Issue 007
Checking in on 121, distilled wisdom from Jack Butcher, Design Lobster, and leadership lessons from American Football.
Hi team,
Ignacio here. In the words of Arnold in one of his lesser-known films, I’m back.
This is Issue 007 of 121 - a weekly newsletter for a growing community of leaders in tech. If you’re new, welcome - if you’re not, welcome back.
This is a special one. I’m writing out where 121 is headed, and what we’re trying to build behind it. I hope you’ll get as much out of it as I have throughout the process.
Let’s get to it.
For our comeback, we’re bringing:
1️⃣ Piece from me:
🏗 Behind the scenes of 121
—
2️⃣ Best of the internet:
♥ Visualize Value
🦞 Design Lobster
—
1️⃣
Curveball:
📖 The Score Takes Care of Itself
1️⃣
🏗 A check in: what 121 is really all about.
We’re eight weeks and seven issues into 121.
Over the last few Issues of 121, I’ve been writing about applying product-development and organizational principles beyond a tech team structure. So that’s what I’m doing here, for myself - walking the walk.
It’s time for a quick check in to make sure we’re all on the same page about what 121 is. It’s important to me we’re on the same page, so you know what to expect every time we land in your inbox, and how I’m thinking about the future.
Want a hint? Think community.
2️⃣
♥ Mi gente, say hi to Jack Butcher.
Jack Butcher is the founder and designer behind Visualize Value, a brand uses a simple design-system and consistent identity to represent complex concepts, simply.
Jack’s work speaks for itself (and would be my top follow recommendation right now). But what’s as impressive is the company behind the brand. In 18 months, Visualize Value has hit 7-figure annual revenues and established itself as a leader in digital entrepreneurship and the NFT space. All as a 2-person operation.
🦞 Design Lobster
This recommendation comes courtesy of Ben Strak, designer at Monzo and author of Design Lobster, a weekly newsletter with two soundbytes on good design: one question and one quote.
Good design makes everything else better. Design is an amplifier. If you agree, you’ll like Design Lobster. And there’s no easier way to keep it in your content diet. Hugo Cornejo (former VP of Design at Monzo) put it better than I can. For all you designers out there:
1️⃣
📖 The Score Takes Care of Itself
Bill Walsh was an American Football coach. He was arguably one of (if not the) best to ever coach the game. Before I lose non-football folks, a caveat: I’m not a fan of the game. But I am a fan of Bill’s, and have been spending some time gettin reacquainted with his book.
It’s a top read for anyone interested in management, organizational design, and focussing on what really matters. The Score Takes Care of Itself is an ode to “the process” and well worth any leader’s time.
Have an idea/question/suggestion for 121? Give me a shout.
Writing is much more fun when it’s interactive and the best content so far has come from questions and conversations with the 121 community.
I mentioned the tools and frameworks we developed with teams at Monzo and reapplied here. If you’re interested in hearing more about them, I’d love to know - just hit reply and give me a shout.
You can DM me on Twitter or reach out over email at ignaciosemerene@gmail.com. I’ll answer every message.
Stay curious, keep building. See you next Sunday.
Abrazo,
Ignacio
Enjoyed this week’s 121? Let me know by clicking the heart button.
Bonus points if you get a friend to sign up.
👇