Slow That Drip!

Optimization Eats Transformation For Breakfast

Struggling to define a successful year and set achievable goals is hampered by perfectionism and overthinking. The quest for dramatic transformation often overshadows the value of progressive optimization, doesn't it? https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38675686

Implementing four productivity habits has significantly enhanced a software engineer's work efficiency, emphasizing flow, shortcuts, reference materials, and task refusal. https://read.engineerscodex.com/p/simple-software-engineering-habits

Exploring the complexities of transitioning an agency to a partner-owner structure, the article lists 19 critical questions to consider before sharing equity with employees. The romantic notion of partnership is scrutinized against the harsh light of practicality and potential complications. https://sakasandcompany.com/employee-ownership-risks/

A farmer, a business, and leverage; a meditation on useful power imbalances. https://knighterrant.co/power-dynamics/

Specialization Is A Competitive Advantage

Michael Porter's strategy for businesses to escape competition involves innovating in business models and being fundamentally different, like a turtle among rabbits. Differentiation FTW. https://knighterrant.co/the-courage-to-not-be-a-rabbit/

Becoming an expert in a specific field can accelerate your career progression as it positions you as a sought-after leader and advisor. This aligns perfectly with the notion that specialization is not just beneficial but essential for standing out in today's competitive landscape. https://careercutler.substack.com/p/becoming-a-go-to-person-gets-you

Developers specializing in missions to remote areas must adapt their tools and methods to ensure functionality without reliable connectivity. Specialization here clearly demonstrates its competitive advantage, enabling success in challenging environments where generalist approaches may fail. https://www.bitecode.dev/p/preparing-for-missions-in-difficult

You Don't Need To (globally) Double Anything

Companies are overstaffing product managers who end up focusing on project management rather than optimizing the product, suggesting a need for fewer PMs. Less can indeed be more when it comes to staffing, achieving greater system output through smaller, focused improvements. https://kitemaker.co/blog/more_product_fewer_pms

Clients often try to shift accountability to third parties in project planning, but this confusion between risk and project management can lead to failure. One wonders why the client's role in owning project success isn't more universally acknowledged. https://mattrucker.com/risk-management-is-not-project-management/

Startups entering 2024 must demonstrate their value more rigorously than before. Expect this to ripple out through the startup ecosystem (maybe to your business?) https://techcrunch.com/2023/12/17/it-budgets-2024-predictions/

Tracking the "Rev/FTE" metric, which measures agency revenue per full-time equivalent team member, is a singularly important KPI for gauging and improving agency productivity. https://sakasandcompany.com/agency-productivity-kpi/

ESOPs are a flawed structure, unable to deliver on their promises, despite noble intentions and the allure of employee ownership. https://punctuation.com/skip-the-esop/

They Blinded Me With Science

Research says: trust in AI-generated content is influenced by whether participants are aware of the authorship, with skepticism rising when they are informed about AI involvement. https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/851727548/0/marginalrevolution~Do-people-trust-humans-more-than-Chat-GPT.html