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This is the blog of Adam Kalsey. Unusual depth and complexity. Rich, full body with a hint of nutty earthiness.

Currently Reading

Daily Reading from November 12, 2009

Freshness Warning
This blog post is over 15 years old. It's possible that the information you read below isn't current and the links no longer work.

Links to what I’ve been reading recently.

  • Foursquare’s CEO on how to get large companies to take your startup seriously — "One of the largest problems for startups everywhere is getting the attention of and closing deals with large corporations. Tuesday night’s NextNY meetup brought together a collection of startup professionals for a conversation on how to best sell nascent technologies ..."
  • Hornets soccer kicking ass! — "Most Sac State sports seem to slip under the radar, especially if it is not football. This year, the Hornets men’s soccer team is having their best season in history. They finished the regular season undefeated in Mountain Pacific Sports ..."
  • “I’m not going to hire anybody in the United States.... — "...I’m moving. They are doing everything possible to destroy jobs.” So says Emerson Electric CEO David Farr, who was promptly attacked by administration officials. He’s right. Whether through incompetence or ideologically based intent, our government is damaging the economy and ..."

Recently Written

What branding can teach about culture
Jan 8: Culture is your company’s point of view in action—a framework guiding behavior, even in the unknown. You can’t copy it; it must reflect your unique perspective.
Think Systems, not Symptoms
Dec 15: Piecemeal process creation frustrates teams and slows work. Stop patching problems and start solving systems. Adopting a systems thinking approach helps you design processes that are efficient, aligned with goals, and truly add value.
Your Policies Aren’t Your Culture
Dec 13: Policies guide behavior, but culture is the lived norms and values of your team. Policies reflect culture -- they don’t define it. Netflix’s parental leave shift didn’t change its culture of freedom and responsibility. It clarified how to live it.
Lighten Your Process Burden
Dec 7: Everyone hates oppressive processes, but somehow we keep managing to create them.
Product Add-Ons Are An Expansion Myth
Dec 1: Add-ons can enhance your product’s appeal but won’t drive significant market growth. To expand your customer base, focus on developing standalone products.
Protecting your Product Soul when the Same Product meets New People.
Nov 23: Expand into new markets while preserving your product’s core value. Discover how to adapt and grow without losing your product’s soul.
Building the Next Big Thing: A Framework for Your Second Product
Nov 19: You need a first product sooner than you think. Here's a framework for helping you identify a winner.
A Framework for Scaling product teams
Oct 9: The people, processes, and systems that make up a product organization change radically as you go through the stages of a company. This framework will guide that scaling.

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What I'm Reading