Micromanagement is the most hated word in leadership. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, it works.
In this episode, I share how "trusting the process" stalled a project for six months, and how stepping in to micromanage helped us ship in just four weeks.
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Key Takeaways
The "Burst" Strategy: Micromanagement shouldn't be a lifestyle, but it is a necessary tool for short bursts—specifically for inexperienced teams, high-risk projects, or when things are on fire.
Plan Your Exit: The difference between a toxic boss and a helpful leader is the exit plan. You must have a path from tight control to daily check-ins, and finally to weekly autonomy.
The Golden Rule: Being hands-on isn’t toxic. Being hands-on forever is.
Do you feel overwhelmed by the constant stream of new productivity apps and software? You’re not crazy—you are living through "tool inflation."
In this episode, we discuss why knowing 100 tools doesn’t make you a better PM, engineer, or founder, and why a boring stack might actually be your competitive advantage.
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Key Takeaways
Tool Inflation is Real: The feeling of being overwhelmed by new tech is valid; constantly switching contexts slows you down.
Mastery Over Variety: Knowing 100 different tools often makes you slower, not better. A small, well-mastered stack usually beats a flashy, ever-changing one.
The "Boring" Solution is Often Best: In many cases, simply saying "do it in Excel" (or Sheets/Docs) is the most efficient, robust, and collaborative way forward.
Agile Alignment: This mindset returns to Agile’s core value: "Individuals and interactions over processes and tools." Tools should be enablers, not the drivers of your work.
Ask the Right Question: Stop asking "Is this tool cool?" and start asking "Does this tool unlock a step-change outcome for my team, right now?