Latest news with #execution
Fast Company
21 hours ago
- Business
- Fast Company
Ditch the startup playbook with these 5 lessons
In January 2025, I launched CX Foundation to serve the people who shape customer experiences (CX): the operators, strategists, analysts, and decision makers who don't have time for fluff or generic playbooks. My team and I wanted to do more than discuss the CX industry's news and trends. We wanted to rebuild how insights are created, shared, and acted on. That mission forced a choice early on: do we continue to employ the playbook used by most media startups—or fire it? Simple. We fired it. The playbook tells you to do what's safe. Raise big. Hire fast. Publish fast takes. Focus on scale, then figure out substance later. Those rules were all wrong for our vision, so we decided to make our own. Since then, I've learned five key lessons that will serve you well if you're building anything early-stage, no matter the industry. 1. EXECUTION BEATS HYPE—EVERY TIME In an age of overproduced brand noise, authority and execution are the most underrated growth strategies. Early on, I hired someone who talked a big game—checked all the boxes on paper, said the right things, and promised the world. But the execution never came. Their ideas were shallow, they made mistake after mistake, and their follow-through was off. What saved us was competence. The rest of our team—the ones who didn't oversell themselves—stepped up and delivered at an elite level. That experience made one thing crystal clear. In this game, execution beats hype, and depth beats dazzle. Expertise isn't loud, but it always wins. So if you're hiring, ask yourself these key questions: • Can this person go deep when it counts? • What can they teach the team? • Are they builders of just talkers? • When they don't have an answer, do they bluff or get curious and push to figure it out? • Can they execute without being micromanaged? 2. DON'T SCALE TEAMS. SCALE PRECISION Most startups think progress means hiring more people. It doesn't. It means getting painfully clear on what matters most, and eliminating everything else. At CXF, we focused on three key goals: educating CX leaders at a higher level, publishing fast and with impact, and adding original thinking to every piece of content. These became our North Star, keeping us lean, focused, and immune to bloat. If you want to scale with precision, determine your definition of 'mission-critical.' What would you still need to do if you had half the time and half the team available? It's also key to think about what you can do better than anyone else in the game. 3. DISTRIBUTION OUTWEIGHS CREATION You can build the best content in the world, but if no one sees it, it doesn't exist. Distribution must be a core facet—not an afterthought. Every blog post we make at CXF has a repurpose strategy baked in. Every video is optimized for YouTube and sliced for LinkedIn. Every insight is a conversation starter, not just a monologue. The lesson? Obsess over the first 10 people your work needs to reach. Optimize for impact per view, not just impressions. Remember that every post is your shot to land in the right inbox. 4. BE AUTHENTIC ON LINKEDIN In my experience, LinkedIn posts with the most engagement aren't the ones with charts and jargon. They're the ones with a strong POV and a little courage. If you want to level up your LinkedIn game, add commentary to your content. Start sharing what you really think about what's happening in your industry. Challenge the norm, and don't be afraid to take a stance that might make people in the industry a little uncomfortable. Most importantly, write like a human. 5. FIND THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE THE WHOLE THING WORTH IT Building a company is chaotic. It's high change, high stakes, and often thankless in the early innings. But when you work with people who are smart, fast, and truly care? It doesn't just make things smoother. It makes them fun. Every win is shared. Every failure is fuel. That kind of culture doesn't come from Slack emojis or mission statements. You need people who are in it to build. So hire for mindset, not just skill set. Choose the people who'll show up, regardless of their title or status. Then, make decisions together and celebrate wins hard.
Daily Telegraph
a day ago
- Daily Telegraph
Japan executes ‘Twitter killer' Takahiro Shiraishi, who dismembered nine victims he found on social media
Don't miss out on the headlines from World. Followed categories will be added to My News. Japan has executed Takahiro Shiraishi, the man infamously known as the 'Twitter killer,' who was convicted of murdering and dismembering nine people after contacting them through social media. The 34-year-old was hanged on Friday at the Tokyo Detention House. It marked the country's first execution since July 2022. He had been sentenced to death in 2020 after pleading guilty to killing eight women and one man between August and October 2017. Shiraishi was arrested after police searched his apartment in Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture, following the disappearance of a 23-year-old woman who had expressed suicidal thoughts on social media. Inside his residence, authorities discovered three cooler boxes and five containers filled with human remains. Among the macabre findings were heads and bones stripped of flesh. Takahiro Shiraishi covering his face with his hands as he is transported to the prosecutor's office from a police station in Tokyo. (Photo by JIJI PRESS / AFP) He was infamously known as the 'Twitter killer', who was convicted of murdering and dismembering nine people after contacting them through social media. AFP PHOTO / JIJI PRESS / STR / Japan OUT The case sent shockwaves across Japan and brought national attention to the dangers of social media platforms being used to exploit vulnerable individuals. (Photo by JIJI PRESS / AFP) / Japan OUT The case sent shockwaves across Japan and brought national attention to the dangers of social media platforms being used to exploit vulnerable individuals. Shiraishi had reached out to victims aged between 15 and 26 who had posted online about suicidal thoughts. Using an alias that roughly translated to 'hangman,' he lured them to his apartment under the pretence of helping them die, according to the Jiji news agency. In court, Shiraishi admitted to murdering the victims to fulfil his own sexual desires, as reported by NHK and TV Asahi. He was found guilty of murder, rape, and dismemberment, and stored the remains in his home. His lawyer initially appealed the death sentence, but the appeal was later withdrawn. Victim, 23-year-old Aiko Tamura, from Hachioji Tokyo city Japan. In court, Shiraishi admitted to murdering the victims to fulfil his own sexual desires. / AFP PHOTO / JIJI PRESS / STR / Japan OUT 'This case, driven by selfish motives such as sexual and financial gratification, resulted in the deaths of nine individuals over two months – a deeply serious incident that has caused shock and anxiety across society. I understand it is an especially heartbreaking case for both the victims and their families,' Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki said during a press conference on Friday. Suzuki confirmed that he had signed the execution order after 'careful and deliberate consideration of all factors.' In Japan, executions by hanging are carried out in secrecy, with dates not disclosed in advance. Families and legal representatives are typically notified only after the execution has occurred. Originally published as Japan executes 'Twitter killer' Takahiro Shiraishi, who dismembered nine victims he found on social media
NHK
a day ago
- NHK
Victim's father reacts to serial killer's execution
The father of a victim of the 2017 serial murders in Zama City, south of Tokyo, has reacted to Shiraishi Takahiro's execution. The victim was a 17-year-old high school student who lived in Fukushima Prefecture in northeastern Japan. Her father told NHK on Friday that the execution changes nothing. He said he believes it might have been better for Shiraishi to have lived so that he could repent for what he did.
NHK
a day ago
- NHK
Japanese authorities execute serial killer
A death row inmate convicted of killing nine people was executed on Friday morning. The execution of Shiraishi Takahiro, who was 34 years old, was carried out at the Tokyo Detention House. It was the first in Japan since July 2022, and the first under the administration of Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru. The remains of one man and eight women were discovered at Shiraishi's apartment in Zama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, in 2017. Investigators suspect that Shiraishi lured the victims via social media and killed them. He was indicted on multiple charges, including murder, robbery and sexual assault, and was sentenced to death at a district court in Tokyo. Shiraishi's defense counsel filed an appeal with the Tokyo High Court, but he later withdrew it himself, finalizing the sentence in 2021.
Arab News
a day ago
- Arab News
Japan executes man convicted of murder for killing and dismembering 9 people in his apartment
TOKYO: A man convicted of murder for killing and dismembering nine people in his apartment near Tokyo was executed Friday, Japan's Justice Ministry said. Takahiro Shiraishi, known as the 'Twitter killer,' was sentenced to death in 2020 for the killings in 2017 of the nine victims, most of whom had posted suicidal thoughts on social media. He was also convicted of sexually abusing female victims. He was hanged in high secrecy with nothing disclosed until the execution was carried out. The execution was carried out amid growing calls to abolish the capital punishment since the acquittal of the world's longest-serving death-row inmate Iwao Hakamada last year.
