The Archive

Every issue of Exec Edge, from day one. Sharp thinking for leaders, one idea at a time.

78 issues published

Test your leadership team in 30 seconds

Harvard studied 120 leadership teams and found only 21% were high-performing. The difference? One question you can ask your team right now to reveal their true effectiveness.

3 min read

When did your team last kill a feature?

The hardest thing to spot in a product team is when it stops learning. Here are six early warning signs and practical reset moves for each one.

5 min read

AI is paying off, just not where you think

MIT research reveals the surprising truth about AI ROI: companies get better returns from back-office operations than customer-facing tools. Here's where to invest first.

3 min read

Post-mortems that improve execution

Most post-mortems end with a list of action items that never get done. Here's how top engineering teams turn incident reviews into actual improvements with clear ownership and follow-through.

3 min read

The 30-second purpose test inside

Roger Martin's 30-second purpose test separates real strategic direction from corporate slogans. See how CVS used their purpose to walk away from $2 billion in tobacco revenue.

4 min read

12,000 meetings deleted overnight

Shopify started 2023 by deleting 12,000 recurring meetings overnight, saving 322,000 hours. Meanwhile, Starbucks collapsed under menu sprawl. Both stories teach the same lesson about organizational defaults.

4 min read

Why your board is missing “the next miss”

Most board meetings focus on what already happened—last quarter's revenue, last month's burn. But McKinsey research shows high-impact boards track leading indicators that predict future problems before they hit the bottom line.

4 min read

4 questions to get started with AI agents

AI agents are moving beyond Zapier-style automation to make real business decisions. With the Model Context Protocol now connecting 10,000+ servers, we break down what's shipping and 4 key questions to ask before you commit.

4 min read

Where you're losing growth

Most growth comes from existing customers, not new ones. Yet businesses often miss opportunities in the Adopt and Expand stages. Here's how to find your hidden growth.

4 min read

This simple tool that protects your cash

Looking at cash monthly means finding problems 3-4 weeks too late. The 13-week cash flow forecast catches shortfalls early when you still have options to fix them.

4 min read

From 63% to 92% retention

How Segment transformed their business by doing the opposite of conventional wisdom—narrowing their customer focus instead of broadening it—and boosted retention from 63% to 92%.

4 min read

Deal Review 2.0

Most deal reviews are pipeline recaps in disguise. Transform yours into working sessions that actually help reps close the qualification gap and win more deals.

3 min read