All of our Employee experience articles

Stop Overcomplicating It: The Simple Guidebook to Upping Your Management Game

Stop Overcomplicating It: The Simple Guidebook to Upping Your Management Game

Russ Laraway wades through all of the competing opinions, complex frameworks and advice out there on how to be a better manager, creating a simple, data-backed leadership toolkit.
A Manager’s Guide to Helping Teams Face Down Uncertainty, Burnout and Perfectionism

A Manager’s Guide to Helping Teams Face Down Uncertainty, Burnout and Perfectionism

Uncertainty, burnout and perfectionism are holding teams back — Liz Fosslien is here to share tactical advice (and her signature witty illustrations) on how managers can help.
35 Impactful Questions Managers Should Ask Themselves Regularly

35 Impactful Questions Managers Should Ask Themselves Regularly

We asked top startup leaders to share the questions they ask themselves to become better managers and assembled their answers into a can't-miss checklist.
"Take Control of Your Desk," And Other Career Tips for ICs, Managers & Founders

"Take Control of Your Desk," And Other Career Tips for ICs, Managers & Founders

After an 11-year career as an HR exec at Splunk, Shreya Iyer unpacks her comprehensive guide to startup career growth, with tailored tips for candidates approaching career planning, managers looking to retain top talent, and startups carving out their career development plans.
Your Startup’s Management Training Probably Sucks — Here’s How to Make it Better

Your Startup’s Management Training Probably Sucks — Here’s How to Make it Better

Plenty of startups leave manager training on the backburner until they become a bigger company — or try to fit it into a 30-minute lunch-and-learn. Melissa and Johnathan Nightingale, founders of Raw Signal Group, unpack why this is a mistake and outline their top tips for management training.
The IC’s Guide to Driving Career Conversations — 25 Tips for Purposeful Career Planning

The IC’s Guide to Driving Career Conversations — 25 Tips for Purposeful Career Planning

Top startup leaders and operators share a tactical manual with 25 tips for direct reports to take charge of career conversations with their managers.
When it Comes to These Company Building Blocks, Borrow From Others — Advice From Thumbtack’s CEO

When it Comes to These Company Building Blocks, Borrow From Others — Advice From Thumbtack’s CEO

As Thumbtack CEO Marco Zappacosta tells it, sometimes your company is a special flower, and sometimes you should borrow from others. He shares his advice for how to tell the difference.
The 25 Micro-Habits of High-Impact Managers

The 25 Micro-Habits of High-Impact Managers

Sharp folks from across the First Round community share the small habits that great managers do, including delivering feedback with care, opening up about failure, and sending praise up the chain.
3 Rules for Building a More Caring Culture — This Chief People Officer Shares Lessons from Lambda School & InVision

3 Rules for Building a More Caring Culture — This Chief People Officer Shares Lessons from Lambda School & InVision

Mark Frein has served as Chief People Officer at Return Path, InVision, and now Lambda School. Here, he shares his approach to spinning up the people function, as well as tactical tips for creating a great employee experience, enabling a workforce that feels seen and heard, and making an environment