/Management

To Build A Meritocracy

- Max Levchin tl;dr: “High-performance culture is pretty easy to define: a culture of individuals doing productive work for the company in the most efficient way possible and helping others do the same, while generally having a good time. But what do you actually do to have such a culture? And what do you not do?” Max jotted down a few incomplete one-liners of what that means to me him as a founder and CEO. 

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The Measurement Trap

- Mike Fisher tl;dr: “Nike’s story serves as a powerful example of how an overreliance on measurable outcomes can lead to the erosion of the very elements that once made a company great. While the road to recovery for Nike may be long and costly, the lesson for leaders is clear: not everything that matters can be measured, and not everything that can be measured matters.”

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Solving Staffing Challenges With Concentric Circles

- James Stanier tl;dr: “When you are faced with no obvious way to solve a staffing challenge, it can be helpful to think about the problem differently. One way to do this is to think about the situation in terms of concentric circles. What I mean by concentric circles is imagining that the team asking for more people is at the center of a series of circles.”

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Decision-Making Pitfalls For Technical Leaders

- Chelsea Troy tl;dr: “In my experience, it is at least the case that when programmers become trial-by-fire managers, they realize they don’t know how to do their jobs. Technical leadership — tech lead roles, principal eng roles, and even the dreaded “player-coach” role—those sneak up on people. A lot of times there’s still programming involved, so folks feel prepared. Their experience has exposed them to technical decisions and it got them promoted, so the way they do it is probably fine. Right?” Chelsea discusses 3 pitfalls she commonly sees. 

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Decision-Making Pitfalls For Technical Leaders

- Chelsea Troy tl;dr: “In my experience, it is at least the case that when programmers become trial-by-fire managers, they realize they don’t know how to do their jobs. Technical leadership — tech lead roles, principal eng roles, and even the dreaded “player-coach” role—those sneak up on people. A lot of times there’s still programming involved, so folks feel prepared. Their experience has exposed them to technical decisions and it got them promoted, so the way they do it is probably fine. Right?” Chelsea discusses 3 pitfalls she commonly sees. 

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Yes, Or...

- John Cutler tl;dr: John calls out the counterpoints to wisdom often cited in common phrases we hear: (1) "Be customer-obsessed.” (2) Teams need clear objectives!” (3) "Think big. Start Small.” (4) "You can’t improve what you don’t measure." (5) "Focus on outcomes, not outputs."

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3 Insights From Building Superblocks Layouts

- Eric Anderson tl;dr: Most low-code app builders rely on rigid grids, leading to simple web apps that lack the flexibility and polish users expect from modern sites. At Superblocks, we wanted to raise the bar by enabling dynamic, flexible layouts without requiring users to dive into CSS or JavaScript. Achieving this meant reworking one of our core features from the ground up, which was no small task. Along the way, we learned a lot about striking the right balance between pushing bold new ideas forward and keeping the end experience familiar to our users. 

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Dear CTO: It's Not 2015 Anymore

- Christine Miao tl;dr: “With AI and big tech layoffs, engineering organizations have been put under a microscope like never before. Engineering leaders need to adapt to this new normal.”

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Eng Org Seniority-Mix Model

- Will Larson tl;dr: A model examining how different policies affect engineering organization seniority mix. Without intervention, orgs become top-heavy with senior engineers, increasing costs. Three key policies work together: backfilling departures at lower levels, stopping senior-level external hiring, and capping the maximum number of senior positions.

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How Not To Disagree

- Andrew Bosworth tl;dr: “Imagine a simple scenario. Your manager is proposing changes to your roadmap. Those changes would negate months of work by your team. You lead the team and don’t agree with the new direction. Following a robust discussion your manager makes the change over your objections. How do you proceed?”

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