The hottest Performance Management Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Business Topics

Things We Learned Creating Technology Career Steps

It Depends / Nimble Autonomy • 19 implied HN points • 08 Sep 24
🕹 Technology Performance Management
  1. Clear connections between career steps and salary are important. When those links are vague, it can create misunderstandings and worries for employees.
  2. Career advancement should focus on behaviors and personal growth, not just achievements. While some people prefer clear advancement criteria, ambiguity can encourage conversations about development.
  3. Ongoing support and communication are essential after launching a new framework. Failing to keep it active can lead to confusion and make the effort feel unimportant over time.

No More Mr. Nice Guy

Fish Food for Thought • 37 implied HN points • 14 Jan 26
💼 Business Performance Management
  1. Being “nice” can become avoidance: trying to spare individual discomfort by postponing hard choices ends up harming the team and shifts unfair costs onto others.
  2. Psychological safety isn’t the same as comfort: real safety comes from clear expectations, honest feedback, and timely decisions, even when conversations are uncomfortable.
  3. Mature leadership balances empathy with decisiveness: caring often looks like setting standards, delivering candid feedback, and sometimes making the hard calls so the system can function.

Hell is other people: performance management at Big Tech

lcamtuf’s thing • 282 HN points • 29 Jan 24
💼 Business Performance Management
  1. Performance management at Big Tech companies can cause anxiety and stress among employees due to the focus on fairness and comparison with peers.
  2. Tech companies like Google have introduced peer-based performance evaluations to enhance fairness and transparency.
  3. Despite efforts to create more egalitarian performance management processes, the actual outcomes often involve bland feedback and reliance on managers for decisions.

Keep the Lights On

The Radar • 19 implied HN points • 03 Jan 24
💼 Business Performance Management
  1. Leadership as guardianship of a positive value system is essential to create a positive work environment.
  2. Negativity in organizations has detrimental effects on productivity and employee commitment.
  3. Maintaining a strong alignment between organizational values and interests leads to success and positive work culture.
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What does it look like to be successful here? How is my performance evaluated?

Creating Value from Nothing • 79 implied HN points • 14 Mar 24
💼 Business Performance Management
  1. Evaluation of performance in the Product organization focuses on inputs like quality of thinking over outputs.
  2. Avoiding using output targets to evaluate performance is important to maintain a customer-centric culture, prevent tunnel vision, and discourage risk aversion.
  3. While metrics are essential, team members are rewarded for excellent inputs rather than just meeting success criteria, emphasizing the priority of creating value for customers.

ownership

Splattern • 19 implied HN points • 18 Aug 23
💼 Business Performance Management
  1. Taking responsibility for both successes and failures can build trust in professional relationships. It shows honesty and accountability.
  2. Confidence in communication can change how others perceive you. When you believe in what you're saying, it can improve interactions significantly.
  3. It's important to view feedback from a positive angle. Believing that your boss wants you to succeed can motivate you to improve and foster a better work environment.

Four Reasons People Leave Venture Firms

Venture Reflections • 20 implied HN points • 07 Jan 25
💼 Business Performance Management
  1. People often leave venture firms due to interpersonal conflicts. Sometimes, team members just don't get along, leading to a toxic work environment.
  2. Poor performance or low expectations can drive people out of a firm. If someone's work isn't meeting the firm's goals, they might be asked to leave.
  3. Many individuals seek more control over their careers. They may leave to find better opportunities or build firms that align with their values.

So long, and thanks for all the fish.

The Jolly Contrarian • 19 implied HN points • 06 Feb 23
💼 Business Performance Management
  1. A 'reduction in force' (RIF) and natural attrition are lazy ways of managing staff without true consideration and development.
  2. Lateral quitting should be examined closely, as letting good employees leave unchecked can lead to a decline in workforce quality and a 'drift towards mediocrity'.
  3. Effective people management involves developing and retaining good employees, actively managing underperformers, and avoiding reliance on periodic RIFs or passive attrition.

Engineering Teams: More Than Just a Family or a Sports Team

The Healthy Engineering Leader • 0 implied HN points • 15 May 23
💼 Business Performance Management
  1. Engineering teams should focus on a mix of teamwork and a sense of belonging, similar to families and sports teams. This helps create a strong culture where everyone feels valued.
  2. It's important to understand that engineering teams have specific goals and a clear hierarchy, unlike families. This helps keep everyone focused and accountable.
  3. Diversity in engineering teams brings unique perspectives, which can enhance problem-solving and creativity. This is different from how families and sports teams are typically formed.

The Amazon Pivot Program

Splattern • 0 implied HN points • 12 Sep 23
💼 Business Performance Management
  1. The Amazon Pivot Program offers employees a tough choice: you can either accept a severance package and leave or try to improve performance in a month.
  2. Feedback about performance comes from managers and peers, but it can be unclear how it specifically affects the decision to enter the Pivot Program.
  3. Deciding whether to stay and fight or take the severance depends on personal goals, learning opportunities, and the work environment you want.