Business
How to Shift from Selling Products to Selling Services (via Harvard Business Review)
You can’t just sell a three-year license of a software product and leave them alone. SaaS typically works by billing for consumption, like water and electricity utilities do. The salespeople often need more technical expertise to mesh with what the customers want and how the provider can deliver.
The Evolution of Teamwork (with Atlassian CEO Scott Farquhar) (via Harvard Business Review)
This podcast talks about how Atlassian came to be and certain philosophies around work that have helped it become successful.
Culture
What a Year of WFH Has Done to Our Relationships at Work (via Harvard Business Review)
Our strong networks (people we interact with frequently and know well) have intensified, and we’re having fewer interactions outside of that network. This leads to silos. “To help address this issue, leaders should focus on being proactive about connecting employees across the organization, make space for connections outside official meetings, encourage and reward social support, and improve the structure of meetings.”
Remote Workers Need Small Talk, Too (via Harvard Business Review)
Small talk is both distracting and uplifting. The article covers some tips for making people feel connected.
Process
Be More Realistic About the Time You Have (via Harvard Business Review)
- Look back and see which project were planned vs. opportunistic. This lets you better understand what to prioritize, renegotiate, say no to, lower expectations, or request help.
- Despite thorough planning, projects typically take longer than you expect. Build buffers and flexible deadlines (if possible).
- Consider what completion with subpar work looks like. Understand what people expect and work backward to find a path forward
- If other people are not meeting your expectations (e.g., writing guidelines), write those out and refer back to them so people can correct it themselves.
- You are likely not indispensable. Empower others to help you.
For an Agile Transformation, Choose the Right People (via Harvard Business Review)
The title is somewhat of a misnomer, as the solution applies to making any organizational change. (1) Don’t put your stars in charge; they’re probably at or over capacity anyway, and will be constantly pulled away to solve other problems. Instead find people that bridge gaps between groups and the stars. (2) Don’t make this a 100%-time commitment; it’s usually unrealistic and often unnecessary.
Psychology
To Lead Better Under Stress, Understand Your Three Selves (via Harvard Business Review)
The authors purport that we have three selves — the child, the defender, the adult — that vie for control at different times. The child is vulnerable but less concerned about threads. The defender (our default) is constantly protecting us by scanning for threads. The adult is more introspective and can save space instead of reacting. Sometimes simply being aware of which self you are inhabiting can empower you to shift to a different self.