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Productivity News
The Beautiful Mess
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118
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TBM 303: The Current Tech Puzzle (With Diverse Takes)
- Tech companies are facing several problems such as duplicative administrative tasks, an onslaught of meetings, and shifting strategies which are resulting in long work hours for managers.
- Increasing demand for managers to get into details has made work much harder. Teams are filling out engagement surveys, resulting in leadership calling for managers to get into the details as well.
- Managers are drowning in low-value work, however, the fear of layoffs prevents them from calling out the current problems in tech companies.
- Meaningful change requires reducing Work In Progress (WIP) and changing architecture, code ownership, and business model. However, the shifting technological and economical climates result in naturally hectic situations.
- Teams are likely to be playing an evermore elaborate game of Tetris to cope which exacerbates problems and makes investing time in “boring” work, harder to refactor and improve.
- Leadership needs to focus on removing out-dated work practices and enforcing processes that encourage team members to say “no” without escalating things up the chain.
- For dissent to be allowed and welcomed, leaders have to communicate effectively with each other and remove development-by-committee practices.
- Limiting the work in progress (WIP) has been cited as the key to solving problems related to administrative overhead, reducing technical debt and increasing productivity.
- The current context requires firms and leaders to recognize the different phases, corresponding to different gears, of market conditions, customer readiness, capability maturity, economic willingness to pay, competitive alternatives, etc. and allow the gears to shift accordingly.
- It is imperative that leadership establishes a clear process for concerns, build trust, and create an environment where failures are acceptable and seen as learning opportunities.
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Minis
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1.8k
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Uday Shankar, the 15-Year-Old Redefining AI in India
- Uday Shankar, a 15-year-old prodigy from India, is revolutionizing the AI landscape as the CTO of Urav Advanced Learning System Pvt Ltd in Kochi, Kerala.
- Dropping out of school in eighth grade, Uday followed his passion for science and technology, mastering skills in AI, augmented reality, and game development. He has authored four research papers, holds three patents, and created fifteen games, nine programs, and seven apps.
- His notable projects include the "Hi Friends" app, enabling users to create avatars and communicate in any language, and "Clean Alka," an AI chatbot. Uday’s achievements earned him the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Ignited Mind Award 2030.
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Lenny's Newsletter
9M
455
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Improve strategy, influence, and decision-making by understanding your brain | Evan LaPointe (founder of CORE Sciences)
- Evan LaPointe is the founder of CORE Sciences, which teaches companies and individuals how our brains work and how that translates to improved collaboration, better products, faster decision-making, and more growth.
- Understanding the different systems of the brain can help you become more influential, increase productivity and creativity, and improve your vision and strategy skills.
- Structure meetings with diamond thinking to generate diverse ideas before focusing on decision-making.
- Creating a supportive “habitat” and team environment that values different ways of thinking can prevent issues like excessive focus on ROI or rigid adherence to procedures.
- To build better relationships at work, focus on being a positive experience, assess and build trust at three levels and encourage open, honest discussions about differing beliefs and opinions.
- Enhancing focus can be achieved by allocating time for activities that foster daydreaming and creativity, designating specific times for focused, high-output tasks, and setting aside dedicated periods for deep, intensive work.
- Stop assuming people are similar to you. Instead, build the muscle for getting along with people very different from you.
- The brain has three main systems: safety, reward, and purpose. Understanding how these systems work can help you optimize your own performance and better motivate your team.
- When faced with a problem or decision, identify which “department” of your brain you’re using, and actively choose the department to consult based on the problem at hand.
- Reverse engineer your desired outcome to understand the inputs and processes that lead to that outcome.
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Leah’s ProducTea
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194
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How to find your first ICP Guide
- Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) defines the properties of most valuable customers, while target market or total addressable market includes every possible company that might buy product or service.
- ICP should be a description of perfect customer for B2B SaaS business and encapsulate who customers are from a firmographic perspective as well as their use cases or JTBD.
- Identifying ICP ultimately helps focus on attracting and selling to the right customers and building a product that delivers maximum value to them and in exchange, they stick around the longest, spend the most, and spread the word for you.
- The hidden costs of not defining an ICP include wasted marketing spend, lower conversion rates, increased customer churn, product-market misalignment, inefficient use of resources, loss of competitive edge.
- Quantitative analysis identifies most profitable and loyal customer segments, qualitative analysis provides a deeper understanding of their needs and behaviors, and market analysis validates the opportunity from market perspective.
- ICP should be constantly refining and redefined entirely as gaining a new understanding of market and customers.
- Aligning team around an ICP is one of the single biggest high-impact activities a company can do to reduce churn and accelerate growth.
- Courses like 'How to find your Ideal Customer Profile 'ICP' in B2B SaaS' can be helpful for learning more.
- Defining ICP is not a set-and-forget exercise, and you should be constantly refining and, in some cases, redefining it entirely as you gain a new understanding of the market and your customers.
- Aligning your team around an ICP is one of the single biggest high-impact activities you can do as a company to reduce churn and accelerate growth.
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Minis
9M
12.2k
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1 Lakh Jobs Axed In July In The Technology Sector: How To Secure Your Position Amidst Massive Tech Layoffs In 2024
- In 2024, the tech sector faces unprecedented challenges, with over 124,000 layoffs globally, including 8,000 in July alone. Companies like Intel and Microsoft are cutting jobs due to economic pressures and rapid technological shifts.
- To secure your position, focus on continuous upskilling, particularly in emerging areas like AI and cloud computing. Showcase your achievements, enhance your soft skills, and network strategically both within and outside your organization.
- Adaptability and a proactive approach in high-impact projects are key.
- Additionally, consider diversifying your income and stay informed about industry trends to navigate this volatile landscape.
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Minis
10M
82.9k
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Demanding a 100% salary hike? Here’s how to negotiate CTC at your new job
- Justify Your Demand: While quoting a high figure is easy, back up your demand with measurable outcomes from your previous job and your plans for the new role.
- Understand the Industry: Research the economic climate and sector. A 100% hike might be unrealistic in a tight job market or declining industry.
- Be Ready to Adjust: Budget constraints might limit salary offers. Flexibility in negotiations can lead to a better overall package.
- Consider Total Compensation: Evaluate other benefits like appraisals, insurance, housing, and stock options.
- Focus on Long-Term Value: Perks like flexible hours, professional development, and bonus schemes contribute significantly to your overall compensation.
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The Beautiful Mess
10M
201
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TBM 305: Stop the (Goal) Cascade Madness
- Goal cascades are compelling, but they don’t work nearly as well as we think they do.
- Every front-line product team should have an array of stable metrics they care about.
- Teams often say establishing their core metrics is hard if they don’t stay focused on one thing.
- Bets involve unique metrics that are more ephemeral but determine if the thing is working as expected.
- Teams should set goals using a core metric, a bet metric, or some feasible input into #1 or #2.
- There should be a causal model or framework underpinning the goals that mimic the org chart.
- The confusion comes from imagining the teams are at the bottom of the cascade.
- You don’t need big goal cascades in most cases; you only really need two levels of cascading goals.
- Start where it really counts – teams. Yes, leadership should evolve the strategy.
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Minis
10M
10
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How to fill the gap in your resume after a layoff
- Filling resume gaps post-layoff involves highlighting freelancing, volunteering, or short-term contracts. Professor Dame Heather McGregor of Heriot-Watt University advises listing continuous learning and upskilling efforts.
- For fresh graduates, internships and industry-specific experiences are essential, showcasing practical skills and reliability. Even jobs like working in a fish and chip shop demonstrate valuable traits. Employers prioritize technical skills, good grades, critical thinking, communication, and teamwork.
- Universities like Heriot-Watt are forming partnerships with companies, such as their collaboration with TCS on a cybersecurity course, to enhance student employability and bridge industry-academic gaps.
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Lenny's Newsletter
10M
474
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Ethan Smith: The power of internal linking for SEO
- Ethan Smith is the SEO expert who worked with Upwork, Medium, and Masterclass to help them grow their business. SEO involves increasing website visibility to bring in more organic traffic, and good internal linking is an essential, but often overlooked aspect of this. Internal links are a means of connecting pages of the same website, allowing search engines to better understand a site’s structure, distributing link equity and improving the user experience. Ethan recommends 5-10 internal links per page, with anchor text being relevant to the content. Editorial SEO is more effective than programmatic SEO in driving traffic and consists of manually written content. Additionally, AI tools may harm your content by producing inaccurate information.
- Internal linking, an essential aspect of SEO, is often overlooked by companies. It allows search engines to better understand the structure of a site and is a means of distributing link equity and improving the user experience.
- Internal linking is a means of connecting pages of the same website. Good internal links involve both contextual and navigational links.
- Contextual links connect one web page to another internally, within body content, driving deeper engagement with visitors. Navigational links are used in the header, footer or sidebar of a website.
- Internal links, in addition to being a valuable tool for distributing link equity, can also target specific keywords, teach search engines about a website's structure, and improve the user experience.
- Ethan recommends using anchor text that is relevant to the content when linking pages, and at least 5-10 links per page. Additionally, Ethan believes editorial SEO is more effective than programmatic SEO in driving traffic.
- AI tools like ChatGPT have the capability to extract structure, identify topics and perform keyword research, but they shouldn't be used for manual writing. GPT-3 sentences may or may not be accurate.
- Google weighs pages with accurate and relevant content more heavily, so GPT-3 sentences that are unreliable could harm users and business.
- For companies looking to develop an internal linking strategy to improve search rankings, Ethan recommends conducting a site audit, identifying best-performing pages, identifying related content, and linking related content to the best-performing pages.
- Enterprise companies like Masterclass, Medium, and Upwork turned to Ethan Smith to optimize their search engine optimization (SEO). SEO includes increasing website visibility to bring in more organic traffic. Good internal linking is an essential aspect of this.
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Lenny's Newsletter
10M
438
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On asking for help (even when you really don’t want to)
- Learning to effectively ask for help can be a career unlock according to many leaders.
- People often believe that asking for help can make them appear weak or incapable of doing their job.
- Asking for help can be specifically salient among product managers, as they are lauded for their ownership of problems.
- Asking for help does not diminish your ownership or credibility, but can increase your agency and build higher-trust relationships.
- Navigating fears associated with asking and making your asks more effective are important for incorporating this skill into your life.
- Increasing your awareness of emotions and allowing your fear without changing it can help you to address your fears.
- Offering yourself internal security with cognitive reframes can also shift you in the moment towards possibility rather than pessimism.
- Expanding your edges of fear through experimentation and data gathering is vital for facing your fear and stress.
- Once you have navigated your fear, start making the ask by using a structure tailored to your situation.
- Effective asking starts with what you need help with, who can help, and the specific details of your ask.
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Minis
10M
2.3k
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'Never quit your job': Self-made multimillionaire lists benefits of engineering a layoff instead
- Self-made multimillionaire Sam Dogen, founder of Financial Samurai, advises professionals to consider getting laid off rather than quitting.
- Dogen, a former banker who has generated over Rs 3 crore through investments, found orchestrating a layoff more financially beneficial.
- By engineering his layoff over a decade ago, he received three months of base salary plus a substantial severance, which, combined with his passive income, allowed him to retire early.
- Dogen recommends negotiating a layoff for those planning to leave their jobs, as it often offers more financial security than resigning voluntarily.
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Minis
10M
1.6k
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Investor sparks a row by saying ₹25 LPA salary is ‘nothing’ in this day and age
- Investor Sourav Dutta has stirred controversy by claiming that a ₹25 lakh per annum salary is “nothing” in today’s market, suggesting tech salaries are distorting the industry.
- Dutta, who previously faced backlash for labeling people with ₹50 lakh net worth as “lower middle class,” argued that a ₹30 lakh salary after five years is common.
- Critics, including techies and data engineers, dispute his claims, pointing out that such salaries are rare, particularly at major IT firms like TCS, and often require frequent job changes. The debate highlights ongoing frustration with salary stagnation in the tech sector.
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Minis
10M
2.2k
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Ex-Microsoft employee who got fired, shares why he is thankful to Microsoft
- In 2005, Kapil Kulshreshtha, a Sr. Program Manager at Microsoft India, faced an abrupt layoff with no warning—just a cheque and a door.
- In a LinkedIn post, he shared his emotional turmoil, including anger and confusion, and his initial step of seeking closure by meeting his former manager. He described the subsequent job hunt as challenging but ultimately found a position at Cognizant.
- Reflecting on the experience, Kulshreshtha viewed the layoff as a pivotal moment that pushed him to reassess his goals and career path. He encouraged others facing similar situations to seek support and stay resilient.
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Minis
10M
2.3k
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Delhi NCR: Powerhouse of India's Startup Ecosystem
- Delhi NCR is emerging as a dominant force in India's startup landscape, accounting for nearly 78% of the country's listed startup value.
- An impressive 45% of all listed Indian startups call Delhi NCR home, showcasing the region's entrepreneurial vigor. Among the top five most valued listed startups, four—Zomato ($23BN), Infoedge ($11BN), Makemytrip ($9.4BN), and Policybazaar ($8.1BN)—are headquartered in Delhi NCR.
- According to Inc42’s latest report, Delhi NCR was the third most funded startup hub in H1 2024, raising $1.06 billion across 91 startup deals. This thriving ecosystem underscores Delhi NCR's pivotal role in India's startup success story.
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Minis
10M
1.9k
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The worst way to answer ‘What are your weaknesses?’ according to a 25-year hiring pro
- Answering "What are your weaknesses?" with clichés like "perfectionist" or "workaholic" is a mistake, says Tom Gimbel, CEO of LaSalle Network.
- Instead, Gimbel, who has hired hundreds over 25 years, advises showing self-awareness and solutions for your shortcomings. Employers want to know how you address your weaknesses.
- Prepare by identifying a technical or soft skill you’re working to improve and describe the actions you’re taking, such as taking classes or seeking mentorship.
- Gimbel’s top interview tip: Be honest and humble about your weaknesses, and demonstrate your proactive approach to overcoming them.
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