You’re reading The Steady Beat, a weekly pulse of must-reads for anyone orchestrating teams, people, and work across the modern digital workplace – whether you’re managing sprints, driving roadmaps, leading departments, or just making sure the right work gets done. Curated by the team at Steady.
Async Advocate
You’re back in the office, but that doesn’t mean you’ve ditched asynchronous work. In fact, sharing physical space can actually enhance async practices when done right. The key isn’t choosing between sync and async – it’s becoming the champion who shows others how they complement each other. Start by building your “trust battery” with influential people across the company. Craft a pitch that addresses their specific pain points (hint: it’s usually about productivity and focus). Then get practical: document everything, build a knowledge base that people actually use, and turn those hallway conversations into shared insights. When someone stops by your desk with a “quick question,” ask yourself: does this decision need to be shared? Would others benefit from this context? The magic happens when you start questioning every synchronous moment with async alternatives. Meeting culture especially needs this treatment. Challenge every calendar invite with “could this be an email thread instead?” Remember, you’re not just advocating for a work style; you’re solving real problems like information silos, constant interruptions, and misaligned teams. The office gives you more opportunities to spot these moments and offer async solutions in real-time.
— LeadDev, 6m, #async, #rto, #culture
Middle Management’s Renaissance
Despite decades of predictions about the death of middle management, these organizational linchpins aren’t just surviving—they’re thriving. The proportion of middle managers in the U.S. workforce has jumped from 9.2% in 1983 to 13% today, defying the “flat organization” evangelists and their endless layoff sprees. But here’s the plot twist: the role is getting a complete makeover. Experts suggest that while businesses still need middle managers, particularly to help frontline employees adapt to rapid technological changes, we might need fewer of them – but the survivors will be doing fundamentally different work. Think less Army commander barking orders, more basketball coach unleashing potential. The new middle manager isn’t just passing messages up and down the corporate ladder, they’re the crucial bridge between executive vision and ground-level execution, serving as coaches, reimaginers of work, and guardians of organizational culture in an AI-driven world.
— Harvard Business Review, 6m, #management, #leadership, #transformation
No AI Heroes
The real AI transformation isn’t about creating 10x superstars – it’s about building teams with high “Team Quotient.” While individual power users sprint ahead with their personal ChatGPT workflows, smart organizations are realizing the uncomfortable truth: scattered AI adoption creates more chaos than competitive advantage. The author introduces a compelling five-level maturity scale for measuring how well teams use AI collectively, from chaotic “bring your own AI” cultures to sophisticated co-creation where teams build proprietary AI tools together. The sweet spot isn’t having the most AI heroes; it’s orchestrating intelligence across the entire organization. Practical tactics include hiring for collaboration over individual brilliance, replacing abstract AI training with monthly workflow reviews where teams collectively identify friction points and prototype solutions, and implementing “20% time” for AI exploration. The piece argues that tomorrow’s winners won’t be determined by who has the smartest individuals, but who builds the most seamlessly coordinated processes where human creativity fuses with AI speed and scale.
— Work3, 8m, #coordination, #ai, #teamwork
Vulnerable Leadership
Tech leadership needs an emotional intelligence reboot, and Ted Lasso serves up the playbook. This deep dive into the Apple TV series reveals how fictional football coaches deliver real-world lessons for tech leaders navigating organizational change. The core insight: success at scale isn’t just about revenue and growth – it’s about recognizing team emotions, understanding the behaviors they trigger, and creating psychological safety. The author breaks down character arcs as business case studies: Nate’s career curveballs mirror the challenges of maintaining values across different corporate cultures, while Rebecca’s crisis management demonstrates vulnerability as a leadership superpower. The show’s most powerful lesson centers on creating frameworks where teams can challenge leaders without fear – a critical skill when RIFs and organizational changes become cyclical realities. The secret sauce isn’t in the technology stack; it’s in the emotional stack that enables exceptional work at scale.
— Getting Shit Done, 8m, #leadership, #emotional-intelligence, #change-management
Stop Drowning in “Work About Work”
Endless meetings, status updates, and context scavenger hunts are keeping your team from real work. Steady’s AI agents eliminate coordination chaos by delivering personalized, real-time guidance on what’s happening, what’s next, and what needs attention.
Stay in control of your team’s story while your people focus on creating and solving – not coordinating.
Learn more at runsteady.com.
