Lessons

Lessons

Home
Chat
Paid Subscriber Courses
Lessons Library
The Glue Club
About

Company Building

"Disagree and Let’s See"
An alternative to "Disagree and Commit." A practical way to handle decisions you disagree with by treating them as experiments, not battles to be won.
Happy Friction
Happy friction is like a speed bump. It’s something you add on purpose to make people pause. Ideally, not because you’re afraid to delegate, but because…
Make It Easy to Draw the Elephant
Great communication is simple if you think about it as “connect the dots”. It isn’t about talking more—it’s about creating clarity and alignment. Your…
Founder Mode: A Liar’s Perspective
If you work in tech, there is no doubt you have stumbled into a conversation in the last week about Paul Graham’s article, Founder Mode.
Captains
Captains is an ownership model that we implemented at Lambda School that is much simpler than models like RAPID or RACI. It is an elegant and simple…
Startup org design: Design power centers intentionally
Bringing on an early executive means you’re placing a bet. Every leader comes with biases about what to focus on and who to hire, and also blind spots…
Part 4: Compensation for startups: A performance review system for startups
Hi!
Developing high performers
Most managers see high performers and just leave them alone because they are performing well. But I think high performers are where all the potential of…
Layoff lessons: Four things I wish I knew
Regardless of how the company got into the situation, layoffs are a terrible experience for everyone on all sides – the planners, the leavers, and the…
Part 3: Compensation for Startups: Implementing and “Defending” Your Compensation System
Hi!
Manage the What, Not the How
Controlling how work gets done only makes your company slower. Employees will inevitably do things that make you cringe, take different approaches than…
Part 2: Compensation for Startups: Designing Your Compensation Philosophy
Hi!
© 2026 Molly Graham · Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture