Tina Fey had a few great bits in a New Yorker piece and her book about ‘management lessons from SNL’ (from Lorne Michaels).
Hiring
- Hire people you want to be around (fit)
- Mix nerds and street fighters (e.g., mix Harvard and Second City, or West Point and Vietnam).
Managing
- Don’t tell a crazy person that they are crazy. Just wait. (It might be how they are productive.)
- Figure out if you are asking someone to do something they are uncomfortable with. Ask.
- Producing (getting stuff done) is often about discouraging creativity.
- Don’t cut to a closed door – i.e., strategy should drive the outline of the execution.
Strategy
- Don’t make decisions right after the season ends.