🔗 Explore vs Execute

Explore vs Execute | A Smart Bear The two main business modalities are more different than you expect. When you hit PMF, it’s a culture-shift to switch from one to the other. … So, what needs to be done? A radical shift in working style, from “Explore” to “Execute”: Explore Figuring out what works, as quickly and flexibly as possible. Execute Becoming excellent at doing what works, while scaling. Explore vs Execute # ...

6 January 2025 · 2 min · 270 words

🔗 How to ship fast

How to ship fast - by Ben McRedmond - Wrap Text by Equals Protect momentum Beware of prioritization Stay close to the design You should be wrong sometimes Only doers can plan what you work on Always plan the How There is no quality vs. speed tradeoff Capture inspiration

4 January 2025 · 1 min · 49 words

🏞 The varieties of human work

“The Varieties Of Human Work” by Steven Shorrock (Safety Differently) Early ergonomists realised that the analysis of work could not be limited to work as prescribed in procedures etc (le travail prescrit), nor to the observation of work actually done (le travail réalisé). Both have to be considered. But these are not the only varieties of work. Four basic varieties can be considered: work-as-imagined; work-as-prescribed; work-as-disclosed; and work-as-done. These are illustrated in the figure below, which shows that the varieties of human work do usually overlap, but not completely, leaving areas of commonality, and areas of difference. Here we will consider each variety, one by one. ...

10 June 2024 · 1 min · 106 words

🔗 Work Is Work

Work Is Work | codahale.com (Jan. 2020) The Ceiling Is Low The work capacity of an organization scales, at most, linearly as new members are added. … The ceaseless pursuit of force multipliers is the only possible route to superlinear productivity improvements as an organization grows. The Floor Is Lava Contention costs grow superlinearly as new members are added. … Staffing highly sequential efforts as if they were entirely parallel leads to catastrophe. ...

10 June 2024 · 1 min · 171 words

🔗 Jack Shit

What should a manager goal be? Become redundant. What should a manager do all day? Jack Shit What is a great way to test the quality of a manager? Send them on a multi-week vacation and see what happens. Does everything keep running, or does things grind to a halt? Does the team still deliver, or things are completely blocked? Is there any visibility during this time of what this team is doing, or does it seem the team fell off the face of the earth? For extra browny points, does the team keep self-improving during this time, or does progress stall? ...

31 March 2024 · 1 min · 118 words

🔗 The State of Engineering Productivity in 2024

The State of Engineering Productivity in 2024 📊 1) Hybrid is hard Teams who work in hybrid mode have the hardest time. It is tough to create an environment where the playing field is level for everybody: there is less incentive to build a truly remote-friendly environment than in full-remote teams, while at the same time you don’t get the full benefits of co-location. Committing decisively to one of the two extremes might bring better results in terms of productivity — but of course it can be more challenging in other departments. ...

28 March 2024 · 2 min · 367 words

🔗 Do you work at a tech company?

Do you work at a tech company? | Irrational Exuberance [for engineers] a technology company is one with a strong engineering culture and empowered engineering leadership. Not the business model, not the legal definition, not “pure” innovation, but having a place at the table and being a table you want to sit at. how do you determine if a company empowers and supports their engineering organization? … CEO’s background … … ratio of engineering to total headcount … … engineering representation in the senior leadership team … … titles and seniority across organizations … … extent and quality of their engineering brand efforts … navigate your network … [and ask] … ask questions … of the their engineering culture to … different interviewers …

23 March 2024 · 1 min · 124 words

🔗 Lean Value Tree

Lean Value Tree | Open Practice Library The LVT follows a Top-Down framework: Vision > Strategic Goals > Bets > Initiatives. A company’s vision is broken down into a number of strategic goals, which are then defined into a number of bets, out of which value streams and initiatives with specific, targeted outcomes drive achievement from the bottom up. ...

20 March 2024 · 1 min · 161 words

🔗 Why Building a Culture from the Top Down Fails

Why Building a Culture from the Top Down Fails Lack of Employee Buy-In Disconnect from Reality Limited Innovation Reduced Employee Engagement Resistance to Change Lack of Adaptability Erosion of Trust Inequality and Hierarchical Structures One-Size-Fits-All Approach Cultural Mismatch High Turnover A culture that emerges organically from the collective values, beliefs, and behaviors of the workforce is more likely to be embraced, enduring, and aligned with the organization’s objectives.

19 March 2024 · 1 min · 68 words

📺 A plan is not a strategy

A Plan Is Not a Strategy - YouTube Strategic ≠ Planning What most “strategic planning” is in the world of business has nothing to do with strategy. It’s got the word, but it’s not. It’s a set of activities that the company says it‘s going to do. ...

20 February 2024 · 2 min · 366 words

📜 The three D’s of meetings

Dropbox’s CEO on return to office (RTO): Workers aren’t ‘resources to control’ | Fortune All meetings must narrow in on the “three D’s” of discussion, debate, or decision-making …

20 October 2023 · 1 min · 29 words

🔗 Power Bends Light

Power Bends Light | honkathon Here are some things I wish I’d known at the time: Power bends taste. … [because] Power defines what’s normal … Power bends accountability. … I started to notice that the thing most strongly correlated to their treatment was their power on the team … Power bends meaning. … it can change the meaning of everything you do and say. … Once I started watching for how newly-acquired power distorts the meanings of everything, I started seeing examples everywhere … To help organize my thoughts, I started abbreviating this phenomenon with a phrase: power bends light. ...

19 September 2023 · 1 min · 173 words

🔗 Management 3.0 practices

Management 3.0 Practices Finder | finders Management 3.0 moves beyond theory by providing an actionable set of tools and practices that grow leadership skills, encourage innovation, and increase happiness, to name just a few of the potential benefits. The M30 Finder groups the practices into seven categories: Tools for Engagement Tools for Effective Feedback Tools for Managing the System Tools to Support Innovation and Change Tools for Exploring Organizational Culture Tools for Team Exploration Tools for Measurement See also Liberating structures.

24 August 2023 · 1 min · 81 words
A firefighter using a hose to extinguish a fire in training

💭 From Chaos to Strategy: Embracing Firefighting at Work

We use the analogy of firefighting when people handle unexpected problems at work. Instead of reacting in a chaotic manner like civilians, adopt the strategic approach of trained firefighters. This involves having a plan, clarifying roles, training people and practicing together. Doing so, we can create a better culture of preparedness in our companies.

3 April 2023 · 3 min · 488 words

🔗 The Lippitt-Knoster Model for Managing Complex Change

Models: The Lippitt-Knoster Model for Managing Complex Change | Sergio Caredda The Model for Managing Complex Change is widely used in Change Management presentations and articles around the web, as it outlines required elements fo change, and possible negative outcomes. … According to the model, there are five or six elements required for effective change: vision, consensus, skills, incentives, resources and an action plan. If anyone of these elements is missing, the change effort will fail, with varying Negative Change outcome. ...

28 September 2022 · 1 min · 179 words

🔗 Gross National Happiness (GNH)

Gross National Happiness (GNH) The assessment of gross national happiness was designed in an attempt to define an indicator and concept that measures quality of life or social progress in more holistic and psychological terms than only the economic indicator of gross domestic product (GDP). (via Chip Conley: Measuring what makes life worthwhile | Video on TED.com )

3 January 2014 · 1 min · 58 words

📋 A fábula dos porcos assados

O texto original deste trabalho, em espanhol, circulou entre os alunos do curso de pós-graduação da Universidade de Piracicaba em 1981. A subtileza com o que o autor satiriza um dos problemas de nosso tempo fez com que imediatamente o texto chamasse a atenção de alunos e professores., convertendo-se em tema de conversas e debates. A FÁBULA DOS PORCOS ASSADOS Uma das possíveis variações de uma velha história sobre a origem do assado é a seguinte: ...

2 March 2000 · 7 min · 1296 words