The tech mechitza

I was confronted with first-hand evidence that meritocracy is a myth that results in both a consolidated and homogeneous face of power.

Stuck — how leaders get trapped, and how to save yourself

Growth happens when you let go of the behaviours and attitudes that no longer help you.

NewsletterJohnathan NightingaleOctober 12, 2016Melissa Nightingale, Johnathan Nightingale, Raw Signal Group, RSG, Worlds Best Newsletter, Management, Leadership, Management Training, Leadership Training, power, change, reflection, delegation, startup, business strategy

Thanksgiving

The conversations are why we do it. We have both had the opportunity to learn from so many amazing people, in such different organizations. We want to give back where we can.

NewsletterJohnathan NightingaleOctober 10, 2016Melissa Nightingale, Johnathan Nightingale, Raw Signal Group, RSG, Worlds Best Newsletter, Management, Leadership, Management Training, Leadership Training, power, change, reflection, community

Are strong values destroying your company?

Spell out what you’re thinking as you set your values. Repeat those interpretations whenever you teach or revisit those values.

NewsletterJohnathan NightingaleOctober 4, 2016Melissa Nightingale, Johnathan Nightingale, Raw Signal Group, RSG, Worlds Best Newsletter, Management, Leadership, Management Training, Leadership Training, power, change, reflection, psychological safety, flexibility, values, community, accountability

Maternity leave — an American in Canada

When I’m honest with myself, I let my brain acknowledge what my heart already knows. I’m lucky to be a mom in Canada.

NewsletterJohnathan NightingaleOctober 1, 2016Melissa Nightingale, Johnathan Nightingale, Raw Signal Group, RSG, Worlds Best Newsletter, Management, Leadership, Management Training, Leadership Training, power, change, reflection, psychological safety, flexibility

How to be a better leader in 4 badly drawn charts

Relationship-oriented managers and results-oriented managers are looking at almost completely different pieces of the job.

Why it’s a mistake to hire superheroes

You haven’t hired someone who thrives in chaos. You’ve hired someone who sows chaos.

NewsletterJohnathan NightingaleSeptember 23, 2016Melissa Nightingale, Johnathan Nightingale, Raw Signal Group, RSG, Worlds Best Newsletter, Management, Leadership, Management Training, Leadership Training, leading through uncertainty, power, change, performance, startup, hiring, accountability

How I talk to leaders about firing people

It’s hard to generalize on the subject of performance issues and firing.

NewsletterJohnathan NightingaleSeptember 20, 2016Melissa Nightingale, Johnathan Nightingale, Raw Signal Group, RSG, Worlds Best Newsletter, Management, Leadership, Management Training, Leadership Training, leading through uncertainty, power, change, performance, startup, hiring, accountability, firing

Why it’s a mistake to be a startup superhero

This is the story of how I hung up my cape and discovered my true superpowers. Let’s start at the beginning.

NewsletterJohnathan NightingaleSeptember 14, 2016Melissa Nightingale, Johnathan Nightingale, Raw Signal Group, RSG, Worlds Best Newsletter, Management, Leadership, Management Training, Leadership Training, leading through uncertainty, power, change, performance, startup, community

Is it worth your time to be excellent?

I manage teams. I lead people. And I try to help them build products people love. Maybe you do something similar. I’m still working on my 10,000 hours. And whenever I stall, I find that the same thing gets me out of it.

NewsletterJohnathan NightingaleSeptember 13, 2016Melissa Nightingale, Johnathan Nightingale, Raw Signal Group, RSG, Worlds Best Newsletter, Management, Leadership, Management Training, Leadership Training, leading through uncertainty, power, change, performance

How fucked up is your management?

No one who takes management seriously, and does it well, finds this stuff easy. No one who’s been at it for very long imagines that there are shortcuts.

NewsletterJohnathan NightingaleSeptember 7, 2016Melissa Nightingale, Johnathan Nightingale, Raw Signal Group, RSG, Worlds Best Newsletter, Management, Leadership, Management Training, Leadership Training, leading through uncertainty, power, change, hiring, performance, flexibility, office perks

Bullies, bylines, and that other B word

“This is one of the things that sucks for women in leadership. There is an inverse relationship between seniority and likability. The higher you go, the less likeable your coworkers will find you.”

NewsletterJohnathan NightingaleSeptember 6, 2016Melissa Nightingale, Johnathan Nightingale, Raw Signal Group, RSG, Worlds Best Newsletter, Management, Leadership, Management Training, Leadership Training, leading through uncertainty, power, change, delegation, community, managing up

You can’t be what you can’t see

I read the piece wondering how a reporter came to interview all men for a tech piece and didn’t notice(?), didn’t care(?), or, worse, didn’t think speaking to female tech execs or entrepreneurs would provide an important perspective for the piece(?).

NewsletterMelissa NightingaleAugust 31, 2016Melissa Nightingale, Johnathan Nightingale, Raw Signal Group, RSG, Worlds Best Newsletter, Management, Leadership, Management Training, Leadership Training, power

Valley Extraction — how to hire senior talent away from Silicon Valley in four easy steps

Here are four steps to loosen the Silicon Valley deathgrip on talent you’d like to recruit.

Why more companies don’t do remote work (and probably shouldn’t)

Remote work, done well, is great. I’ve got no quarrel with the concept. But shaming companies who don’t do it doesn’t sit right with me any more, even given the arguments above.

NewsletterJohnathan NightingaleAugust 29, 2016Melissa Nightingale, Johnathan Nightingale, Raw Signal Group, RSG, Worlds Best Newsletter, Management, Leadership, Management Training, Leadership Training, psychological safety, performance, uncertainty, power, change, office perks, remote, remote work

Privilege, illegal interviews, and burning curiosity

We need to start by acknowledging that many people, particularly minorities in tech, are not in a position to write a post about every sexist or illegal hiring practice they encounter.

Unlimited vacation and other forms of guilt-based management

If the goal of unlimited vacation is to encourage people to take care of themselves, and to take the time they need, we should ask “does it achieve that goal?”