Today's Management Pulse
Systems Creep Undermines Productivity as Leaders Overload Toolkits
Leaders are rapidly adding project‑management apps, chat tools, AI assistants and dashboards faster than output improves, a trend dubbed “systems creep.” A study of 137 Fortune 500 workers shows employees toggle between applications about 1,200 times per day, costing roughly four hours of productive time each week.
Meeting Culture: Hidden Costs, Pitfalls and Practical Guidelines
The article quantifies the hidden costs of workplace meetings, showing that a one‑hour session can consume nearly three hours of employee time and cost roughly $300 per participant. It highlights how late starts, agenda‑free invites, and over‑inclusion inflate expenses through preparation, context‑switching, and decision‑fatigue. The author outlines common pitfalls such as chronic lateness, social loafing in large groups, and lack of accountability. Finally, practical guidelines are offered to redesign meeting culture, from pre‑meeting justification to post‑meeting follow‑up, aiming to reclaim productivity and reduce waste.
Steve Jobs’ 10-80-10 Rule Is Even More Useful in the AI Era
The article revisits Steve Jobs’ evolution from a detail‑obsessed micromanager to a proponent of the 10‑80‑10 rule, a talent‑allocation framework that designates 10% of a team as top performers, 80% as solid contributors, and the remaining 10% as under‑performers. It...
8 AI Tools Creators Swear By to Create More Content, Faster
The first quarter of 2026 is being labeled the year of AI efficiency, highlighted by the SaaSpocalypse that erased roughly $300 billion in SaaS valuations. High‑profile moves like Jack Dorsey's 40 percent cut at Square signal executives see AI as a structural...
What Does It Take to Be a Great Coaching Manager?
Great coaching managers prioritize dedicated coaching time despite competing operational demands. They earn credibility by performing their own roles competently and modeling curiosity rather than authority. By advocating for their people, they balance accountability with supportive feedback, and they treat...
Why Your RTO Strategy Needs Purposeful In-Person Experiences (Not Mandates)
New research reveals that forward‑looking leaders are reshaping return‑to‑office (RTO) strategies by embedding purposeful in‑person experiences rather than imposing attendance mandates. These activations—ranging from purpose‑driven days and inclusive cultural events to skill‑building workshops—strengthen employee connection to mission, foster belonging, accelerate...
Exclusive: Oro Labs, Which Uses AI to Streamline Corporate Procurement, Raises $100 Million
Oro Labs announced a $100 million Series C round, led by Goldman Sachs Growth Equity and Brighton Park Capital, bringing its total funding to $160 million. The Silicon Valley AI startup, which overlays existing ERP and procurement systems with an orchestration platform, reported...
I’ve Facilitated 1,000+ Meetings. Here’s Why Most of Yours Are Failing—And How to Fix Them
A veteran facilitator who has run over 1,000 meetings identifies five common pitfalls that make most gatherings ineffective. The article stresses starting each agenda item with a clear outcome, timeboxing discussions, limiting invitations to essential participants, and conducting regular meeting...
From Case to Culture: Holding Managers Accountable for Managing
Senior leaders are expected to gauge how well their direct reports manage their teams, yet many lack insight into lower‑level dynamics. This blind spot can allow problematic behaviors, such as bullying or micromanagement, to persist unchecked. A recent unfair dismissal...
Delivering Results: Key Competencies for Project Leaders
Project leadership now demands more than technical know‑how; new managers must blend industry insight with broader team orchestration. Building a skills map helps identify expertise gaps and leverages distributed knowledge across disciplines. Effective managers use visual timelines, routine check‑ins, and...
Great Entrepreneurs Fire Incompetence, Not Fear
The difference between successful business owners and shitty business owners: They know how to get rid of incompetent people. If you are too afraid to fire people, you will never be a good entrepreneur. 50% of humans are incompetent.
Stop Rescuing Your Team: How to Ask for Help and Make Everything Better
The article warns that high‑performing leaders often rescue their teams by taking on work that should be shared, which unintentionally suppresses team growth. It outlines a four‑step framework: make workload visible, clarify ownership, replace rescue with explicit agreements, and tolerate...
Compensation Without Chaos: Designing Plans That Work
Sales compensation plans are under intense scrutiny as companies grapple with volatility. The article argues that overly complex plans hinder productivity, while overly simple ones miss revenue nuances, and proposes a balanced approach that keeps designs straightforward yet aligned with...
The Toxic Mix of Absence and Micromanagement
There is the boss who swings from completely absent to micro-management and I don't think we talk enough about what that hybrid creates.
Nearly Half of U.S. Workers Say They're Workaholics, Survey Finds
Monster’s Workaholics Report finds nearly half of U.S. full‑time employees identify as workaholics, with 75% logging more than 40 hours weekly. The survey attributes workaholic tendencies to employer expectations (47%) and personal ambition (44%), while 11% work over 60 hours....
Early‑Morning Hustle Hurts Doctors: Embrace Natural Energy Peaks
The 4:00 a.m. executive wake up call is a productivity myth, and it is actively driving physician burnout. As healthcare leaders and professionals, we often feel pressured to be online before dawn just to keep up with the inbox. But what...
Online Workshop: Leading Through Relentless Change
FIPP is hosting a 60‑minute online workshop titled “Leading through relentless change” on 24 March at 3 pm GMT, aimed at media leaders grappling with platform shifts, AI disruption, restructures and low employee engagement. Speakers Mary Langan and Chris Kerwin, both seasoned executives from...
What It Takes to Scale an MSP Profitably in 2026: Tools, Commercial Models and Mindset
Managed service providers (MSPs) are confronting a paradox: revenue and client counts are rising, yet profit margins are eroding. The primary culprit is tool sprawl, which drives licensing, training, and integration costs while diluting engineering efficiency. Profitable MSPs are countering...
KPMG Offers Staff ‘Outsize’ Cash Prizes for AI Innovation
KPMG has launched the AI Spark Innovation program for its U.S. advisory division, offering cash prizes that exceed typical year‑end bonuses. The awards target consultants who demonstrate tangible AI‑driven solutions, with a particular emphasis on junior staff. By tying payouts...
How Gap Is Trying to Get Its Cool Back
Gap Inc. is leveraging its 1990s heritage to revive brand relevance, spotlighting iconic archive imagery while launching a fresh, music‑video‑style campaign. The new ad features Katseye, a Gen Z girl group, designed for short‑form platforms like TikTok. Within days, teens began...
Build Systems After You’ve Done It, Not Before
You wrote an SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) for something you’ve never done. That’s not a system. That’s a guess. You haven’t onboarded a single client yet, but you have a 12-step onboarding document. You haven’t hired anyone, but you’ve got a...
Coaching Expectation Misfires: Managers Lack Time, Incentive
It was about 10-15 years ago I started hearing about managers needing to be coaches/mentors in tech. Outliers aside, this was a terrible expectation to set up. Managers rarely have the skillset/time for this and even if they do, there are too...
Choosing the Right Leadership: External vs Internal Candidates for C-Suite Success
Choosing between internal and external C‑suite candidates hinges on trade‑offs between cultural continuity and fresh insight. Internal hires offer faster, cheaper transitions and reinforce employee motivation, while external hires expand the talent pool, introduce new perspectives, and can drive transformative...
In‑house Construction Risks Marginal Deals During Pipeline Lulls
As a value-add real estate operator or developer with a rapidly growing deal pipeline, can be *very* tempting to in-house the construction function. The upsides are: more transparency around pricing, more control and (if you do it well) some additional profit. However,...
True Productivity: Intentional Habits, Not Endless Busyness
What real productivity looks like: - Plan your day night before - Start before you're ready - Do the hardest task first - Improve 1 thing daily - Finish what you start - Rest with intention - Protect mornings - Work in silence - Review output - Track results Stop chasing...
5 Ways to Strengthen Restaurant Culture as a General Manager
General managers are the architects of restaurant culture, shaping daily operations beyond the front‑of‑house service. Kyle Brown outlines five practical pillars—strict punctuality, comprehensive pre‑service communication, unwavering standards, supportive systems like tip pooling, and hands‑on cross‑training—to embed trust and consistency. By...
Praise Publicly, Criticize Privately: Protect Your Managerial Seat
This is why you need to learn how to "manage up". I personally follow one rule: praise in public, criticize in private. If I have something good to say, I say it in front of the whole team. If I...
Standardized Playbooks, Not Unicorns, Drive Scalable Success
McDonald’s doesn’t need world-class chefs at every restaurant. That’s the whole point. My second job ever when I was 14 was working at McDonald’s. At 14, the best meal I could make on my own was a bowl of cereal or...
How to Stop Firefighting in Business
The article argues that chronic firefighting in companies is a symptom of a broken system, not a temporary workload spike. By redesigning operational infrastructure—defining clear roles, establishing consistent processes, and applying accountability—leaders can shift from constant triage to strategic leadership....
High Performance Means Building Conditions for Team Results
"High performance" is one of the most abused terms in business. It's vague enough to mean anything. Boards love it because it sounds strategic. Senior leaders love it because it gives them cover to fire people fast and call it...
Before You Automate Order Management, Fix These 3 Things First
Automation is becoming a top priority for order‑to‑cash teams, yet APQC research shows that 35% of firms still struggle without core process foundations. Standardized workflows, cross‑functional collaboration, and a customer‑experience focus are identified as the three prerequisites before scaling automation....
Seabridge Management Issued 2026 Assignments
Seabridge Gold’s board set 16 performance objectives for 2026, with a heavy focus on securing a partner for the KSM copper‑gold project. The 2025 report card was a D+, though the company met 88% of its targets, the missing KSM...
Remote Owners Face Hidden Risks in Delegated Management
Case Study: Managing a Business with a Remote Owner: The Hidden Challenges Today, I want to discuss a common scenario in business ownership: when an owner spends most of their time away from the business and relies on a manager to...
Lead Management: AI Automation with Impact
Zapier analyzed 10,000 AI‑powered workflows and found nearly one‑third designed for lead management. These Zaps automate capture, enrichment, routing, and follow‑up, using AI to extract data from unstructured sources and score prospects. The broader study also highlighted AI use in...
Most Important Hotel KPIs in 2026
Hotel operators must modernise their KPI frameworks to stay competitive in 2026. Traditional metrics such as guest satisfaction, revenue management and operational efficiency remain core, while sustainability, digital engagement and employee retention are emerging as critical indicators. Advanced technology—cloud‑based PMS,...
Well‑designed Systems Simplify, Not Complicate, Business Operations
Most founders assume systems will make their business more complicated. More tools. More dashboards. More things to manage. But good systems do the opposite. They create clarity. Your team knows where things live, what happens next, and how work moves through the business without...
AI Agents Will Turn Org Charts Into Autonomous Hierarchies
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀. 📦 𝗔𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗼𝗻 → clean hierarchy, optimized for execution. 🧠 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗴𝗹𝗲 → brilliant ideas… connected by 400 meetings. 🌐 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 → everything connected to everything. 🪟 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗼𝗳𝘁 → silos… occasionally firing at each other. 🍏 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 → one vision in...
The Suspicion Economy: Why Low-Trust Organisations Are Racking up ‘AI Cultural Debt’
Deloitte’s 2026 Human Capital Trends report warns that rapid AI roll‑outs without clear cultural guidelines are creating a growing "AI cultural debt" across organisations. The study finds over half of leaders view AI’s cultural impact as critical, yet only 5%...
Enterprise AI Success Requires Coordinated Usage
Enterprises are going to have to solve the problem of coordinating AI usage to achieve any real business benefits. Good read by @gsivulka . Also - big part of why I joined the BOD of @Larridin w/ @rfradin @jlarrison who are...
DAO-Wide Justification Inevitably Slows Strategic Execution
"If you have to justify your entire strategic plan for the next year to everyone in the DAO, it is naturally going to force you to move slower" @syrupsid https://t.co/iSjFuEDUZe
Lean Tips Edition #329 (#3961- #3975)
Lean Journey released Lean Tips Edition #329, presenting tips #3961‑3975 that distill core lean principles for organizations. The tips stress reflection to keep goals relevant, process stability as a foundation for performance, and visual daily management to make targets visible....
Prioritize One Goal Weekly, Ditch Multitasking
I used to think multitasking was my superpower. Until I found out that multitasking is unresolved prioritization. If everything is urgent, nothing is ranked correctly. Instead, just pick one primary objective for the week. Everything else supports it or waits.
KPIs Should Measure Product Management’s Health, Capability, Growth
“Your #prodmgmt KPIs should reveal the organizational health of your #ProductManagement function & its performance in the most important dimensions of success. Focus on the vital few measures that illustrate functional contribution, capability & growth.” https://t.co/WMJWQdicPF https://t.co/yTLeus6Ab8
Resource Constraints and Churn Hinder Client Success
Internal resource constraints and team churn are major client issues, often overlooked. It's a humbling reminder that even with a skilled team, no one has all the answers to complex project management. #ClientManagement #ProjectSuccess #TeamDynamics https://t.co/faWt5F0K2k
New Edition Explores Transformation System Behind Deming's 14 Points
📘 My favorite leadership read this week. What’s on your list? 💡 A new edition of a book that details the system of transformation underlying the 14 Points for Management presented in Deming's Out of the Crisis. Helpful resource: 🔗 https://t.co/QPlT94qhvC https://t.co/vl4JdTPmtM
Scaling Up: From 10 ICs to 10 Managers
If you don't have this problem, you're falling behind: OH: "I used to manage 10 IC engineers. Now I manage 10 engineers that each manage 10 agents. So now I'm a manager of managers... I've had to build an entire pipeline...
Adopt a Collect, Organ
Notes. Screenshots. Slack messages. Voice memos. Random ideas at 11:47PM. You’re collecting nonstop. But without a daily organise habit, chaos wins. COD closes the loop. Collect. Organise. Do. Simple framework. Massive mental relief. https://t.co/edEGsruY96 https://t.co/jfmGGIFCdT
AI Assistant Vellum Answers Calls and Handles Tasks
🚨 I've been using an AI that literally picks up my phone calls for me. Not a chatbot. Not another browser tab. An actual personal assistant that lives on my computer and gets shit done. It's called Vellum. Here's what it did for me...
AI Coding Rush Sacrifices Quality and Customer Focus
When it comes to AI agents / AI tooling + coding, I hear an awful lot of talk about: Efficiency Iteration speed / PR output rate / lines of codes produced I hear zero mentions about: Quality Customer obsession This will bite back, and it...
Rethink AI Overuse: Teams, Products, Quality Impact
It’s refreshing to question HOW teams use AI, and the impact it has on teams, products, quality. Especially the overuse question This is coming from one of the most popular AI agent tools, OpenCode btw
Align Decisions with Business Goals, Even if Unpopular
It's okay if the business or tech teams don't 'like' a decision. If it aligns with overall business goals, the added cost or complexity might be worth it. Off-the-shelf software might not be ideal, but if it drives objectives, it...