The Archive

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

38 issues published

Your best recruiter isn't a recruiter

When Buffer published every employee's salary online, job applications doubled in 30 days. Learn why transparency is your most powerful recruiting and retention advantage.

4 min read

No succession plan? Start here (Template inside)

91% of employees threatened to quit when OpenAI had no succession plan. Get the templates you need to create emergency authority documents and transition plans today.

3 min read

Fewer partners, more revenue

80% of B2B partnerships fail, but smart companies focus on the 10-20% that actually drive revenue. Learn how to evaluate your current partners and build deeper relationships.

3 min read

4 ways to know it's time to scale

Growth advice often focuses on experimentation frameworks, but when do you know enough to scale? Here are four data-driven methods to determine if your startup is ready to shift from testing to growth mode.

3 min read

Board meetings (80% decisions, 20% updates)

Transform your board meetings from status updates to strategic decisions. Discover the written pre-read structure that maximizes director engagement and impact.

3 min read

11 hours a week goes to email

McKinsey data reveals executives waste 11 hours weekly on email. This systematic approach cuts that time to 2-3 hours through strategic delegation and smart automation.

4 min read

5 metrics beat 30

Why Amazon's business reviews focus on 5 controllable input metrics instead of 30 output charts—and how this approach cuts presentation time while driving better decisions.

3 min read

Your first market abroad

Strategic framework for international expansion: 5 readiness thresholds, market selection criteria, and team structure for SaaS leaders.

4 min read

The 60-second reset between tough meetings

Your worst decisions happen right after your most stressful moments. Here are two quick breathing resets that can help you recover in 60 seconds.

4 min read

How to help sales reps without micromanaging them

Pipeline reviews that focus on "what do you need?" instead of "what's the status?" get better results. Here's the 30-minute weekly format that works.

3 min read

Discounting too fast? (Template inside)

Most companies keep only 84% of their quoted prices. Here's a one-hour exercise to find your pricing gap and fix undisciplined discounting across your sales team.

4 min read

Stretch goals don't work

Research shows 80% of people fail to hit stretch goals, often abandoning them quietly. Here's a better approach: set three numbers for every metric instead of one.

3 min read