The hottest Management Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Business Topics

Want an unfair advantage in your tech career? Consume content meant for other roles

Matthew’s Substack • 544 HN points • 06 Mar 23
💼 Business Tech Roles Leadership Management Career development
  1. To stand out in your tech career, gain a competitive advantage by consuming content meant for roles you work with.
  2. Understanding other roles helps you avoid common pitfalls and promotes cross-functional collaboration in modern tech companies.
  3. Learning about other roles boosts empathy, clears misconceptions, and helps you be strategic in your interactions with colleagues.

Seven traits of a good boss

The Intersection • 158 implied HN points • 14 Aug 23
💼 Business Leadership Management Workplace culture Success Mentorship
  1. A good boss motivates employees to reach new heights like a coach pushing a player to excel.
  2. Good bosses have a unique superpower that inspires admiration and aspiration in those they lead.
  3. Bosses who take decisive action, support their team, listen to their needs, show care, and admit mistakes create a positive and empowering work environment.
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The Myth of the Startup in a Large Company

It Depends / Nimble Autonomy • 19 implied HN points • 19 Jun 24
💼 Business Corporate culture Innovation Startups Management Leadership
  1. Large companies often struggle to create a true startup culture. Their existing systems usually stifle the innovation and energy that startups thrive on.
  2. In big companies, the lack of risk and the security of a paycheck can actually kill motivation. Employees may feel less ownership of their projects, which can make them less engaged.
  3. One way to encourage innovation is to create actual independent startups within the company. This allows employees to take risks and have more stake in the outcome, which can lead to better results.

✅ Five situations where management calls for public relations expertise

Wadds Inc. newsletter • 59 implied HN points • 11 Mar 24
💼 Business Management Public Relations Crisis Management Corporate Communication Ethics
  1. Public relations is important during a crisis. When something goes wrong, management often needs PR help to handle the situation.
  2. Ethical dilemmas can arise, and PR experts play a key role in guiding management on how to make responsible decisions.
  3. Building credibility takes time. Consistently giving good advice helps public relations professionals gain the trust needed to be included in management discussions.

The Sheer Stupidity of Sweating the Small Stuff

The Radar • 59 implied HN points • 07 Mar 24
💼 Business Management Leadership Organizational Behavior Resources Corporate culture
  1. Broken windows theory highlights the impact of respecting the environment on criminal behavior, where fixing small issues can prevent larger violations.
  2. Sweating the small stuff in management can lead to top-heaviness, allowing unproductive managers to justify their positions by focusing on trivial matters.
  3. Overemphasizing minor issues can distract from addressing real problems and lead to ineffective management, ignoring actual priorities and resource allocation.

The "good" experiment

The Uncertainty Mindset (soon to become tbd) • 159 implied HN points • 06 Sep 23
💼 Business Management Strategy Innovation Empiricism Organizational Behavior
  1. When facing uncertainty, it's better to run small and cheap experiments instead of committing to a big strategy. This keeps you flexible.
  2. A good experiment must have a clear hypothesis, provide useful insights whether it fails or succeeds, and be designed to be sneaky so organizations don’t resist it.
  3. Experimenting helps you learn and get clarity when things are unclear. It's a practical way to tackle problems without getting stuck.

What Company Earnings Calls Should Be About (But Are Not)

Behavioral Value Investor • 193 implied HN points • 08 Jan 24
💰 Finance Investing Long term Management Capital allocation
  1. Over 50% of an earnings call focuses on short-term demand trends, which is not helpful for long-term investors.
  2. Earnings calls should address long-term value, competitive environment changes, and management's strategies for improving competitive advantage.
  3. Investors and CEOs should prioritize questions that affect the business's value in the long term, rather than short-term fluctuations.

9 Greatest Mistakes to Avoid When Growing a Startup

VERY GOOD PRODUCTIZED GUIDES • 19 implied HN points • 15 Jun 24
💼 Business Startups Entrepreneurship Management Marketing Finance
  1. It's important not to overthink decisions. Making quick choices can save time and help your business move forward more efficiently.
  2. Setting boundaries with clients is key. If you try to please everyone, you might get overwhelmed and burn out.
  3. Having a clear understanding of your finances before starting a business is crucial. It helps ensure you can sustain your operations and pay everyone involved.

Low-drag machines

The Uncertainty Mindset (soon to become tbd) • 79 implied HN points • 25 Jan 24
💼 Business Startups Management Strategy Human Resources Innovation
  1. Startups thrive on uncertainty. It's not something to avoid; it's actually what helps them find new opportunities and grow.
  2. Traditional management practices from established companies can slow down startups. These practices often don't fit their need to adapt and pivot quickly.
  3. To be successful, startups need to embrace an 'uncertainty mindset.' This means understanding the difference between risk and true uncertainty, allowing them to create better strategies and operations.

8 Ways Organizational Culture Kills Agility

Ageling on Agile • 79 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
💼 Business Organizational Culture Agility Management Teamwork
  1. Implementing Agile in an organization goes beyond just claiming to be Agile; it requires a cultural shift.
  2. Having a hierarchical structure, lack of learning culture, and siloed responsibilities can hinder an organization's agility.
  3. Organizations valuing output over outcome, prioritizing individual efficiency, and fostering HIPPO culture undermine Agile principles and hinder effectiveness.

The Art of the Brief

The Intersection • 138 implied HN points • 04 Oct 23
💼 Business Creativity Marketing Innovation Retail Management
  1. Having a clear and concise brief is crucial for successful creative projects, as it helps guide and shape the final outcome.
  2. Sticking to the initial brief is important, as digital tools have made changes easier, sometimes leading to less decisive decision-making and more revisions.
  3. The best briefs are often concise and inspirational, distilling the project goal into a simple directive that guides and elevates the creative process.

The Story of Us

The Weasel Speaks • 137 implied HN points • 15 Apr 23
💼 Business Self-Improvement Psychology Management Leadership Productivity
  1. Understanding your own strengths can be more beneficial than relying on personality assessments like MBTI.
  2. The Working Genius model by Patrick Lencioni highlights the importance of focusing on your strengths and collaborating with others.
  3. Identifying your working genius areas and frustrations can guide you on how to approach projects effectively and work with a team.

AI Agent Experiments, Lisbon Recap, Algarve, Agency Savings, Everything Breaks, Future of Outbound

Play Permissionless • 99 implied HN points • 04 Dec 23
💼 Business Technology Finance Marketing Management Entrepreneurship
  1. Met great people in Lisbon during a belly-to-belly week and enjoyed the friendly atmosphere and beautiful nature of Algarve.
  2. Cutting costs at the agency through canceling subscriptions and negotiating discounts resulted in significant savings that could be used elsewhere.
  3. Facing technical challenges with various tools pushed for positive changes, like switching to better providers and focusing on improving the quality of outbound campaigns instead of just sending more emails.

Raiders Fire McDaniels-Ziegler! Top HC and GM Candidates for 2024 Offseason

The Draft Scout • 117 implied HN points • 01 Nov 23
🎾 Sports Coaching Management
  1. The Las Vegas Raiders fired head coach Josh McDaniels, offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi, and general manager Dave Ziegler in a dramatic move.
  2. Owner Mark Davis will need to hire a new staff, possibly with a mix of experienced and inexperienced candidates.
  3. Top general manager candidates for the Raiders include Mike Borgonzi from the Kansas City Chiefs and Ian Cunningham from the Chicago Bears.

✅ AI in corporate comms and public relations: The story so far - get our report

Wadds Inc. newsletter • 19 implied HN points • 07 Jun 24
💼 Business Public Relations Corporate Communications AI Technology Management Workplace Trends
  1. AI is being talked about a lot in corporate communications, but it's still not perfect. Many AI tools make mistakes and produce low-quality content.
  2. The impact of AI on jobs in this field is uncertain and could take a while to unfold. It's important to focus on relationships rather than just media perspective.
  3. AI may change how management tasks are done, and it could help with decision-making and research sooner than it will replace simple roles.

Firing You to Support You Better

The Radar • 39 implied HN points • 05 Apr 24
💼 Business Management Employment Corporate culture Ethics Layoffs
  1. Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs) can be used positively to help employees improve their performance or negatively to push employees out of a company.
  2. Amazon utilizes PIPs in a controversial way, including forcing 'Type 2 PIPs' on employees to manage them out of the business, regardless of their actual performance.
  3. Misusing tools like PIPs, meant for improvement, can lead to unethical behaviors within organizations and potentially damaging consequences, such as increased layoffs.

Best Business Thinker?

Bet On It • 135 implied HN points • 14 Feb 24
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Investing Finance Management
  1. The post discusses the search for the best business thinker who is intellectually responsible and data literate, with a focus on making money through various mediums like lectures, podcasts, or books.
  2. There is an exploration of finding a voice of reason in the realm of business, investing, finance, and other related fields, seeking individuals who can provide intellectual clarity and resist biases.
  3. The post mentions the question of whether there is a 'LessWrong' equivalent in financial mathematics, business, and career development, pointing out the quest for insightful and reasonable resources in these domains.

Tips for managing your startup's cash

Startup Real Talk • 194 implied HN points • 12 Mar 24
💼 Business Startups Finance Management Investing Entrepreneurship
  1. The main goals for managing startup cash are capital preservation, liquidity, and income in that order.
  2. Keeping startup cash in a startup-friendly primary account and a secondary operating account is recommended.
  3. Investing the remaining cash in Treasury bills is a safe strategy, and it's important not to chase yield with riskier investment products.

Being in the details

The Engineering Manager • 11 implied HN points • 30 Nov 24
💼 Business Management Leadership Organizational Behavior Efficiency Team Dynamics
  1. Being involved in the details of your organization is crucial. It helps you make better decisions and keeps you accountable for your team's work.
  2. Good management means delegating responsibility but also staying accountable. You need to know what your team is doing and the progress of important projects.
  3. It's possible to be detail-oriented without micromanaging. Techniques like direct reports, regular deep dives, and collaborative work can help you stay engaged.

Microsoft Sentinel SOC 101: How to Detect and Mitigate Login Attempts Using Legacy Auth with Microsoft Sentinel

Rod’s Blog • 119 implied HN points • 24 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Security Authentication Management Monitoring Mitigation
  1. Legacy authentication poses a significant security risk as it makes it easier for attackers to compromise user accounts.
  2. Microsoft Entra ID recommends disabling legacy authentication to improve security.
  3. Microsoft Sentinel can help detect and mitigate login attempts using legacy authentication by analyzing sign-in logs, creating alerts, and taking appropriate actions.

Engineering Managers Should Not Exist

Victor’s Substack • 41 HN points • 26 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Management Software Engineering Project management HR Consulting
  1. Software engineering managers should not exist as they generally take on multiple roles poorly, whereas specialists could excel at each task.
  2. Engineering managers often were mediocre engineers who compensated by picking up non-engineering tasks and ended up in managerial roles.
  3. Best teams often function well without an engineering manager observing their every move, allowing engineers to focus and be more productive.

Leverage Points for solving complex problems

Turnaround • 277 implied HN points • 01 Aug 22
💼 Business Management Systems Thinking Complexity Theory Problem Solving Product Management
  1. Complex problems require moving away from linear thinking and embracing complexity thinking that involves understanding interconnections and dependencies.
  2. Leverage points in a system are areas where small changes can cause significant overall impact. These include adjusting parameters, dealing with stock buffers, considering system structures, managing feedback loops, controlling information flows, setting incentives and rules, enabling self-organization, and aligning with system goals and paradigms.
  3. Differentiating between complicated and complex systems is crucial in problem-solving. In complex interconnected systems, problem statements often fall into categories such as coupled, causal, or standalone.

3 Ways to Make More Innovative Decisions

Ruben Ugarte's Growth Needle™ • 59 implied HN points • 06 Feb 24
💼 Business Innovation Decision-making Leadership Management Entrepreneurship
  1. Innovative decisions are about thinking outside the box. They involve finding unique solutions to problems, rather than just solving them traditionally.
  2. Everyone makes many decisions daily, but not all are innovative. It's important to recognize the difference to encourage creativity in decision-making.
  3. Learning about your natural abilities can help improve your decision-making. Understanding what you're good at can lead to more innovative choices.

Productivity theater is hard to kill

Public Universal Friend • 2 HN points • 03 Sep 24
💼 Business Productivity Management Work Culture Human Resources Corporate strategy
  1. Many workers spend a lot of time showing they're busy instead of focusing on real results. This 'productivity theater' makes work feel less meaningful.
  2. Using knowledge management systems can help improve teamwork, but they often lead to clutter and repetition instead. This makes it hard for teams to find useful information.
  3. It's important for companies to focus on the impact of work rather than just the effort put in. Trusting employees can lead to better performance and less stress.

Business strategy is a game

A Bit Gamey • 13 implied HN points • 17 Nov 24
💼 Business Strategy Management Economics Marketing Innovation
  1. Business strategy can be viewed as a game, with players, rules, and outcomes. Understanding this can help you make better decisions.
  2. In life, we are often in serious games where our actions affect outcomes. Recognizing that can help you navigate challenges more effectively.
  3. Winning in business isn't just about competing; sometimes it's about helping others succeed and choosing the right game to play.

✅ Influence through insight

Wadds Inc. newsletter • 59 implied HN points • 05 Feb 24
💼 Business Corporate Communication Public Relations Management Strategic Planning
  1. Corporate communication now provides a broader view of how the public sees a company, which can challenge management's own perceptions. This helps businesses understand their stakeholders better.
  2. There are mixed opinions about whether companies should publicly take a stand on social issues. Some believe there's a backlash against this expectation in today's environment.
  3. The role of corporate communication is shifting from being seen as just a cost to being recognized as valuable for the organization. Skills in data and insights are becoming more crucial for success.