Today's Management Pulse
Founder risk drives steep valuation discounts in owner‑led services firms
Dr. Dave Heath explains that founder‑dependency in owner‑led services firms mirrors the manager‑risk LPs assess in private‑equity funds. Buyers, banks and investors price this key‑person risk with 30‑50% valuation discounts or higher loan spreads. The risk stems from undefined decision authority, undocumented founder judgment, and missing exception handling.
Cloudflare Cuts 1,100 Jobs as AI Adoption Triggers Workforce Reset
Cloudflare announced the termination of more than 1,100 employees, roughly 20% of its global staff, after internal AI usage jumped 600% in three months. The move follows a record $639.8 million first‑quarter revenue and signals a new management model built around AI‑driven productivity.
ABB Commits $200 Million to Expand Medium‑Voltage Production Across Europe
ABB announced a $200 million, three‑year investment program to expand medium‑voltage manufacturing capacity across Europe, highlighted by a $100 million new facility in Dalmine, Italy. The rollout targets Italy, Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Norway and Poland, aiming to meet rising demand from utilities,...
SaaS M&A: Mirisis Says Integration, Not Valuation, Drives True Value
Operating advisor Nicholas Mirisis told a Littleton press briefing that the decisive factor in SaaS mergers is integration, not headline multiples. He warns that without a disciplined post‑deal plan, even multi‑billion‑dollar deals can fall short of expectations.
Singapore’s SkillsFuture Institute Launches AI‑VR System to Assess and Bridge Worker Skill Gaps
Singapore’s SkillsFuture Institute (SIT) has rolled out an AI‑driven, virtual‑reality assessment platform that tests both technical and soft skills, starting with 50 volunteers at a senior‑care agency and expanding to pilot programs abroad. The system promises faster, scalable evaluation while...
Games Workshop Elevates Neil Tomlinson to COO to Unify Design and Manufacturing
Games Workshop has promoted Group Operations Director Neil Tomlinson to the newly created chief operating officer role, effective 31 May 2026. The restructuring places design studios and the Design‑to‑Manufacture division under a single leader, aiming to tighten coordination across the...
LG Electronics CEO Ryu Jae‑cheol Launches ‘Reinvent 2.0’ Push for 1% Daily Improvement
LG Electronics chief executive Ryu Jae‑cheol introduced the Reinvent 2.0 transformation agenda at his first town‑hall meeting, calling for a 1% daily improvement mindset. The plan ties problem‑identification to execution, with quality, cost and delivery as the three pillars of competitiveness.
SAP Announces Dual Acquisitions of Dremio and Prior Labs to Bolster Data Lakehouse and AI Governance
SAP announced on May 4, 2026 that it will acquire Dremio, an Apache Iceberg‑native lakehouse, and Prior Labs, a Tabular Foundation Model pioneer. The moves are designed to give SAP a unified data foundation and tighter AI governance, positioning the company against...
In The Fight Against AI, The Org Chart Is the Vulnerability
People, Inc. is betting on an aggressive "INVERSION" strategy, launching over 200 AI‑focused initiatives to revive its faltering brand portfolio. Chairman Barry Diller and CEO Neil Vogel admit that only a handful of the company’s 40‑plus brands have real value,...
Marketing Org Shifts From Functions to Outcome‑driven Loops
The marketing services + FDE structure will change drastically. The old org chart was based on functions and expertise. It created unnecessary handoffs and layers and layers of communication. It also created a subpar business model (pure labor arbitrage). The new...
Leadership Failures Poison Company Culture From the Top
What actually kills company culture: 5. Bad managers 6. No career paths 7. Toxic star performers protected 8. Leaders who confuse fear with respect 9. A CEO who’s never done their own psychological work The fish rots from the head. Always.
The CLOC Global Institute: Some Changes And Challenges
The Corporate Legal Operations Consortium (CLOC) Global Institute will convene May 11‑14 in Chicago, shifting from its long‑standing Las Vegas venue. Over 2,100 legal‑ops professionals from more than 25 countries are expected, with 90 sessions and 200 speakers tackling AI’s...
How To Build A Premium Airline In The Sky Of Sameness
Delta Air Lines is extracting a disproportionate share of profit among the U.S. legacy carriers, capturing nearly half of the combined operating income while contributing only a third of total revenue. Its premium segment grew 14% year‑over‑year in Q1, outpacing...
How The Design Of Your Organization Limits Its Growth
The piece contends that an organization’s structural design—its hierarchy, reporting lines, and decision‑making pathways—directly caps its ability to scale. Rigid, siloed models create bottlenecks, slow innovation, and hinder talent mobility. By shifting to flatter, cross‑functional networks and granting decentralized decision...
Real Strategy Emerges From Execution, Not Theory
Most people think strategy is theory. But real strategy is built through experience. It’s learned in action, not in presentations. This journey came from working inside a global company. Traveling across countries and solving real problems. That’s where transformation actually happens. If...
Pair New Hires with a Buddy for Faster Success
To make a new hire successful and onboard this person properly, I found that it's actually extremely helpful to have a team member work with them side by side (virtually is ok), for a while to make sure that they...
Roc Partners Launches Precision Poultry Roll‑up to Challenge KKR’s ProTen
Roc Partners announced the creation of Precision Poultry, a roll‑up platform that will acquire U.S. broiler growers to build a national competitor to KKR’s ProTen. The launch follows Roc’s exit from ProTen a year earlier and signals fresh consolidation activity...
Indian Oil Marketers Flag Strait of Hormuz Disruption as Top Boardroom Risk Amid $105 Brent Spike
India’s state‑run oil marketing companies disclosed under‑recoveries of roughly ₹1 lakh crore ($1.2 bn) after Brent crude surged to $105 a barrel, prompting senior executives to elevate Strait of Hormuz disruptions to a primary risk‑management focus. The move underscores a broader shift toward...
Agile Defense Names Shawn Tyrie CRO to Accelerate Federal IT Growth
Agile Defense announced the hiring of Shawn Tyrie as its new chief revenue officer. The move is aimed at accelerating revenue growth and deepening the firm’s presence in federal IT and cybersecurity contracts. Tyrie's experience in government contracting is expected...
Victorian Survey Shows Over One-Third of Lawyers Regularly Use AI Tools
The Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner released a report revealing that over a third of the state’s lawyers regularly use generative AI tools. Respondents say AI is primarily a workflow‑optimisation aid, not yet a driver of client‑service improvements, prompting...
Deloitte Urges NZ Firms to Redesign Work for AI Era, Warns Against Shallow Adoption
Deloitte's 2026 Tech Trends report for New Zealand warns that AI experimentation is over and firms must redesign work processes to capture value. The consultancy notes that 93% of AI spending is directed at technology while only 7% funds people and...
Sallie Mae Elevates COO Kerri Palmer to Co‑President, Expands Executive Team
Sallie Mae announced that Chief Operating Officer Kerri Palmer will also serve as co‑president, joining CFO Peter Graham in the role. The dual appointment follows the retirement of the chief commercial officer and is intended to deepen operational oversight and...
Magellan Outsources $3.5B Core Global Fund to Quant Partner Vinva, Cuts Fees by One‑Third
Magellan announced it will transfer management of its A$5.3 billion ($3.5 billion) flagship global equities fund to systematic manager Vinva and cut fees from 1.35% to 0.89%. The move trims eight staff, shutters a small hedged ETF and puts $3.7 billion of institutional...
Crypto.com CMO Steven Kalifowitz Exits After Nearly Six Years
Crypto.com confirmed that chief marketing officer Steven Kalifowitz will leave the firm after nearly six years at the helm. Kalifowitz guided the exchange through a period of rapid user growth and high‑profile partnership deals, making his exit a significant leadership...
Vocus Appoints Nikos Katinakis as Chief Technology Officer to Drive Network Automation
Vocus Group announced today that former Zayo executive Nikos Katinakis will become chief technology officer. Katinakis will oversee the carrier’s network, security and customer operations while spearheading intelligent automation across its infrastructure, a move aimed at sharpening Vocus’s digital strategy.
MercyOne to Shut Southside Des Moines Clinic Amid Pending Medicaid Cuts
MercyOne announced the closure of its southside Des Moines clinic next month, blaming staffing gaps, soaring operating expenses and pending Medicaid reimbursement reductions. Advocates warn the shutdown will strip low‑income Iowans of essential care, especially children who rely heavily on...
The Psychology of Attention Residue and How I Have Started Minimizing It
The article explains "attention residue," a cognitive leak that occurs when workers switch tasks, leaving part of their focus on the previous activity. Research by UC‑Irvine professor Gloria Mark shows each interruption costs an average of 23 minutes and two...
What Every Business Owner Should Ask Before Hiring Anyone for AI
The post identifies five high‑ROI AI workflows—speed‑to‑lead, document processing, follow‑up sequences, database reactivation, and internal reporting—that can pay for themselves within a quarter for service‑based SMBs. It warns that hiring the wrong AI builder can waste a five‑figure ($50,000‑plus) investment...
AI Writes Code, Humans Run Forecasting Operations
AI can generate forecasting code. AI cannot install a high-performance forecasting operation inside a company. That still requires a person. Learn how to implement a Forecast Operating System (that your company will actually use). 👉 Register here (500 seats): https://learn.business-science.io/join
LA500 2026: Terry Karges
Terry Karges has steered the Petersen Automotive Museum through a dramatic overhaul since becoming executive director in 2012. Under his guidance ticket sales and staff numbers have each more than tripled, and the museum’s 1960s building was refreshed with a...
LA500 2026: Bill Kramer
Bill Kramer, chief executive of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, oversees roughly $1 billion in assets, a $180 million operating budget, and a global workforce of more than 700 staff. His portfolio includes the Oscars, the Academy Museum, member...
Honest Self‑assessment Fuels Growth; Digital Twins Accelerate Evolution
No one is exempt from this process. Having it go well depends on people's abilities to make frank assessments of strengths and weaknesses (most importantly weaknesses). While it's generally as difficult for managers to give this feedback as it is...
Mastering 1:1 Meetings: Your Full Challenge Recap
The 5‑Day Mastering 1:1 Meetings Challenge from 16Personalities recapped each day’s focus, from defining meeting purpose to handling hard feedback and personality clashes. Day 1 distinguished two high‑impact 1:1 formats and a pre‑meeting question; Day 2 offered rapport‑building tactics for new managers;...
How to Manage Your Arts and Cultural Nonprofit’s Revenue Streams in Uncertain Times
Arts and cultural nonprofits are shifting from rebuilding audiences to securing financial resilience. Leaders recognize that revenue diversity on paper often masks hidden dependencies on single events, sponsors, or grant cycles, leaving organizations vulnerable. The article outlines three tactics—ensuring truly...
Play Streamlines Tools
Just counted the tabs open on my laptop. Omnisend. Slack. Clickup. Multiple Google Sheets I never close. Two custom GPTs that each know maybe a third of my businesses. None of them talks to each other. Neither does anyone use them. AI was...
Why “AI Productivity Gains” Is the Wrong Pitch for Every Stakeholder Above You
Internal AI pilots often tout speed gains, but senior leaders care about revenue impact, cost efficiency, and compliance. CMOs look for pipeline‑linked revenue and brand share, CFOs demand lower loaded cost per asset and clear contribution margins, while legal teams...
Are You Drowning in Vanity Metrics?
Alice Hunsberger’s Trust & Safety Insider warns that many teams rely on vanity metrics that look good on dashboards but miss real harm. She illustrates the problem with outdated QA rubrics that scored moderation teams highly while user complaints surged....
Why MSP Billing Breaks at Scale and How to Get Ahead of It
Managed service providers (MSPs) often rely on manual billing that works at low volume but unravels as client counts rise. Adding tools, licenses, and mixed pricing models creates fragmented data, leading to late invoices, missed charges, and payment delays. These...
Two Commands Slash Claude Code Costs by 80%
I didn't know cutting my Claude Code costs could be this simple. I spent three months assuming the bill was just part of using a good model. It's not. Claude Code re-ingests prior context on every tool call. Every file read is a separate...
Let Bad News Rise—Don’t Shoot the Messenger
Applies to companies, too, by the way. You want to ensure bad news *flies* up the chain of command, and that means avoiding shooting the messenger.
Supply Chains Don’t Need More Visibility. They Need Faster Decisions
At the Gartner Supply Chain Symposium, leaders from Penske Logistics, Wawa and Cardinal Health argued that visibility alone no longer solves supply‑chain challenges. They emphasized the need to turn fragmented data into rapid, actionable decisions, especially during disruptions like hurricanes....
Metrics Shape Reality; Measure to Manage Outcomes
RT @VisionEdgeMktg 📈 What gets measured gets managed. Your metrics define your reality. Explore the engagement economy: https://t.co/OPTXyImzpi #Measurement #Metrics #BusinessOutcomes
Two Daily Sessions Drive Steady Problem‑Solving Progress
My favorite version of this: two a days Meet twice daily - early and late Make full day of progress in each half Do it until the problem is solved Stupidly effective
The Exact Hire That Took This Creator From Burned Out to $30K Months
Courtney Johnson, a content creator with 500,000 followers, hired an operations manager for $2,500 a month, later promoting her to COO at $8,000 a month. The hire freed Johnson to focus on content, doubling her monthly revenue from $15,000 to...
Tariffs Cut Sales—Raise Prices, You’ll Likely Benefit
60% of stores saw their income decrease because of tariffs. Which means there's a great chance your prices are/were too low. Price hikes are scary. It's almost always worth it. And if not? Easy to roll back. #chartoftheweek https://t.co/V2QeFlqS3e
Design Systems, Not Just Firefighting, for Lasting Growth
When you're building a company, fires will always come. Your job isn’t racing between them, it’s mapping the territory, building firebreaks, and designing the whole system so one spark doesn’t burn everything down. "Your team kills today’s flames. You shape the...
YOFC Cuts GHG Emissions Intensity 13% in 2025, Boosts ESG Performance
Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable (YOFC) announced a 13.12% year‑on‑year drop in greenhouse‑gas emissions intensity for 2025, eliminating 86,333 tonnes of CO₂. The achievement came alongside a 4.54% fall in energy‑use intensity, a 28.54% reduction in water‑use intensity and the...
A Full Pipeline Doesn’t Equal Real Deals
A full pipeline ≠ real opportunities. Stop confusing activity with progress. Ask better questions. Find real intent. Focus on deals that move. https://t.co/CuMzFy6ZRo
Adapt or Risk Obsolescence in AI-Driven Workplace
AI is not simply replacing jobs. It is changing how work gets done, which skills matter and how companies are structured. The biggest risk may not be AI itself. It may be failing to adapt to the transition. https://t.co/cU4eQH1gNC
China Completes First Smart Production Line for Deepwater Oil & Gas Pipelines
China National Offshore Oil Corporation's offshore engineering unit has finished construction of the country's first intelligent production line for deepwater oil‑gas equipment pipelines at its Zhuhai base. The line, featuring MES, AI vision, robotic welding and AGV transport, entered the...
AI Shifts Engineering Management Focus, Not Playbook
Should tech managers and leaders run the same engineering playbook with AI in the mix? The ideas might be the same, but the focus is probably different. This @InfoQ piece looks at topics like team metrics, skills development, and guardrails. https://t.co/Tt5YEK3x5J