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Six Degrees of YC Separation

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Re: Six Degrees of YC Separation

#21

Post by freedomben »

kmack wrote: post #15
freedomben wrote: post #14

What exactly is meant by "commits" that you talk about in 1:1 and meetings? Is that more like "commitments" or "git commits". The former I agree, the latter I think is in many cases a terrible measure of productivity, because it discourages activities that don't directly lead to code, such as pairing with your junior, or helping a customer, or providing mentorship for others, etc. Remember you'll get what you measure…

"Commitments", not "git commits". For revenue teams, this could be signing a contract, scheduling a certain number of meetings, drafting a blog post, etc. Similar parallels for any team within a company. The key is being able to break larger projects into manageable weekly commitments that are specific and measurable.

Awesome, thank you

Re: Six Degrees of YC Separation

#22

Post by thrownthrow »

kmack wrote: post #15
freedomben wrote: post #14

What exactly is meant by "commits" that you talk about in 1:1 and meetings? Is that more like "commitments" or "git commits". The former I agree, the latter I think is in many cases a terrible measure of productivity, because it discourages activities that don't directly lead to code, such as pairing with your junior, or helping a customer, or providing mentorship for others, etc. Remember you'll get what you measure…

"Commitments", not "git commits". For revenue teams, this could be signing a contract, scheduling a certain number of meetings, drafting a blog post, etc. Similar parallels for any team within a company. The key is being able to break larger projects into manageable weekly commitments that are specific and measurable.

Did you use the word in error or is this another example of the trend of start-ups using verbs to replace nouns?

Re: Six Degrees of YC Separation

#23

Post by jadbox »

microcolonel wrote: post #10
jadbox wrote: post #8

I thought that since this author's startup is sorta a 'reddit for politics', I'll plug my own startup (currently self-funded) which is a 'chatroulette/duolingo for politics': https://dinnertable.chat/

Cool, seems like it'd attract exactly the people who don't need it though. ;- ) I'll sign up I think! Edit: While I was signing up, I tried copying the verification code from the email, and it copied with the period from the email, so when I pasted it into the site it didn't work. Maybe put a zero-width space in there (U+200B) or ditch the period altogether. ;- ) Edit 2: The "start login" page didn't work the first t…

"seems like it'd attract exactly the people who don't need it though"

I know you're joking a little, but aren't the people that hold incorrect beliefs exactly the type of people that need an emotional way to connect to others (the opposites) that are informed to resolve these differences? Often I find that people with strongly held views are able to reach small compromises via personal communication, rather than any counter facts/news. Whether this particular implementation/solution works, time will tell :)

Re: Six Degrees of YC Separation

#24

Post by aaavl2821 »

jadbox wrote: post #19
tlow wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Putting a log in requirement to even see what your app does may provide a filter on usage that you don't want. While there may be advantages, I think you'd be hard pressed to overcome the drop off from potential users who will bounce. Furthermore, you're not delivering a clear value proposition "JOIN THE CONVERSATION you're invited to our dinner party beta". And then you have an ambiguous call to action "start login"…

The entry page needs a little work, particularly the top banner as you pointed out. It's a challenge and a delicate balance. I tried to provide as clear of an explanation on the front-page... do you feel you learned of the value proposition by reading the rest of the page below the banner? I do like the idea of a progressive flow, but the tricky thing is reducing bots/trolls (+banned accounts) from entering back into…

Not OP, but I thought the body of your landing page did a good job explaining it. However as you suggest the top banner / header could be more impactful.

Ive recently been referring to this [0] landing page guide and one helpful principle is that, for banner header copy to be good, the reader should be able to know exactly what your product is by reading only your banner header

[0] https://www.julian.com/guide/growth/landing-pages

Re: Six Degrees of YC Separation

#25

Post by jiaweihli »

citizens wrote: post #20
gav wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was visiting a large successful startup that had a "no managers" mantra--they hired engineering A players who were expected to work on the right things. It turns out that people want to work on the fun and challenging tasks. Nobody put the effort into the billing system and they were doing a poor job of collecting money from their customers. That's the thing about any organization, there's plenty of grunt work and…

I once interviewed at a place that had "no managers' yet kept referring to the "MGMT" team. Made me laugh.

I’ve yet to see a company with no managers work out. Usually it signals lack of bandwidth to set up management, low perceived value, or pessimistically a cost-cutting measure to double up on responsibilities.

Re: Six Degrees of YC Separation

#26

Post by garmaine »

jiaweihli wrote: post #25
citizens wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I once interviewed at a place that had "no managers' yet kept referring to the "MGMT" team. Made me laugh.

I’ve yet to see a company with no managers work out. Usually it signals lack of bandwidth to set up management, low perceived value, or pessimistically a cost-cutting measure to double up on responsibilities.

Valve.

Re: Six Degrees of YC Separation

#27

Post by john_moscow »

kamac wrote: post #3

> Hiring people that have a track record of taking projects from inception to delivery and who actively seek out projects to own is critical Doesn't that regard the first few early hires (who'd take some form of senior/management positions later on)? For me a person who delivers projects means somebody who's very involved in the process; somebody that calls significant decisions about the product. Should all hires be…

I have been burnt by this attitude as an employee many times. What people usually mean when they say "I want to hire someone responsible to own the project" is "I want to hire someone who will pick up my vision of what needs to be done, will make it happen, taking the blame in potential conflicts along the way and will then let me get the credit for it".

I ended up starting my own business and I think that's the only realistic scenario for someone who likes "taking projects from inception to delivery and who actively seek out projects to own".

Re: Six Degrees of YC Separation

#28

Post by seanmcdirmid »

lbotos wrote: post #5
kamac wrote: post #3

> Hiring people that have a track record of taking projects from inception to delivery and who actively seek out projects to own is critical Doesn't that regard the first few early hires (who'd take some form of senior/management positions later on)? For me a person who delivers projects means somebody who's very involved in the process; somebody that calls significant decisions about the product. Should all hires be…

> Should all hires be like that? Isn't being able to execute the tasks you're assigned enough? If you manage to build an org where everyone is a self-starter who takes on projects from ideation to delivery repeatedly you work in a crazy awesome env. There are some people that are really good at getting work done, but if you don't give them a clearly defined task, they will flounder. When you are in startup land, most…

> You need someone who is really good at saying "is this working? Should I keep doing this? How do we do this better?"

And sometimes you need someone who is really good at saying "let's just get this done." Diversity is a good thing on any team, even in a startup.

Re: Six Degrees of YC Separation

#29

Post by jjtheblunt »

thrownthrow wrote: post #22
kmack wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Commitments", not "git commits". For revenue teams, this could be signing a contract, scheduling a certain number of meetings, drafting a blog post, etc. Similar parallels for any team within a company. The key is being able to break larger projects into manageable weekly commitments that are specific and measurable.

Did you use the word in error or is this another example of the trend of start-ups using verbs to replace nouns?

I so agree with the ridiculousness of this behavior. When people talk of an "ask" meaning "request" i cringe at the embarrassment of their need to be jargon-cool rather than individuals.

Re: Six Degrees of YC Separation

#30

Post by toomuchtodo »

garmaine wrote: post #26
jiaweihli wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve yet to see a company with no managers work out. Usually it signals lack of bandwidth to set up management, low perceived value, or pessimistically a cost-cutting measure to double up on responsibilities.

Valve.

Rumor has it that the environment is toxic, and that a hierarchy and tribalism formed in the vacuum of leadership and a defined culture.

https://www.reddit.com/r/valve/comments/8zmp07/former_valve_...

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