Career
Stop Offering Career Ladders. Start Offering Career Portfolios. (via HBR)
It seems that rapid change is the new normal. “Linear” careers seem to be few and far between. The author talks about portfolios of things an employee could do at a firm. It’s up to HR to make this a reality.
Communication
Stop Ghosting and Start Saying No (via HBR)
- We really need to make an effort to stop this. You end up missing out on opportunities, can erode bridges in your network, and ultimately leave others with the impression that you’re unreliable.
- The root cause seems to be an overcommitment, then a realization that we can’t meet those commitments, so we just avoid them to seemingly dodge disappointing others.
Compensation
Research: The Unintended Consequences of Pay Transparency (via HBR)
Some of the downsides to pay transparency is that the pay bands get narrower, and employees seek other (non-transparent) benefits to compensate for less pay. Alternatives are to tie compensation to key outcomes, provide training to employees about pay transparency, and to restructure reward systems.
Decision making
What Are Your Decision-Making Strengths and Blind Spots? (via HBR)
This article lays out five different personas of decision making — adventurer, detective, listener, thinker, visionary — and how different biases are present in each. No one style is correct, and some styles are more helpful in certain contexts.
Employee engagement
Don’t Let Employee Engagement Wither in a Hybrid Office (via HBR)
The proximity principle (people forming relationships with those nearby) is mostly gone with remote work, leading to people not getting their social needs met. Managers have the most influence in this area. They can develop working agreements, check in more frequently, work to meet in person more regularly, show appreciation, and find ways to be together while apart.
Leadership
What to Do If Your Team Is Underperforming (via HBR)
- Realize you’re not in this alone
- Accept the feedback with a caveat
- Don’t spiral with negative thoughts
- Ask for more clarity and support from your manager
- Take a fresh look at your leadership style
- Co-create a team goal
- Think about your future
Marketing
What You’re Getting Wrong About Customer Journeys (via HBR)
- Routine — effortless and predictable. Good for utilitarian products that make tasks incrementally easier and more predictable. Example: Starbucks online pickup
- Joyride — effortless and unpredictable. Good for on-demand thrill, like in music-streaming, sports media, and video games. Example: TikTok’s For You page
- Trek — effortful and predictable. Good for when customer labor is needed to achieve challenging long-term goals, such as learning a language, recovering from surgery, or saving for retirement. Example: MyFitnessPal’s food diary.
- Odyssey — effortful and unpredictable. Good for passion projects that customers are already highly motivated to pursue. Example: CrossFit workouts.
Metrics
KPIs, Velocity, and Other Destructive Metrics (via SWLW)
Although I didn’t agree with every point, the author makes some astute observations about how metrics are misapplied and can be harmful. I especially agree with velocity and arbitrary values.