 01 Apr 24
💼 Business Management
  1. Encouraging vulnerability in the workplace can lead to malingering, which can harm cooperation within a team.
  2. Model 1 leadership norms, like taking charge and minimizing losing, may not be suitable for running a modern company that requires adaptation to change.
  3. Defensiveness in Model 1 leadership can hinder innovation and prevent companies from thriving in a rapidly changing business landscape.

Season 05 - Newsletter 02 --> When Your Boss Wants Strategy but You're Stuck in the Weeds: A Product Leader's Dilemma

Product Hustle Stack Newsletter • 4 implied HN points • 28 Jan 25
💼 Business Management
  1. It's common for product leaders to feel stuck in daily tasks while their bosses want more strategic thinking. Balancing the two is crucial for success.
  2. To improve strategic vision, start by imagining where you want your product to be in three years and then work backwards. This helps paint a clear picture for everyone involved.
  3. Communication is key. Create something like an 'impact dashboard' to show how your day-to-day work connects to the bigger goals your boss cares about.

Managing across the Corporate Life Cycle: CEOs and Stock Prices!

Musings on Markets • 19 implied HN points • 10 Dec 21
💼 Business Management
  1. There isn't a one-size-fits-all for great CEOs. The right skills depend on what stage the company is in, from start-up to decline.
  2. Mismatches between a CEO and the company's needs can happen when boards hire someone who doesn't fit the current phase of the company, which can hurt the business.
  3. Investors should be cautious with founder-led companies because founders might not always have the skills needed as the company changes and grows.

Welcome to TeamCraft

TeamCraft • 19 implied HN points • 12 Jun 23
💼 Business Management
  1. TeamCraft is a weekly newsletter on technical team management.
  2. Transitioning to a manager involves setting baselines and exceeding low expectations by simply being a normal human being.
  3. Starting a newsletter offers opportunities to understand the audience, share content sooner, and serve as a potential book precursor.
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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
  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.

Should you take on a turnaround?

Probable Wisdom • 1 HN point • 18 Mar 24
💼 Business Management
  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.

Time Demands on Leaders

Fish Food for Thought • 15 implied HN points • 23 Aug 23
💼 Business Management
  1. Leaders struggle to find time for deep thinking due to constant demands for meetings and interruptions.
  2. Splitting leadership roles into managing work vs. managing people can help unburden leaders.
  3. Consider pairing leaders like in the U.S. military, with an emphasis on separating transactional tasks from strategic thinking.

How To Start a New Role - Part 2

Fish Food for Thought • 4 implied HN points • 24 Dec 24
💼 Business Management
  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.

Launch: Short-term energy, big time results

DruGroup • 19 implied HN points • 07 Sep 21
💼 Business Management
  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.

How to think about a new role

Through Curious Eyes • 5 implied HN points • 12 Oct 24
💼 Business Management
  1. Accept the recognition of your new role and recognize your own achievements. It's important to validate your success and understand that you are deserving of this new opportunity.
  2. Communicate your needs and wants clearly with your manager. Sharing what support you need will help set a strong foundation for your new relationship.
  3. Keep an open dialogue and create a shared document with your manager to outline expectations. This will help both of you stay aligned and monitor your progress in the new role.

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

DruGroup • 19 implied HN points • 31 Aug 21
💼 Business Management
  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.

How can R&D impact CAC, LTV & profitability

Brick by Brick • 9 implied HN points • 18 Mar 24
💼 Business Management
  1. Understanding unit economics is crucial for businesses to determine profitability and optimize operations.
  2. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) is a key metric in evaluating marketing and sales efficiency, while Lifetime Value (LTV) predicts the profit from a customer's entire relationship with the company.
  3. R&D can significantly impact profitability by lowering CAC and increasing LTV through delivering superior products, enhancing user experiences, and attracting customers organically.

Bless: One of the most underestimated roles of a leader

DruGroup • 19 implied HN points • 24 Aug 21
💼 Business Management
  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.

No Shortcuts: Know Your People

Stuff on Engineering • 17 implied HN points • 08 May 23
💼 Business Management
  1. Before applying any management framework, talk and listen to your people to understand who they are and what they do.
  2. Using frameworks is great, but don't skip the fundamentals, especially knowing your team members deeply.
  3. Managing people is complex; take time to know your team members well, as it is crucial for any management framework.

Why you are frustrated by your organisation

Optimally Irrational • 13 implied HN points • 26 Sep 23
💼 Business Management
  1. Beneath the overly positive facade of organizations, there's often a reality of dysfunction and disillusionment.
  2. The principal-agent problem highlights the conflict of interests between individuals and the organization's goals, leading to misaligned incentives.
  3. Managers can prioritize personal gains, reputation, and short-term benefits over the organization's success, perpetuating issues like hyperactivity and micromanagement.

Dodge: How to conserve your time through subtle evasion

DruGroup • 19 implied HN points • 10 Aug 21
💼 Business 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.

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
  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.

You made this? I made this.

readfromdisk • 1 HN point • 26 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Management
  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.

"We Only Hire Seniors", And Other Mistakes

Load-bearing Tomato • 7 implied HN points • 16 May 24
💼 Business Management
  1. Hiring only seniors can create problems because it limits decision-making and leads to too many meetings. New or junior employees can help speed things up by handling tasks while seniors make bigger decisions.
  2. Having a mix of experience levels in a team is crucial for growth. If companies only hire seniors, they won't have new talent coming up, which can lead to challenges in the future.
  3. Good management is important in game development. Issues often come from poor organization rather than from the skill level of individual team members.

The tragedy of the common leader

The Engineering Manager • 10 implied HN points • 30 Nov 23
💼 Business Management
  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.

How to prioritize marketing activities & avoid random acts of marketing

MKT1 Newsletter • 4 implied HN points • 21 Oct 24
💼 Business Management
  1. Prioritize your marketing activities by balancing new ideas with proven strategies. This way, you can test new things while also focusing on what works.
  2. Use a structured process for organizing your marketing ideas, including categorizing them into big projects, core work, and operational tasks. This helps keep your efforts aligned with your goals.
  3. Spend time upfront on prioritization to prevent wasting time on unrelated tasks later. A clear roadmap will keep you focused and efficient throughout the year.

Shipt: Moving from startup to mature product organization

Behind the Product • 1 HN point • 13 Feb 24
💼 Business Management
  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.

It's all just leadership after all

The Engineering Manager • 10 implied HN points • 07 Nov 23
💼 Business Management
  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.

Change and Complexity

Fish Food for Thought • 14 implied HN points • 10 May 23
💼 Business Management
  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.

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

China Story • 2 HN points • 26 May 23
💼 Business Management
  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 Management
  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.

Dependency Autopilot.

Essays • 2 HN points • 30 May 23
💼 Business Management
  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.

Issue #47

Infra Weekly Newsletter • 13 implied HN points • 23 May 23
🕹 Technology Management
  1. Nomad Cluster Setup is a good Terraform project for deploying Nomad on AWS.
  2. Trunk-based development in GIT is great for project collaboration.
  3. Immutable Infrastructure with Terraform offers reliability and consistency in infrastructure management.

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

The Software Engineering Times • 1 implied HN point • 14 Jul 25
💼 Business Management
  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.