All of our Talent development articles

How Talent Teams Can Better Weather Boom-and-Bust Cycles — Advice from Two Decades at Gem, Facebook, and Robinhood

How Talent Teams Can Better Weather Boom-and-Bust Cycles — Advice from Two Decades at Gem, Facebook, and Robinhood

Richard Cho has led talent acquisition teams at large tech firms for the better part of two decades. He’s collected the lessons he’s learned from operating in both hiring booms and busts, offering a thoughtful guide on how startup talent teams can do more — with less.
‘Give Away Your People’ — How Managers Can (and Should) Prep for High Performers to Leave

‘Give Away Your People’ — How Managers Can (and Should) Prep for High Performers to Leave

Seasoned startup operator Clarissa Shen offers a fresh perspective on Molly Graham’s ‘Give Away Your Legos’ framework by sharing her own tactics on how to proactively manage for high performers to leave.
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.
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
Weathering the Emotional Storms of a Crisis — A Tactical Guide for Individual Contributors and Managers

Weathering the Emotional Storms of a Crisis — A Tactical Guide for Individual Contributors and Managers

At work, we're often expected to leave our emotions at the door and maintain a composed, "professional" exterior. But in the midst of this crisis, putting our emotions away in a tidy box until the end of the workday is no longer an option. Liz Fosslien, one-half of the duo behind the book "No Hard F