Just Thoughts #31: Just goes Free
All content now free to consume. Also, discussing performance review systems and remote work statements that feel "off".
Welcome! You’re either inspired, or you are not when reading these thoughts. The first rule of Just thoughts is, “Why should I think that way?”. The content is “handwritten” and co-piloted with Grammarly for spelling checking and tone of voice. AI-generated output is highlighted.
Headlines this week:
Just Thoughts goes Free
Performance Framework Reviewed
Remote Work Statements Reviewed
Reflections and Summary of Just Content since #30
Just Thoughts goes Free
I am trying to figure out what part of the content should be accessible and what content should be paid for, with more people coming in to contribute to the Just Content. I decided we’d go free.
Monetization would lie in building a curated community behind Just Thoughts, generating opportunities that drive sales, investments, partnerships, and recruiting-related efforts set up in the future. However, you can buy my first poetry collection on Gumroad to support my writing efforts. Consider it like buying me lunch or a coffee with a few “wise words”.
If you want answers to questions about Love, Life, and Leadership in an AI-driven world, sign up to order a copy of my book. Additionally, the book helps you reflect on how you value written art in the world with an abundant amount of it. I’ll order and ship books for every 100 orders.
You've inspired me to keep writing for those who have paid a yearly subscription. I hope it has provided enough value for you not to hold the decision to go free against the Just publication. For anyone new reading this post, check out Just Thoughts #22 for a content list until July; we’ll summarize #23 - #31 later.
I am looking forward to the journey ahead and where this takes us!
Performance Framework Revied
Revolut, the biggest neo-bank in Europe, dropped its performance framework and even productized its software to run its performance system. I looked at this, and my first thought was, who’s cross-referenced the model with science, and where are all the people picking this apart? Or is everyone looking at it and thinking that 2.2B billion in revenue means they must be getting this right? How likely can anyone replicate this with the same sort of success?
This picture should include how many other people report to the CEO. As someone vested in these topics, why can’t you hire a CPO to lead these three? Additionally, with KPI management under the performance team, why wouldn’t you label this person head of Strategy with the amount of understanding of the business context that role needs?
I have so many questions. I want this release to include Revoluts' internal people engagement data, so I looked up Glassdoor scores to get a perspective. I am skeptical that a system always rigged to have a minimum quota for “underperformance” could ever breed enough psychological safety to have an organization operate at what Tribal Leadership labels Level 5 (The kind of organization that creates history).
I like the Yes/No structure for each question and the fact that the system has embedded cultural values. Furthermore, the document truly lays out all its reasoning if it lacks references to scientific research papers. For someone who recently read Adam Grants - Hidden Potential, you also get a feeling there are quite a few things this system neglects when it comes to nurturing talent.
All this being said, it requires more digging and revision of thought. I rarely say this (“rare” means more than zero statements, which I stick to more or less every other year), but I look forward to listening to Martin’s and Nic’s talk at Slush this year.
Remote Work Statement Reviewed
In global news, Amazon said it would have its employees return to the office, and so did the local CEO of Sponda, who is an office space rental company. I would’ve wanted to point out that the data shows that the claims of productivity loss do not hold, but Forbes already constructed a pretty good case against RTO.
Let’s just cut to the chase: lousy management, improper operating models, lack of strategically aligned recruiting practices, and poor culture breed a lack of innovation, stifle learning, and cause loss of productivity. What should you be doing? Start by reviewing your operating model and culture. Here’s a thought about operating models also referencing the great work made by
.I just finished reading Otto and Rebecca’s book Build, which would be an excellent segway to return to this topic. Until then, take Karri’s word that remote work can be done.
At Linear, we’ve been doing great product work, growing fast and profitably, and with the lowest employee attrition I’ve seen—as a remote company. Remote is a way of operating, not a mode you can flip on or off. You have to design the company around it and hire the people for it. - Karri Saarinen, CEO of Linear
Reflections and Summary of Just Content since #30
The following section lists published content since the previous Just Thoughts #30.
Just Products
Just Products #1 - Writer Odyssey & JobTribe
Just Products #2 - Harmanovia - Music Videos on Demand
As much as I enjoy figuring out different products and features to create, you may mistake me for a founder who never gets started. I hope readers remember the product being built is Just Thoughts - Helping Modern-day Leaders Think Better Thoughts about Life, leadership, and Entrepreneurship.
Just Poems
Just Poems #3 - Reveal Yourself vs. The Artisan's Journey
I haven’t gotten into the rhythm of daily poems yet. I want to reuse old content and have quite a few videos. Also, I am stuck on whether the poems should actually be notes on Substack instead. Albeit, if one wants to keep them indexed, proper posts make more sense.
Just Culture
Just Culture #1 - Deadpool & Wolverine Review
With the content going free, I plan to reuse old content and release it under the correct section. The Movie Reviews is a clear headline that shouldn’t contain much cross-referencing to the other Headlines.
I want to interview a few artists for this section to get it going, even though I spend a lot of time with movies and series.
Just Thoughts Podcast
Just Thoughts Interview #1 - A Thank you letter to basketball.
The viewing experience on mobile was bad on Substack, so I added it to YouTube. I realized that publishing content on multiple platforms and trying to make it the “paid product” is a hassle. This approach feels much easier without following a clearly defined playbook instead of being a discovery process.
As for the notion discussed in the podcast, Juho says, “Athletes die twice, once when they end their careers and once when they are buried in the grave.”
I want to add Macklemore - Glorious lyrics…
A man dies twice, once when they are buried in their grave, and the second time is the last time someone mentions their name
… to the mix and say,
The athletes who lived their lives aspiring to be more than just athletes will not die twice, but Trice. Once when they end their careers, a second time when they are buried, and the last time when no one mentions their name. Call them Titans, and they might live forever.
The cadence is taking a new shape. I feel like dropping Just Thoughts every other Monday, Just Products every other Monday, and Just Thoughts Podcasts every Friday, except for the Fridays I’d drop a Just About Life. Just Culture and Poems would be dropping whenever the content is ready.
Essentially, we would drop content twice a week for all subscribers: Mondays & Fridays.
Until next time, remember to subscribe for more thoughts and to ensure you don't miss a fresh dose of weekly Just Content!
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