Director means something
January 10, 2024
And pretending it’s a title or a pay bump without a new set of responsibilities is a disservice to everyone.
World's Best Newsletter Archive
Featured Newsletters
What did they say when you told them?
You’re just reminding them that it’s a fair expectation that they would try to resolve it directly.
If you’re doing their job, who’s doing your job?
The cure for a structurally overwhelmed team is a better structure. It’s clarity about what matters most, and permission to hand off or put down the work that doesn’t.
Everyone’s a great manager until they start managing
That smug satisfaction about what you would do if you were in charge? We understand the appeal.
Bad advice you shouldn’t take
Resignations. Competitive talent markets. The structure of the org chart. All of these things can feel bigger than you, as an individual leader trying to get things done in your organization. We get that. But be skeptical of any advice that takes them as fixed.
You’re probably not that hardcore
October 1, 2025
You can drop a lot of frogs in that pot and very few will feel their feet get warm.
You are not a machine that receives tasks
September 17, 2025
Folks who study meaning at work have three buckets. We love a good three-bucket framework. Let’s go.
None of this is real and it doesn’t matter
August 6, 2025
The difference between the theater of work and actual work.
Busy is not a personality
June 25, 2025
What would you do if you had a week to just clear out backlog?
Bring your slop to work day
May 28, 2025
It’s definitely giving some low-key asbestos vibes.
The enshittification of work
April 2, 2025
The froth has subsided. And in its wake, organizations have found some truly short-sighted approaches to labour.
Where are the people-pleasers?
March 19, 2025
The biggest issue for people-pleasing leaders isn’t that they need to be tougher. Or scream more. Or play a different boss on TV.
Run it like a business
March 5, 2025
You should have just said “run it badly.”
Nice, nice, very nice
October 16, 2024
The longer you’re in a culture of niceness and side-channels and things left unsaid, the more you have to wonder about the conversations happening out of earshot.
What did they say when you told them?
August 7, 2024
You’re just reminding them that it’s a fair expectation that they would try to resolve it directly.
If you’re doing their job, who’s doing your job?
April 17, 2024
The cure for a structurally overwhelmed team is a better structure. It’s clarity about what matters most, and permission to hand off or put down the work that doesn’t.
Director means something
January 10, 2024
And pretending it’s a title or a pay bump without a new set of responsibilities is a disservice to everyone.
Did this hit you right in the feels?
We're not sorry.
Subscribe to get the next one.