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.
#272 How to Move From Finance Leader to CFO, Richard Turner, GrowCFO Mentor
In this episode, Richard Turner, a seasoned finance professional and new GrowCFO mentor, shares his 40‑year, multi‑industry journey from accountant to CFO, highlighting how humility, core finance fundamentals, and curiosity enable successful sector transitions. He outlines the universal finance leader responsibilities—cash management, cost control, team leadership, and stakeholder partnership—while illustrating these with anecdotes from construction, telecoms, oil & gas, and more. Turner identifies the top concerns keeping CFOs awake: rapid technology change, the need for human‑focused leadership, and supporting increasingly pressured CEOs. He emphasizes that mentoring and coaching are essential for developing these capabilities and for empowering finance teams to navigate transformation.
Interesting: Open Space Events
Martin Fowler highlighted Open Space events as a self‑organizing format where participants set the agenda on the fly. The approach offers a structured yet flexible alternative to informal gatherings like Net::Beer, making it attractive for small tech meetups such as...
I Asked My Team to Record Their Messy AI Workflows—Here's What We Learned
Zapier shifted AI training from polished demos to raw workflow recordings, launching an internal “Behind the Build” series where employees captured their unfiltered problem‑solving with AI. The initiative highlighted behaviors of top AI users—starting with outcomes, iterating prompts, and knowing...
Performance Recognition Drive in Andhra Pradesh
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu announced a new performance‑recognition system for Andhra Pradesh’s civil servants. Monthly appreciation letters will be entered into personal service registers and tied to career weightage, giving high‑performers tangible promotion advantages. The scheme also mandates counseling...
Leadership Wins by Choosing Fewer, Higher‑Impact Priorities
Many leaders chase more. I choose better. I thought growth meant more more meetings, more projects, more noise. It looked productive. It wasn’t. When everything matters, nothing does. Results improve when you remove what doesn’t move them. My rule: • Fewer priorities • Fewer meetings • Fewer distractions • Higher standards Simplicity...
How Task Batching Saves You Hours Every Week
Task batching—grouping similar work into dedicated time blocks—offers a simple yet powerful way to reclaim hours each week. By minimizing context switches, it reduces mental fatigue and keeps professionals in a flow state. The article outlines three mastery levels, from...
Hire an OBM: Boost Execution, Cut Stress
You think doing everything yourself = control. But it actually equals mistakes, delays, and a client experience that is either sloppy , leaves you exhausted or both . You’re losing time, money, and sanity. An OBM who’s in your corner...
AI Shrinks Education Skill Gap by 75% on Tasks
New randomized experiment shows AI narrows skill gaps. We found this among talent levels at the same job, but this paper looks at education. They find that AI reduces the gap between more & less educated people on a business...
The Tides Have Turned: The Forrester Wave™ For EUEM Solutions Is Now DEXM Solutions
Forrester announced that its longstanding End‑User Experience Management (EUEM) Wave will be renamed the Digital Employee Experience Management (DEXM) Wave, reflecting how the market now describes these platforms. The change aligns the research with the terminology used by technology executives,...
Build Systems Now to Scale Your Brand Later
If you want to sell or license, or scale your brand someday, you can’t be the one holding it together today. 🫢 You need to build a business that delivers consistent quality, with or without you in the room. That requires repeatable...
Prioritize Internal Stakeholders; Communicate Hope, Purpose, Authenticity
Recently, my Communication in Organizations class at RWU heard from Theresa Matos Agonia, Chief of Staff at Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Two insights stood out: Internal stakeholders are the most important public. They must be intentionally prioritized. She also says leadership...
Poor Judgment or a Principled Stand? Susan Rice's Spat with Trump Dissected
Former U.S. national security adviser Susan Rice, a Netflix board member, publicly criticized President Donald Trump on a podcast, prompting the president to demand her removal from the board. The outburst coincides with Netflix’s $82.7 billion bid to acquire Warner Bros....
Merck’s Oncology Spin-Out: Organizational Design as Patent Cliff Strategy
Merck has created a standalone oncology business unit to confront the concentration risk posed by Keytruda, which now generates over half of its pharmaceutical sales and faces patent expiry around 2028. The restructuring treats organizational design as a strategic lever...
Expanded US Mining Would Boost Manufacturing's Material Possibilities
The United States is advancing domestic mining projects in Alaska, California, Pennsylvania and Nebraska to produce critical elements such as cobalt, copper, scandium, gallium and germanium. By securing these inputs, manufacturers can revisit alloy families previously deemed too costly or...
Five Essential Communication Channels in the Workplace
The article outlines five core workplace communication channels—instant messaging, email, video conferencing, collaborative platforms, and multimedia—and explains how each supports different workflow needs. It emphasizes the importance of matching the channel to the message’s urgency, audience, and complexity, especially for...
Wispr Flow Delivers Near‑perfect, Instant Multilingual Transcription
Holyshit.. when did Voice Al get so good? This voice Al called Wispr Flow just transcribed Eminem's fastest without missing a single word. It has >> 90% zero edit accuracy >> 500 ms response time >> works in 100+ languages >> works in all apps >> understands...
Merck Reorganizes Human Health Work Into Two New Units
Merck is reorganizing its Human Health division into two distinct units—Oncology and Specialty, Pharma & Infectious Diseases—to sharpen focus as its flagship immuno‑oncology drug Keytruda approaches patent expiry. Jannie Oosthuizen, formerly head of U.S. Human Health, will lead the Oncology...
Prompts Boost Productivity Only Within Established Systems
“20 ChatGPT prompts to boost your productivity.” Useful? Yes. Transformational? Only if used correctly. Here’s the nuance most prompt collections miss 👇 1️⃣ Prompts don’t create productivity — systems do GTD, Pomodoro, Eisenhower, Ivy Lee… These frameworks worked before AI....
Shared GTM Ownership Undermines Momentum and Accountability
Why fragmented ownership quietly kills momentum There’s a moment in many companies where growth doesn’t stall — it dissolves. Nothing is obviously broken. The team is capable. Leaders are engaged. Everyone agrees growth matters. And yet, decisions feel heavier. Execution...
Ship Faster With 10 Roadmap-to-Calendar Workflows
Product teams often miss launch dates because roadmap plans sit separate from daily calendars. A 2023 Gartner survey found only 45% of launches hit original timelines, with calendar misalignment a top cause. The article outlines ten practical workflows—time‑blocking milestones, weekly...
Turn Sales-Dept Friction Into Company Fuel
Sales teams love to blame other departments. “They’re holding us back.” “They don’t get it.” “They’re risk-averse.” Here’s the truth. Without those coworkers, you would blow up the company. And without sales pushing, the company would stall. Patrick Lencioni and I break down why those...
Stop Building Foundations; Start Selling to Generate Profit
You’re too busy building the “foundations” of your agency to work on the only thing that matters. You don’t need: ↳ A logo ↳ A CRM ↳ An LLC ↳ A tagline ↳ A website ↳ A rebrand ↳ A pitch deck ↳ A brand guide ↳ An office space ↳...
Why Does HR Make It So Hard To Fire People? - Part 2
In this episode, Mark and Sarah dissect why managers often feel blocked by HR when trying to terminate underperforming employees. They explain that HR’s reluctance is usually not a blanket opposition but a legal safeguard requiring concrete, contemporaneous documentation of...
PTW/PI All-Stars Book Club – Chapter One
The PTW/PI Book Club launched its first chapter by spotlighting Michael Porter’s three seminal strategy contributions. The piece, drawn from a Harvard Business School “Celebrating Michael Porter” conference, argues Porter saved the strategy academy, bolstered the shift from planning to...
Avoid the Trap of Golden Handcuffs After You Sell
In this episode, Jacob Oros interviews serial entrepreneur James Gardner about his experience selling a manufacturing business and staying on as part of the acquiring company—a situation he describes as "golden handcuffs." Gardner shares how the post‑sale transition felt restrictive,...
Team Topologies Announces Strategic Partnership with TeamForm to Accelerate Enterprise Transformation at Scale
Team Topologies announced a strategic partnership with TeamForm, integrating its flow‑centric operating model framework with TeamForm’s data‑driven execution platform. The collaboration embeds TeamForm in the Team Topologies Success Toolkit, giving enterprises real‑time visibility of team types, cognitive load, and interactions....
Back to Basics: 14 Risk Oversight Rules You Know (But May Be Ignoring)
Jim DeLoach’s article revisits 14 timeless risk‑oversight principles, urging leaders to refresh them with today’s digital capabilities. He stresses that avoiding risk is itself a risk, and that AI, machine learning, and real‑time data can dramatically improve early‑warning systems. The...
What Are Internal Controls in Accounting?
Internal controls are a cornerstone of financial governance, blending preventive measures that stop fraud and cyber threats with detective mechanisms that flag anomalies after they occur. Finance leaders, especially those overseeing IT, must balance these controls to match their organization’s...
Best Places to Work Certification Recognizes Asia-Pacific Organizations for Workplace Excellence
The Best Places to Work Certification Program has honored 15 Asia‑Pacific companies for exemplary workplace culture, strong employee engagement, and innovative HR practices. The assessment focuses on leadership effectiveness, employee experience, and overall culture, highlighting firms that make employees feel...
Limit Availability to Protect Focus and Productivity
Being “always available” is quietly killing your focus. Email. WhatsApp. Messenger. Text. X. Checking them all? That’s hours gone every week. This isn’t a system problem. It’s a communication problem. Choose your main channel. Set response times. Tell people. Simple. Uncomfortable. Powerful. 👉 Read the full post and subscribe...
Skip Semantic Layer Early; Use Native Metrics First
Controversial opinion: don't start with a semantic layer. A semantic layer makes sense when: - You have multiple consumers (BI, notebooks, apps) - KPIs are defined inconsistently across teams - You need a universal API for metrics If you're early stage with one BI tool,...
Leanshoring: Winning with Customers by Bringing the Business Closer
Global supply‑chain shocks and tariff volatility are prompting U.S. firms to reconsider offshoring. Jim Womack’s "leanshoring" model combines lean manufacturing with reshoring, demanding a full‑cost analysis that accounts for risk, intellectual property and skill loss. GE Appliances illustrates the approach,...
3 Tactics for Leading a Team Through Uncertainty
When a company is acquired, leaders suddenly face an uncertain landscape. The author outlines three tactics that helped steer his team through the transition: first, processing personal emotions and preparing for possible outcomes; second, grounding the team by sharing what...
Is Inventory Processing Time Slowing Your Brand’s Growth?
Small and mid‑size brands are losing cash flow when inventory induction time— the period between arrival at a fulfillment center and being sale‑ready—gets stretched. Delays lock capital, force costly expedited freight, and can miss seasonal demand, squeezing margins. A hybrid...
From Agile to Lean Tech: Theodo’s Journey to Scalable Learning
Theodo transformed a failed client project into a catalyst for a 14‑year lean‑tech evolution, merging agile practices with lean thinking to build a learning‑focused delivery system. By embedding visibility, problem‑solving tools and shared responsibility, the firm grew from two founders...
RevOps Roundup: Week 8, 2026
The RevOps Roundup for week 8, 2026 curates a suite of practical resources—from a guide on tracking outbound traffic in lead pipelines to AI workflow best practices and variance analysis techniques. It also highlights podcasts where CROs discuss scaling from $2 M to...
Stabilize Your Brain Before Work with Three Simple Rituals
3 ways to regulate before work: 1. Morning sunlight 2. 5 slow nasal breaths 3. No phone for 30 minutes Your brain stabilizes before input.
4 Ways to Automate Notifications for Mercado Pago
Mercado Pago dominates Latin America’s online payments, but manual post‑purchase tasks still burden sellers. By linking Mercado Pago to Zapier, businesses can trigger workflows that instantly grant course access, update marketing databases, log transactions, and push real‑time alerts. The article...
Learn to Direct AI, Not Fear Job Loss
AI is not replacing your job. It is replacing your tasks. Read AI runs customer support for millions with 5 people, and Lucidya shifts agents into supervision and business roles while AI handles notes and calls. $200M in deals moved through AI systems,...
Retailers Reset Expectations for 2026 – Operations Is Where the Battle Is Won
Australian retailers and e‑commerce firms are entering 2026 with a pragmatic outlook, prioritising operational discipline over aggressive expansion. Productivity has become a frontline commercial issue as labour constraints and cost pressure erode margins. Companies are moving from blunt cost‑cutting to...
Cancel Meetings: Give Teams Time Back This Week
Leaders, you have the chance to do something truly groundbreaking this week. CANCEL THE MEETING. You don’t need another formal update, just let the team provide an email. You don’t need another slide deck/powerpoint to tell you what you already know....
Strategic Choices, Not Platitudes, Uniquely Align Your Company
ICYMI: Fresh new article dropped: Strategy is an integrated set of choices that uniquely positions your company. But what kinds of choices? Not the crappy platitudes like “We put customers first.” The kind that actually aligns everyone in the company to win,...
FUEL THE FUTURE: THE C-SUITE PLAYBOOK FOR BREAKTHROUGH GROWTH
The article outlines a C‑suite playbook for breakthrough growth, urging leaders to shift resources from legacy operations to continuous transformation. It proposes seven strategic levers—including streamlining outdated processes, building long‑term investment cases, hard‑wiring transformation into financial rhythms, and embedding it...
Framer Keeps Entire Project Organized in One Place
Having the whole project in @Framer made it easy to stay organized: assets, sections, layouts all together. https://t.co/SQ2a2X0Nqz
OKRs Can Accelerate College Students' Career Momentum
Do okrs change the game for college students and recent grads? @cwodtke @andrewconstabl9 @Kellblog @erikstarck @TheAmericanCEO @RogerLMartin @WhatMattersOKRs https://t.co/8MQivbe5dz
Schedule Your Priorities; Health and Growth Aren’t Negotiable
If it’s not scheduled, it’s negotiable. And your health, growth, and meaningful work should not be negotiable. The Ultimate Productivity Workshop shows you how to give your priorities a home in your week. Claim your seat today. https://t.co/E53E31bsZG https://t.co/flLmbQCWam
Invest in People: Showcase Your Team’s Proven Expertise
Showcase your team’s expertise and ability to execute. People invest in people. ✨ Highlight the strengths and achievements of your core team, demonstrating that you have the right people to bring your vision to life.
Structured Follow‑Up Boosts Accountability, Trust, and Productivity
Learn how structured follow-up improves accountability, trust, and #Productivity and discover research-backed principles for effective execution. I just published The Productivity Box: Mastering Follow-Up for Smarter, Faster Teams https://t.co/GrRulgGLxk
Ensure Auditors Have Full Data Before Trusting Their Feedback
Be careful of getting "audits" This comes from someone whose agency does 10-15 audits a week for prospective clients. It's very "easy" to find things wrong or find improvements if you don't have all the data, learnings, or inside info. Make sure...
Strategy: Apply What You Have to Thrive Now and Tomorrow
Strategy isn’t theory. It’s how you use what you have to survive today and win tomorrow. #Strategy #Leadership #Business #StrategicThinking #FutureOfWork https://t.co/s5GHVg0CRu