All of our Transparency articles

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

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.

When “Grin and Bear It” Isn't the Right Answer — This Behavioral Scientist Shares What to Do Instead

Author and behavioral scientist Matt Wallaert shares how two studies (on holding a pen and carrying around a box of chocolate) can shape our outlook when we're faced with a crisis.

Struggling to Thrive as a Large Team Working Remotely? This Exec Has the Field Guide You Need

Maggie Leung built out the 80-person fully remote content team that's helped NerdWallet stand out. Here are her tips for executives who are now tasked with leading large teams working remotely for the first time.

This Founder Built Startups in 2008, 2016 and 2018. Here’s What He’s Learned About Resiliency

Bob Moore's first brush with life as a founder started in 2008—three days before Lehman Brothers collapsed. Since he cut his teeth as a first-time founder in turbulent times, he's gone on to build two other companies. Here, Moore shares the lessons he's learned along the way.

From Instant Pot to Instagram: Critical Lessons in Startup Community Building

Bailey Richardson (an early Instagram hire and current partner at People & Company) has studied ordinary people who started extraordinary communities. Here, she shares the nuts and bolts of how startups should approach community building, highlighting eight valuable lessons on how the best communiti

The 6 Decision-Making Frameworks That Help Startup Leaders Tackle Tough Calls

Startup leaders make tough calls every day. We spoke with 6 top operators to gather the tactics and strategies they use to make smart decisions under pressure, garner trust with stakeholders and execute with conviction.

Opening Up About Comp Isn’t Easy — Here’s How to Get More Transparent

There's more to comp transparency than just sharing everyone's salaries in a spreadsheet. Compaas co-founder and CEO bethanye Blount makes the case for opening up and gives a rundown on the full spectrum of pay transparency options, sharing tips for how startups can find the right setting and commun

How This Head of Engineering Boosted Transparency at Instagram

While leading engineering at Instagram, James Everingham spotted a problem: the inevitable dip in transparent decision-making and communication as teams scale. Drawing on three decades of experience, he shares how to operationalize transparency during hypergrowth.