Scaleup Leaders: Stories from Experience

What remote working teams lack is remote collaboration - a place where people informally put forward ideas, get input, rework them, agree, disagree and come to an agreement!To create this, we need a fresh approach - something other than Zoom meetings. Online meetings are formal and agenda driven - they don’t lend themselves to the informality of problem solving discussions. And that's where the Strawman Document comes into play. So join me this week as we explore exactly what the Strawman Document is, and discover how you can use it to elevate your remote team's productivity and cohesion.If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to my newsletter to get more tips and strategies every week -  www.richardrussell.co/subscribe This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit scaleupleaders.substack.com

Unless you plan HOW you’re going to execute on your OKRs after you’ve set them, you probably won’t achieve them.But this is where I see a lot of my clients stumbling and making one of these mistakes: They set OKRs and think they’re done. Setting and forgetting is like buying that online course, watching all the videos… …and doing nothing. 2. They write a monster 20-page plan. You want feedback and input for others. No one is going to critique something and give you good feedback if you have poured your heart and soul into the plan. It looks too finished.Here’s my solution:👉 𝐀 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝟏-𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧. 👈 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit scaleupleaders.substack.com

It seems logical. You've got company level OKRs and team OKRs, so it would make sense to have individual OKRs, right?Wrong. Because... They undermine the benefit of cross-functional alignment you get from company and team OKRs. Managers are tempted to use individual OKRs as a performance measurement tool. Too many OKRs means you don’t focus on what you need to do and the trade offs you need to make to win. Instead it will seem like you can do it all!So, what should you do instead? And is there no place for individual OKRs at all?Get answers to these and my deep dive into the pitfalls of individual OKRs in this week’s episode.Want insider access to expert tips and strategies like this every week right in your inbox? ⁠https://richardrussell.co/#subscribe⁠ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit scaleupleaders.substack.com

Too often a business strategy consists only of 6 or 7 strategic pillars. So when it comes to writing OKRs, people have difficulty. Why? Because pillars don't tell you what to do next. They don't help you work out what the steps are to achieve your goals.To do this you need a strategy that has a narrative - a story. In this episode of Scaleup Leaders, I'll tell you exactly what this means, why it's important, and how to write your own strategy hero story.(During this episode I reference an image of strategic pillars. You can see the image here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/18BfeftsF59JShI2IzWnJCTC18mKKE55L/view?usp=share_link ) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit scaleupleaders.substack.com

Nick Burne is on a mission to help nonprofits large and small grow their fundraising on social platforms with his company, GivePanel.Nick started GivePanel in 2019 with one employee. Fast forward to 2023 and he now employees 30 people across 5 countries.Join me as I chat to Nick about his incredible journey, and discover the Highs and Lows he has experienced building his business and being the CEO! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit scaleupleaders.substack.com

Nikos Kryvossidis is the best manager I never had (he was my boss’s boss at Google, so not technically my manager)He had a knack for inspiring great loyalty among his team…protecting them from bureaucratic overloadAnd helping them be efficient and productive.In our conversation, we discuss✅ Is CTO a technical or a business role?✅ How does Nikos collaborate with other executives as a CTO? What works and what doesn’t?✅ How do you get started in a new CTO role?✅ What are Nikos’ views on OKRs…and much more. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit scaleupleaders.substack.com

Join me and Michal Bohanes on this episode as we go back to basics with OKRs.We’ll be covering✅ exactly what OKRs are✅ why you should use them to track your goals✅ how they fit in with your company strategy and vision✅ and exactly how you can get started with implementing them.Finally, we’ll also look at what alternatives to OKRs exist for companies to use to keep themselves on target for their goals. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit scaleupleaders.substack.com

Join me to learn what OKRs are, why use them, how to use them and how to get started. We'll go through the basics of OKRs and break some of the most common misconceptions that hold people back.At the end of this episode, I'll be offering some serious discounts to my Scaleup Leaders Operating System program, and give you a sneak preview of the four critical rhythms every leader must drive to deliver results and scale - the framework that the Scaleup Leaders Operating System is built upon.To get in touch:richard@russelland.companyrichardrussell.colinkedin.com/in/richardarussell This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit scaleupleaders.substack.com

Ever been in a situation where your team is in conflict with another team, perhaps over shared resources, and you can't resolve it?Here's how to make progress using a simple document and meeting format that will not only unblock the stalemate, but increase your management's confidence in empowering you to make these decisions in future.Stalemate Buster Template: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VPELQYuUdTpPlC0ceFDAhMuYOwDGXbtivolfXkg9Aso/edit?usp=sharing This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit scaleupleaders.substack.com

Ben Legg is the co-founder of The Portfolio Collective, a company that helps people build portfolio careers and helps companies hire fractional talent. He works with startups, investors and thought leadership.In our interview he talks to me about side hustles – something he’s been doing since his teens – building your portfolio of careers and eventually ditching the day job.Find out when you should be thinking about starting a side, why it’s a good idea in this time of job uncertainty, and how to go about it in the most optimal way. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit scaleupleaders.substack.com