Choose Needed Skills, Not Just Likability; Conflict Signals Health
The most common co-founder problem is choosing someone you like over someone you need. Liking someone and needing someone are different things. The overlap is smaller than founders assume. The absence of conflict in early founding teams is more often a warning sign than a green flag. @askdrbrown
Google's Quiet, Patient Strategy Puts It Back in AI Lead
While others dominated the AI headlines, Sundar Pichai quietly positioned Google back at the center of the race. His style has never been about noise. It has been about patience, infrastructure and long-term execution. That may matter more now than ever. In...
Leaders Who Control Reviews Reveal Their Insecurity
Any leader who needs to control who evaluates them isn’t leading. They’re protecting a performance review they’d fail.
Mamdani Inherits Crisis, Must Address Past Gaslighting
Yes, he did. And that's why I'm not knee-jerk all, this is Mamdani's fault. It *will* be Mamdani's fault, if he doesn't have a press conference tomorrow to say exactly what he is going to do about it. But he...
Even Top Performers Can Feel Misplaced in the Wrong Culture
Culture mismatch is real. You can perform well, be competent, hit your goals, and still feel like you are in the wrong room.
Org Charts Market; Slack DMs Reveal True Hierarchy
Org charts are PR documents. They show what leadership wants to be true. Want to see the real org? Map who's in the Slack DMs when a decision actually gets made. That's your operating reality. The chart is the marketing.
Leaders Shouldn't Demand Questions Before the Interview
Had an opportunity to sit down with Commissioner Makary for BiotechTV earlier this year, but only if I provided the questions in advance, which I don’t do. I say it to everyone who asks…if the person needs the questions in...
Leaders Chase Metrics, Miss Hidden Cultural Breakthroughs
The Streetlight Effect: Why Leaders Keep Fixing the Wrong Problems https://t.co/XpfWVkTcpi Leaders chase metrics, fixes, initiatives that are easy to measure. The real breakthroughs in culture, EX, and CX are in the shadows, where the real problems and real opportunities,...
Leaders, Speak Directly—Don’t Let Tech Replace Communication
Fripp’s Tips: Don't let your managers and leaders fall into the trap of using technology as a substitute for communicating directly with their audience. The audience wants leaders, not glossy graphics. #presentationskills #keynotespeaker #successmindset
Leaders Trust AI Over Teams? Leadership Crisis
When Executives Trust #AI More Than Their Teams, Leadership Has a Problem by @briansolis @Substack Learn more: https://t.co/ywpbSLabMf #MachineLearning #ArtificialIntelligence #ML https://t.co/DmpbF4d4rY
CEO's ChatGPT Gamble to Dodge $250M Deal Backfires
This $8 billion company's CEO used ChatGPT to escape $250M in an acquisition deal. Here's how it blew up in his face:
Three Ideas Give Perspective, Improve Decisions
Ed Catmull requires directors to pitch three ideas, not one. One idea creates attachment. Three create perspective. With multiple options, people compare instead of defend. That is what leads to better decisions. Link in bio for more info and links for my new book,...
Stop Buzzwords: They Stall Action and Hide Poor Design
18 Things Leaders Need to Stop Saying in 2026... https://t.co/GUYOP1Ullx Certain phrases have become corporate comfort blankets. They sound wise. They feel progressive. They signal “we care.” But in reality, they replace thinking, delay action, and excuse poor design. https://t.co/KREsW8zdQ7
Knowing Thinking vs Feeling Cuts Conflict, Boosts Collaboration
Some people make decisions based on logical analysis of objective facts, considering all the known, provable factors important to a given situation and using logic to determine the best course of action. This approach is an indicator of a preference...
CEO Leads Binary Defense's AI Cybersecurity Revolution
I'm happy to announce that I have officially been promoted to Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Binary Defense. With the changes in the industry happening and the shift to artificial intelligence, I have been immersing myself relentlessly on...
Leadership Requires People, Purpose, and Systems Thinking
People, purpose and systems thinking: The leadership layer of the energy transition #energysky -- via pv magazine global: https://t.co/Nyj1axDFjK
Disney Faces Summer Layoffs; CEO Skips Crucial Topics
More layoffs are coming to Disney this summer. That and many important things new CEO Josh D'Amaro DIDN'T say in his debut earnings call: ⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/mWp4ObF0Sf
CEOs Fear AI Missteps, Yet Stick to Pilots
Running AI Pilots or Transformation? Check out the latest article in my newsletter: Half of CEOs Say Their Job Is on the Line If They Get AI Wrong. So Why Are Most Still Running Pilots? https://t.co/W9XRhB24IC via @LinkedIn #Leadership #AI...
CEO's ChatGPT Gamble Costs $250M Acquisition
This $8 billion company's CEO used ChatGPT to escape $250M in an acquisition deal. Here's how it blew up in his face:
Management Isn't the Only Career Path for High Performers
Rethinking Career Progression: Why Management Isn’t the Only Path Forward https://t.co/zUedSc25Su Not every employee is suited to/interested in/effective at management. Yet orgs continue to push high-performing individuals into leadership roles to the detriment of individual & co https://t.co/7VbeJ0Ic1h
Leave the Lectern: Connect Directly with Your Audience
I urge you not to stand behind the lectern throughout your entire talk. It puts a barrier between you and the audience, and they feel it. #stagepresence #presentationskills #keynotespeaker
10 Questions to Spot Close‑Minded Leadership
RT @JoeContrera How do you know if you have slipped into a close-minded mindset and are in need of a little Windex on your lenses of perception? Here are 10 questions to determine if you are a close-minded leader: https://t.co/LlmLvGIgYC #leadershipdevelopment #perception https://t.co/ofkeORSvYM
Essential Reading List for New Head of Legal Ops
Three books I'd buy for any new Head of Legal Ops: — The Fearless Organization (Edmondson) — Right Kind of Wrong (Edmondson again, sorry, she earned it) — The Memo (Minda Harts) No affiliate links. Just the bookshelf I wish I'd inherited.
Bootstrapping Empowers Teams to Accelerate Careers Rapidly
Bootstrapping at scale = your team living however they want. My COO reminded me of that. We hired her for $10 an hour to fix a billing issue. 1. She'd been out of the labor force for 8 years. 2. She...
Regional Fed Presidents Guard Against Groupthink
David Wilcox: regional Federal Reserve Presidents play crucial role in avoiding groupthink at the Fed. @HooverInst
AI Projects Fail Without Stakeholder‑Driven Business Focus
Stakeholder Management and Stakeholder Engagement were both top breakout signals this week. Not model news. Not platform updates. Stakeholder skills. Because most AI projects don't fail on technology. They fail because someone forgot to ask what the business actually needs.
AI Lets CEOs Choose Focus or Breadth—Which Wins?
With AI tools today, CEOs can either be laser focused, and say no to almost everything (like Jobs) or they can use the tools to do even more, and get involved in everything (like Bezos). Which is better? @dickc talks about...
Engineers Evolve Into AI Orchestrators, Not Coders
Anthropic engineers reportedly haven’t handwritten code in 3 months. That sounds insane until you see how the best teams are starting to work. They’re not sitting there typing every line anymore. They’re running multiple agents in parallel, reviewing the work, giving feedback,...
Master the Enrollment Conversation Before Launching New Ventures
Before jumping feet first into the deep end for your next business endeavor, practice having the "enrollment conversation." (The kicker? It's one most of us have never had. 👀): https://lnkd.in/eJmszYDM
Founders Use Humor to Gauge Startup Well‑Being
Hermann Hesse says humor is the escape hatch for people who can’t be saints, won’t be degenerates, and refuse the safe bourgeois script. Feels like most founders I know. Among YC partners, our "canary" on whether we are...
Jane Fraser Discusses Citi’s Investor Day Highlights
Tune in to @cnbc for our interview with @Citi’s Jane Fraser, on the heels of the firm’s investor day 👇 https://t.co/eUwUXz7VAq
AI Operating Partner Drives Dialogue, Not Unwarranted Adoption
"An AI Operating Partner will force AI conversations at portfolio companies, which is useful as long as it does not create pressure to adopt AI without justification." Korn Ferry institute commentary on the AI Operating Partner role Korn Ferry Institute commentary on...
Wendy's Interim CEO Stalls Revitalization Amid Shareholder Uncertainty
As a reminder: Wendy's is currently operating with an interim CEO and its largest shareholder may or may not want to buy the company, which probably thwarts CEO-finding efforts, not to mention the revitalization as a whole. $WEN https://t.co/8ZdjlwthJz
HR Must Lead AI Era with Human‑First Courage
I'm thrilled to be recognized among the Top 25 HR and People Leaders Shaping the Profession for 2026. HR is at a critical inflection point as AI rapidly reshapes the workplace. The balance between technology and humanity has never...
Being Pleasant at Work Beats Talent for Opportunities
One of the most underrated traits: being pleasant to work with. Most people assume success goes to the most talented person in the room. In practice, opportunities go to the people others trust, respect, and enjoy collaborating with. "Pleasant to work with"...
CIOs Now Steer Banks' Future, Not Just IT
The CIO is no longer running IT … they’re running the future of the bank - https://t.co/5uAP8RzEpN
Coinbase Managers Doing IC Work Can't Boost Falling Trading Revenue
Remind me how every manager at Coinbase doing IC work, some with 15+reports will help generate more revenue, when revenue is fully dependent on trading volume, and trading volume is falling? unless these managers code up new businesses not dependent on...
Give Early Equity to Build Ownership and Strong Teams
Great Teams Are Built With Ownership. One of the biggest mistakes founders make early on? Being too protective about equity. In the beginning, equity is worth very little financially but it means everything culturally. #StartupFounders #StartupCulture #Equity #Entrepreneurship https://t.co/YT1X0FO0vS
Culture Lives in Actions, Not Just Words
We softly opened Mama Lou’s Village Square last Friday. I’m extremely proud of the team. Watching them in action reminded me of something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. Culture isn’t what you talk about. It’s what you institutionalize. Into hiring. Into training. Into how you...
Bloomberg’s Personal Call Shows Leadership Drives Adoption
Lloyd Blankfien has a great story of Mike Bloomberg going extra mile on client work. When Lloyd started on Wall Street, his firm had a Bloomberg terminal but no one bothered to figure out how to use it. Lloyd used the screen...
Survivors Anticipate Change, Not Predict It
52% of the Fortune 500 from 2000 are gone. The companies that survive don’t predict change. They build the muscle to anticipate it. That’s founder culture. #Leadership #BusinessTok #Strategy #Innovation #FounderMindset #Change #FutureOfWork https://t.co/Wt2IFZa9Yb
Celebrating Team Success and Future Vision for Arcane InfoSec
It is so surreal to be doing our own all-hands meeting... I'm so proud of this team. It's amazing to celebrate their accomplishments and talk about where we're taking @arcanuminfosec in the rest of 2026 and 2027. 🚀🫶 https://t.co/QrrXEjTDq8
Coaching Loris Middle School Leaders, Ready for July Presentation
What a great couple of days coaching leaders at Loris Middle School in @HCSInfo. Can’t wait to present to all their building leaders in July and then continue the work at Loris next school year https://t.co/y9HmloTQWq #disruptivethink #personalize #edadmin #suptchat...
Invest, Coach, and Mentor: AltFinance’s Apprenticeship Model
“If you want to build a strong practitioner in any model,” says Marcus Shaw CEO of @AltFinanceEdu, “you have to coach them, train them, invest in them in a way that makes them see themselves in the position.” Since 2021,...
Cloudflare Announces Future Plans and Support for Departing Staff
An update regarding the future at @Cloudflare. I’ve shared my full message to the team and details on the support we're providing those departing here: https://t.co/8djT55aVSP
Intentional Development Guarantees Quick Reemployment After Layoffs
As a people leader, I am very intentional about developing my employees and their careers. That sounds obvious but so many leaders only care about the business objectives. I care about both and find ways to make these overlap. I lost...
Ensure Your Team Aligns With Vision and Standards
Are your people aligned with you—your organizational goals, values, ethos, and standards of performance? #leadership #management #companyculture https://t.co/8XVKEVX0rp
Let Ideas Lead, Not Hierarchy, to Retain Talent
You have to be run by ideas, not hierarchy. The best ideas have to win. Otherwise good people don’t stay. —Steve Jobs https://t.co/s1p9iS630n
Too Many Ideas Lead to Unfinished Work, Bezos Warns
Jeff Bezos with a very powerful lesson on ideas - too many ideas can create a backlog of unfinished work and a business distraction https://t.co/HwSACVnF92
Limit Approvals to Direct Managers to Unleash Ideas
Most companies don't kill ideas by saying No. They kill them by making you ask 14 people for permission. @dickc fixed this at Twitter when he was CEO with one rule: only your direct manager can block you. "Experiments started flying...