A perfect time to give feedback doesn’t exist – but some times are better than others. In deciding when to give feedback to a direct report, consider these 4 things. “When is the right time to give feedback to an employee?” A manager asked me this last week during a workshop I gave at the… keep reading
Here’s a common question that’s coming up about Shape Up, our new book on product development: People in my book club love all the principles, but they had one question: How did they build Basecamp 3 doing this? It seems like all the practices are for adding features to an existing product. There’s a new… keep reading
The ongoing debate about Big Tech surveillance and consumer privacy has prompted a fair amount of internal discussion and policy changes at Basecamp over our own practices. We’ve stopped using tracking pixels in emails and no longer collect emails for people who download Getting Real, our free ebook. And in late August, David Heinemeier Hansson… keep reading
“Dreams shouldn’t be sensible.” In 2011, David and Clare Hieatt launched Hiut Denim in a small Welsh town that had been home to a jeans factory for 40 years. The Hieatts saw an opportunity to restore those lost jobs—and to do it in a way that fit with their ideas about building a sustainable business. In this… keep reading
Basecamp has a new website and a new logo. If this is the first you’re hearing about it, it’s because we opted out of the big rebranding announcement that many companies undertake. There should be a post from Jason Fried forthcoming here on Signal v. Noise, but in the meantime, check out the latest episode… keep reading
Do this instead. Here are 6 ways to motivate your team that doesn’t undermine their intrinsic employee motivation that they already have. “I need to figure out how to motivate my employees.” When was the last time thought that to yourself? It could’ve been the other week when you noticed one of your direct reports… keep reading
Few roles at Basecamp are as critical as the Director of Operations. This person is responsible for keeping the lights on and the sites fast while managing seven people split across two teams. All of this while building strategic plans, managing project work and taking the occasional on-call shift. We set an incredibly high bar… keep reading
You’re giving feedback because you want your team to improve. Here’s how to give feedback that precisely helps nudge your team in the right direction. The reason you’re giving feedback is that you want something to be different, in the first place. You want a direct report to make sure he’s not rubbing the rest… keep reading
The Rework podcast is back from summer break! It’s time to get back to work, but it’s important not to overdo it. In this episode, Ty Fujimura, president of web design firm Cantilever, talks about how he escaped the Cult of Overwork; why it’s important to rethink the relationship between hours “worked” and actual productivity;… keep reading