Issue #635, 24th January 2025

This Week's Favorite


Bureaulogy — The Study of Bureaucracy
7 minutes read.

Every recommendation under "Methods to slow bureaucratic decline" is spot on. Structure forms when the cognitive load becomes unbearable to the leadership. You can change the structure or the leaders (to an extent, we're all limited).

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Culture


Standing Like This for 29 Minutes Before Saying “Nothing on My End” and Hanging Up
1 minutes read.

My humble effort to help you start the weekend with a smile on your face.

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Money Is Renewable. Conviction Isn’t.
3 minutes read.

Such a great read by Hiten Shah for keeping your energy to fuel the journey: "Doubt creeps in slowly, sneaking up through rejection, exhaustion, and second-guessing your mission. One day, you notice the fire feels weaker. You lose a little faith in the vision that once lit you up. And that’s when real danger sets in. So guard your purpose. Remind yourself why you started in the first place. Picture the people who need your product. Talk to them, hear their stories, celebrate the tiny steps forward. Embrace feedback and stay open to shifting your tactics, but never let go of your why."

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Clarity as Strategy
3 minutes read.

It's so rare to see companies talk in simple terms. When you sell to people, learning to speak their language and explaining how you can help them is how you close a deal and create a sustainable business.

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Service Reliability Mathematics: Cost, Hidden Assumptions, and Engineering Tradeoffs
5 minutes read.

Putting the math on a wall with "The cost of each nine" and "The hidden assumptions" discussed on the technical leadership forum can mature how you build the product. I suggest sharing this post with any senior team member in engineering and product.

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Peopleware


Respect Your Time, or No One Else Will
5 minutes read.

"Guard Your Calendar Like It’s Your Wallet - Think of your calendar as a reflection of your priorities. Every block of time is an investment, so treat it as such. If you wouldn’t hand $100 bills to anyone who asks, why hand them your time? Here’s a trick: schedule time for your priorities before someone else gets to them. I call this “pre-claiming your calendar.” Whether it’s deep work, strategic thinking, or even a midday workout, block it off. Otherwise, the empty space becomes a magnet for other people’s agendas." -- Brian Fink with one of my favorite posts this year. Stay in control.

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No One Ever Tells You That...
3 minutes read.

"You are responsible for your own happiness. Not your wife, not your parents, not your friends. Growing up is realizing this." and "You are wealthy if you discover what you truly want to become, are fully engaged in that mission, and you don’t need to explain yourself to anyone." -- Two of my favorite insights by Greg Isenberg.

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Curated RSS Feeds and Newsletters for Diverse Self-Directed Learning
3 minutes read.

Joseph Jude shares resources worth following to improve your professional growth. Following Joseph's writing for a while now, he has good taste, so I'm sure you'll find a few blogs worth subscribing to.

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Inspiring Tweets


@naval: The smartest people are all self-taught, even if they went to school.

@thejustinwelsh: My "enough" number isn't about maximizing income. It's about maximizing our lives while generating the income to support our ideal lifestyle. There's a big difference.

- Oren

P.S. Can you share this email? I'd love for more people to experiment and improve their company's culture.

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