Guides

Short guides for leaders with a result that won't move

Each guide is written to be read in a few minutes and used the same day. They all point the same direction: find the one constraint that matters, act on it narrowly, and watch one signal.

How to evaluate team performance — and find the one thing to fix first

The full two-step evaluation: scan wide across four forces, then go deep on the weakest one.

Skill problem or motivation problem? How to tell the difference

Can't yet, won't, or couldn't possibly — three problems that look identical and need opposite responses.

Why hiring more people didn't fix it

Adding capacity to a constrained system usually slows it down. How to tell before you hire.

A one-page team performance review template

Four boxes: the constraint, the actions, the thing to stop, and the signal with a review date.

Seven reasons change doesn't stick after week two

Everything holds while you are watching. What actually keeps a change in place when you aren't.

How to set one metric that proves a fix is working

Pick a signal that moves within weeks, not a lagging number that only confirms things a quarter late.