Here are your picks for this week:
⌨️ If it ain’t code, don’t fix it
A nice set of good practices for database design. Traditional databases are not quite going away, and db design is a whole area of expertise to develop, so this is a pretty handy reference to have.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F81f5c930-5fcf-442e-b5fa-e1ee205c0c2f_838x470.png)
🔄 Process makes perfect
Organising a company efficiently is an art, not a science. Coda Hale has a good write-up of the natural limitations of growing a team, and high-level principles to consider.
Good food for thought: rather than just copy/pasting a popular approach, take time to understand why it may (or may not) work for your own team first. Which principles resonate with you the most?
👭 It’s all about People
Growing a successful startup is tough - and everyone, at any time, could hit a low-motivation patch. Or notice someone in their team who is.
Thomas de Moor goes through 6 common causes of such loss of motivation, with suggestions of possible solutions. Simple fixes are not that common - but raising awareness of this issue is critical to supporting performing, sustainable teams.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F98ecdabf-1ae7-401f-8114-e31ef7ec2b06_1144x338.png)
I hope you enjoyed this!
Fabrice
The 5-Minute Startup CTO: every Sunday, 3 top insights in 5 minutes for startup CTOs and Tech Leads. Subscribe for free below, and share! 🙏
Hand-picked by Fabrice, a UK-based consulting CTO. Let me know if you need help with your startup!