The hottest Team Management Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Business Topics

Building a Conflict-Resilient Team

PeopleStorming • 79 implied HN points • 11 Jul 23
💼 Business Team Management
  1. Building a conflict-resilient team involves empowering leaders to foster a positive work environment.
  2. Addressing conflicts constructively and with a long-term perspective can improve the overall work environment.
  3. Recruiting everyone in the team to actively participate in resolving conflicts is key, and principles like showing empathy and encouraging open communication play a vital role.

My biggest mistakes as a data-science team lead

inexactscience • 59 implied HN points • 27 Oct 23
💼 Business Team Management
  1. Leadership style should change based on each team member's skills and motivation. It's important to adjust how you lead as people grow and face new challenges.
  2. Focusing only on problems can lead to neglecting high performers. Instead of constantly putting out fires, you should aim to create overall value in the team.
  3. Using data to measure success in a team is crucial. Setting clear metrics helps you understand progress and ensure your efforts are effective.

The "Macros" for healthy engineering teams - part 2: Proteins

The Healthy Engineering Leader • 19 implied HN points • 02 Apr 24
💼 Business Team Management
  1. Continuous improvement is like protein for engineering teams. Just as proteins help our bodies grow and heal, ongoing learning helps teams adapt and stay strong.
  2. Team skills are essential for a resilient team. Skills like project management and communication are the building blocks that help a team work well together and tackle challenges.
  3. Engineering leaders play a key role in developing these skills and fostering a culture of improvement. By supporting their team's growth, leaders create an environment where everyone can thrive.
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Kosmik Year in Review

Kosmik’s Newsletter • 39 implied HN points • 26 Dec 23
🕹 Technology Team Management
  1. Kosmik 2.0 aims to be a desktop in the cloud, providing an environment where users can organize files and tools in a more visual and collaborative way.
  2. The concept of a digital desktop is changing, with a shift towards cloud-based storage and a need for a more flexible and fluid way to organize files and assets.
  3. Kosmik is evolving as a product, with a focus on web technologies to improve speed, product quality, and roadmap, along with securing funding to ensure long-term growth and development.

Dealing with Disruptive Teammates

The Radar • 59 implied HN points • 10 Jul 23
💼 Business Team Management
  1. Innovators are crucial for sparking creativity and progress in a team, even if they may be challenging to manage.
  2. Contrarians play a role in challenging authority for the sake of driving the best decisions and should be given access to leadership for optimal organizational progress.
  3. Understanding and addressing the motivations behind disruptive team behavior is essential for extracting the best performance and reducing unnecessary conflict.

Reader Mailbag: Architect having a hard time letting go

Tech and Tea • 82 implied HN points • 27 Oct 24
🕹 Technology Team Management
  1. Building a good relationship with your architect is important. Showing that you appreciate his work can help create a positive atmosphere.
  2. Understanding why the architect is holding on too tightly to tasks can help you address his concerns. It might be about trust, feeling needed, or being overwhelmed.
  3. Start with small projects to help him delegate tasks. This can build trust and reduce his workload, allowing him to focus on more strategic aspects.

Big NBA Money Screws Up Careers (of Guys Who Don't Get It)

House of Strauss • 23 implied HN points • 15 Jul 25
🎾 Sports Team Management
  1. Young NBA players are getting huge salaries, which can actually hurt their development. Too much money too soon can lead to problems that affect their careers.
  2. This issue doesn't seem to impact the players who are receiving the big contracts themselves, but it has broader effects on the teams and the league.
  3. There's a shift in thinking about money and young athletes, as past concerns over the influence of money on development are often overlooked in today's cash-rich environment.

Inside the Billion-Dollar Battle for the Kansas City Chiefs

Huddle Up • 26 implied HN points • 09 Jun 25
🎾 Sports Team Management
  1. The Kansas City Chiefs are struggling to secure funding for a new stadium, as a recent taxpayer proposal was rejected. This reflects a larger trend where sports teams are finding it hard to get public money for their facilities.
  2. The Chiefs wanted to extend a small sales tax to help pay for renovations and secure their future in Kansas City, but voters didn't agree. It's notable that this tax has been around for almost twenty years.
  3. Other teams, like the Arizona Coyotes, have faced similar issues, showing that many franchises are looking for ways to bypass public votes to get funding. The situation highlights the challenges in sports financing today.

How Often Should You Visit Your Remote Team?

Kartick’s Blog • 17 implied HN points • 31 Jul 25
💼 Business Team Management
  1. It's best to visit your remote team for a week every quarter. This helps maintain good relationships and teamwork.
  2. If you're traveling across many time zones, consider staying longer, like 2-3 weeks, to adjust to the time difference.
  3. Regular in-person meetings strengthen connections and improve productivity, so make it a priority to meet face-to-face when possible.

Software code reviews, and other empty rituals that waste time

Respectful Leadership • 54 implied HN points • 30 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Team Management
  1. Code reviews take up too much time and energy without giving enough value back. Instead of focusing on comments from reviews, teams should focus on writing tests to catch real problems.
  2. It's better to trust the skills of experienced engineers rather than rely on code reviews. If engineers are good, they won’t need to second-guess each other's work.
  3. Instead of worrying about all possible issues, focus on real problems that can be tested and fixed. Don't waste time on imaginary problems that are unlikely to happen.

Dangerous metrics

Sunday Letters • 59 implied HN points • 20 Dec 22
🕹 Technology Team Management
  1. Measuring developer productivity is really hard. Common metrics like lines of code or bugs fixed often don't tell the full story and can even be manipulated.
  2. It’s important to think about how a metric could be misused before applying it. Focusing on the wrong metrics can lead to unhelpful outcomes and confusion.
  3. Organizations learn and respond to metrics, but sometimes they take things too literally. Choosing the right metrics carefully is crucial to avoid unintentional negative effects.

[tech] Team Topologies

Rahul’s Newsletter • 19 implied HN points • 14 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Team Management
  1. Team Topologies book focuses on organizing teams effectively to produce software.
  2. The book emphasizes the importance of team structure, communication, and reducing cognitive load.
  3. Key points include team design, interactions, and the impact of organizational structure on software architecture.

Suffering = Growth

Calvin’s Substack • 2 HN points • 24 Jun 24
💼 Business Team Management
  1. Going through tough times can actually be a good thing. It helps you learn and get stronger, so it's important to keep going even when things get difficult.
  2. Having investors doesn't guarantee success. It's your team's hard work and the right ideas that truly matter in building something great.
  3. Surround yourself with the right people. Choosing good co-founders and team members is crucial because they help you navigate challenges and achieve your goals.

Stop Blocking your Team's Intuition

🔮 Crafting Tech Teams • 19 implied HN points • 16 Jun 23
💼 Business Team Management
  1. Confidence doesn't just come from mere understanding, but needs to be felt and applied in the real world.
  2. Embrace intuition within your team instead of blocking it; it can lead to valuable insights and innovative solutions.
  3. Supporting and valuing intuition can help foster a positive and creative team dynamic.

High Performing Teams: Where do the Risks come from?

🔮 Crafting Tech Teams • 19 implied HN points • 15 Jun 23
💼 Business Team Management
  1. Identifying risk areas that can impede team development, such as expectation management, trust-building with stakeholders, and lack of experience.
  2. Challenges in relations between Product and Engineer teams, including unresolved tension, imposter syndrome, and lack of trust.
  3. Emphasizing the importance of being skilled in expectation management and building trust to foster a high-performing team.

Is Notre Dame's Independent Status Actually An Advantage?

Huddle Up • 22 implied HN points • 13 Jan 25
🎾 Sports Team Management
  1. Notre Dame's independent status gives the school a financial edge. They keep all the money from performance bonuses instead of sharing it with other schools.
  2. Unlike conference teams, Notre Dame can choose its schedule and doesn't have to play a conference championship game, which many think is unfair.
  3. Some football coaches believe all teams should be in conferences and compete equally. However, the actual financial benefits of Notre Dame's status paint a different picture.

Good Grounds

Venture Prose • 219 implied HN points • 02 Jan 20
💼 Business Team Management
  1. Discipline is crucial for control over tasks and high efficiency in work.
  2. Consistency is key for gradual improvement and mastering skills over time.
  3. Clear thinking leads to clear writing, which is essential for effective communication and achievement of goals.

How much can your Team Deliver? Why?

🔮 Crafting Tech Teams • 19 implied HN points • 04 Jun 23
💼 Business Team Management
  1. Through coaching software teams, the author has found patterns that are common across different teams.
  2. Having fascinating and unique conversations with over a hundred software teams revealed similar experiences and challenges.
  3. Understanding the patterns in software teams can help in recognizing common issues and finding effective solutions.

Self vs Self

davidj.substack • 95 implied HN points • 07 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Team Management
  1. Individual Contributor roles in technology allow technically skilled individuals to advance without moving into management.
  2. Specialized IC roles, like Staff or Principal, are crucial for making better technical decisions and preventing engineering issues.
  3. Having fewer hard-to-hire line managers and more experienced ICs can lead to better support and scaling in technical teams.

Inspire Your Team to Write Tests

🔮 Crafting Tech Teams • 19 implied HN points • 23 May 23
🕹 Technology Team Management
  1. Inspiring a team to write tests involves more than just explaining why, you also need to provide guidance on how to inspire them.
  2. Encouraging your team to write tests can be a challenging task that requires effective leadership and communication.
  3. To successfully inspire your team to write tests, consider utilizing a combination of motivation, training, and support.

How to lead teams through war [Storytime Saturdays]

Technology Made Simple • 19 implied HN points • 04 Feb 23
💼 Business Team Management
  1. Communicate with your team as people, showing empathy and understanding during tough times can help them feel connected and supported.
  2. Include the entire team in important information and decisions to foster a sense of unity, responsibility, and transparency.
  3. Lead by being a guiding light during crises, providing clarity, direction, and ensuring the team stays focused on the common goal.

What Recurring Issue is Your Team Complaining About?

🔮 Crafting Tech Teams • 19 implied HN points • 29 Apr 23
💼 Business Team Management
  1. Tech leaders have various responsibilities like roadmaps, estimates, onboarding, off-boarding, crisis meetings, vacation time, security, fast delivery, and maintaining high quality.
  2. Teams frequently face recurring issues, prompting discussions and potential solutions to address them effectively.
  3. Subscribing to newsletters like Crafting Tech Teams can provide insights and advice on managing team issues and enhancing leadership skills.

Ode to Tuckman

Wednesday Wisdom • 47 implied HN points • 07 Mar 24
💼 Business Team Management
  1. High performing teams are not just a group of senior rockstars; diversity in levels, skills, and personalities leads to better outcomes.
  2. High performing teams need to go through Tuckman's stages of Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing to establish trust, norms, and identity before delivering quality work.
  3. Leadership is about adapting to team needs - understanding team diversity and dynamics is key for team success.

Bonus post - Noisy Monitors

Sunday Letters • 59 implied HN points • 07 Feb 22
🕹 Technology Team Management
  1. Noisy monitors can create problems for engineering teams. They get too many alerts that can drown out the important signals, making it hard to focus on real issues.
  2. Accumulating unresolved bugs and warnings can lead to confusion. Teams might ignore older and less critical issues, which can mask newer problems that need attention.
  3. It's important to maintain discipline and organization in monitoring systems. Just like a chef cleans his kitchen daily, teams should regularly tidy up their alerts and processes to stay effective.

Social Contract

Identity Revive • 38 implied HN points • 17 Aug 23
💼 Business Team Management
  1. A social contract is like a signed agreement for your team or project.
  2. It outlines who you are, how you'll work, what you'll do and won't do, and what you stand for.
  3. Having a social contract can create clarity and alignment among team members.

Data & AI Strategy: Running a Profit Centre

TeamCraft • 26 implied HN points • 02 Oct 23
💼 Business Team Management
  1. Data functions are often cost centers in companies due to various reasons like unnecessary scale or lack of impactful outcomes.
  2. Running a data department as a support unit can be challenging, especially because of the high costs involved.
  3. To transform a data unit into a profit center, collaborate with leadership to align on priorities and focus on delivering visible ROI while working on transformative projects.

021. [Founder Psychology Lesson] How to evolve from cowboy to leader

Safe For Work (SFW) • 15 implied HN points • 21 Feb 24
💼 Business Team Management
  1. Startup founders need to transition from being independent doers to effective organizational leaders as the company grows.
  2. Founder's rapid learning pace in early stages can hinder team building if they don't shift to leading and collaborating with their team.
  3. Leaders should practice empathy, effective communication, and self-awareness to navigate the challenges of moving from individual contributor to managerial role.