Dave Kline

Become the Leader You’d Follow | Founder @ MGMT | Coach | Advisor | Speaker | Trusted by 250K+ leaders.

Hey, I’m Dave Kline.

I teach leaders how to build All-Star teams and level up their careers.

After decades of leading in pretty intense environments, from Bridgewater Associates to Moody’s Analytics, I know what it takes to be the manager your team remembers (for the right reasons).

Why I can help you is simple:

I’ve been through it.

And to prove it, here’s my background (by the numbers) ⤵️

2: Decades leading high-impact teams in asset management (Bridgewater), consulting (PwC), & financial services (Moody’s Analytics).

4: Years as an entrepreneur. My portfolio includes Skillscouter (an online course & career site), and MGMT Accelerator (a cohort-based management training course).

14: Cohorts of early-career leaders that I’ve taught at multiple companies.

100: Managers I recruited, onboarded & mentored at Bridgewater Associates.

1,000: Performance evaluations with grace and respect for stars and terminations alike.

205,000+: My community across LinkedIn & Twitter interested in management tactics & leadership lessons

385,000,000: My team’s top revenue year at Moody’s.

Now that we’ve covered the why, here’s the how:

- The MGMT Accelerator – an intensive management training course for both new and senior leaders
- MGMT Fundamentals – a course that covers all the need-to-know management basics for rookie leaders
- The MGMT Playbook – a weekly newsletter that gives practical management insights

Through our MGMT courses, my wife Marsden and I have played the assist with over 1,100 leaders so far, who’ve now learned how to:

- Practically tackle the most common leadership challenges
- Build their Management OS’s CODE (Coach, Operate, Delegate, Engage)
- Refine their individual leadership Decision-Making System

With our 30+ years of combined experience, you won’t just get our knowledge.

You’ll get to ask us questions directly and get access to coaching that’s more tailored to your own experience.

We always say – if we could do it like a dinner party, we would.

If you’re interested in leadership advice (that doesn’t just sound nice but actually works), drop me a follow – I post daily.

And if you like what you see, our MGMT courses could be just what you need to level up.

DM me if you’re interested.

Co-Founder

We created the MGMT Accelerator to help managers rapidly develop into trusted leaders by combining the art & science of management. 

This 4-week program consistents of eight 90-minute modules where I share the tactics I learned leading high-performing teams for 25 years. During each session, we tailor those insights together to build your personalized management system together. 

You'll learn alongside ~50 peers and become part of an expert community of more than 300 alums.

60% of managers fail.

Not because they lack talent.
But because they lack a clear map.

They're promoted and handed:

• No training
• No playbook
• No clarity

Just bigger responsibilities and higher expectations.

What makes it even harder?

Each management level isn't slightly different.
It's an entirely different game.

Same title. 
New rules.

And the cost of mistakes only goes up:

Team Lead Mistakes:
• Avoiding tough conversations
• Clinging to individual contributor work
• Missing early warning signals
• Failing to establish boundaries
• Prioritizing friendship over leadership

Manager Mistakes:
• Hiring too quickly, firing too slowly
• Choosing comfort over development
• Accepting mediocre performance
• Neglecting succession planning
• Navigating politics poorly

Manager of Managers Mistakes:
• Overlooking strategic opportunities
• Creating silos instead of connections
• Choosing the wrong battles
• Drowning in tactical details
• Controlling information flow

But beneath all three levels?

Core capabilities anyone can learn:

Emotional Intelligence
• Navigate conflict effectively
• Manage up with intention
• Read the room and adjust

Quality Decisions
• Gather the right inputs
• Move with purpose
• Deliver

Clear Communication
• Right audience
• Right message
• Right timing

Strategic Thinking
• Many No's for the right Yes!
• Anticipate what's coming
• Connect the dots

Team Development
• Build bench strength
• Identify hidden potential
• Make choices to up talent density

Master these foundations.
Use them to avoid learning lessons the hard way.

What skill helped you level up?
Share below ⬇️

♻️ Share to help fast-growing managers
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If you want to get promoted this year, read this:


Most people wait for the title to start leading.
They want permission and a promotion.

The top 1% know better.
They know most companies don’t like risk.

And the best way to make your promotion low risk?

Show them you can do the job...
BEFORE they give it to you.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth about getting promoted:

Your company isn’t promoting potential.
Hope is not a qualification.

They’re promoting performance.
The performance they’ve already seen.

While most people focus on doing their job well,
Future leaders focus on something completely different:

JUDGMENT | Start Acting Like an Owner
• Own outcomes, not just tasks
• Make decisions as if the company’s success depends on you
• Solve problems before you’re asked

RELIABILITY | Make Your Manager’s Job Easier
• Anticipate needs before they ask
• Keep every commitment or escalate early
• Deliver work with recommendations, not just reports

LEADERSHIP | Develop People Around You
• Share knowledge freely
• Help new team members succeed faster
• Document your work so others can build on it

CREDIBILITY | Communicate with Clarity
• Write things down—documentation builds trust
• Follow up with clear next steps
• Use active listening to show you understand

PERSPECTIVE | Think Beyond Your Role
• Connect your work to bigger goals
• Offer ideas that benefit the whole team
• Ask questions about the larger business context

GROWTH | Give and Receive Feedback Well
• Give constructive input to peers
• Actively seek feedback on your own performance
• Handle criticism without getting defensive

SYSTEMS | Solve Problems at the Root
• Ask “why” until you find the real cause
• Address causes, not just symptoms
• Build solutions that prevent problems from coming back

IMPACT | Deliver Meaningful Results
• Focus on work that moves the needle
• Track and share your impact
• Make your value visible to decision-makers

AI | Stand Out with New Skills
• Learn and use AI tools to boost your productivity
• Automate routine work and teach others what you learn
• Become the go-to resource for new technology

The promotion paradox:
Companies promote based on performance, not potential.
But most people perform at their current level, not the next one.

The breakthrough insight:
Start doing the work before you get the job.
The title will follow the behavior, not the other way around.

What skill helped you get promoted recently?
Drop it in the comments if I missed one.

And before you go...

♻️ Share to help others earn their next promotion
🔖 Save this so you can check back on your progress
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Timeless Skills You must learn To Get Promoted This Year 

Most of what you do as a manager doesn’t matter.

These 5 levers will make or break you.

After 25 years of working with teams, 
The same pattern repeats:

Average managers try to do everything.
The great ones focus on what really matters.

These are the 5 factors every high-performing team gets right:

1. Clear Goal | Singular Focus
• If everything’s a priority, nothing is
• One mission everyone can recite from memory
• Make progress visible—post your key metrics publicly

2. Best People | Talent Density
• Filling seats with whoever’s available kills momentum
• Recruit constantly, raise the bar relentlessly
• Tap your top performers’ networks

3. Right Tools | Force Multipliers
• “We can’t afford good software” is an excuse
• Invest in systems that amplify talent
• Pre-approve any tool under $500/year

4. Least Friction | Ruthless Simplification
• “That’s how we’ve always done it” is a red flag
• Eliminate every unnecessary step and meeting
• Ask weekly: “What got in our way?”

5. Shortest Time | Speed as Strategy
• Waiting for perfect conditions means you’ll never act
• Run rapid experiments, learn fast
• Cut every cycle time in half—then do it again

The brutal truth:
Most teams have 3 out of 5 levers working.
Elite teams obsess over all 5, all the time.

One broken pillar pulls everyone down.

The diagnostic question:
Which lever is your bottleneck right now?

Fix that one first.
Everything else multiplies from there.

Want more practical frameworks like this?

Subscribe to the MGMT Playbook. 
My free weekly newsletter for leaders who want to level up.

https://mgmt.beehiiv.com

♻️ Share to help leaders focus on what matters
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The 8020 of Management

Justin M. Nassiri

I’m the Founder and CEO of Executive Presence, where we help leaders build trust, visibility, and influence through authentic executive thought leadership on LinkedIn.

In just over three years, we've bootstrapped past $3M ARR, partnered with more than 250 executives, and conducted more than 750 CEO interviews. When leaders show up consistently in their own voice, their entire company benefits.

Most executives already have a network that trusts them. They just lack a system that keeps them top of mind. My team and I help them articulate what they believe, stay relevant in moments that matter, and expand their influence to hire better, sell faster, raise capital, and shape their industry's narrative.

Our work is built around three principles:

• Authenticity: capture the leader’s real voice and worldview
• Efficiency: require as little as 90 minutes of their time each month
• Measurability: track progress weekly with clear KPIs and outcomes

I work with CEOs, founders, and senior executives at high-growth companies who want their leadership to be an asset that compounds.

My own path shapes how I think about leadership, communication, and influence:

• Officer aboard nuclear submarines, leading teams of more than 200 in high-stakes environments
• Stanford MBA and three-time founder
• Former CEO of StoryBox, funded by Eric Schmidt and used by over 1,000 brands
• Host of the 450-episode leadership and career podcast Beyond the Uniform

Every role taught me the same lesson: Executives are among a company’s most underutilized assets. When leaders communicate with clarity and consistency, they elevate culture, attract talent, deepen trust, and move their industries forward.

My work at Executive Presence is about helping leaders do exactly that - authentically, efficiently, and with measurable results.

CEO ◆ We turn leaders into thought leaders

We specialize in helping top-tier executives boost their visibility, activate their network, and position themselves as thought leaders via our premium, fully-managed LinkedIn service.

Our unique process involves ex-McKinsey, BCG, and Bain consultants conducting monthly hour-long interviews with our clients, and turning them into impactful daily LinkedIn posts to establish their unique voice and authority. 

We've helped over 100 CEOs become thought leaders. On average, our clients see a 500% bump in engagement in their first 30 days with us. Data is continuously analyzed to improve engagement and identify impactful messaging that you can use for conferences, podcasts, and internal communications.

One of my clients sold his company for over $2 billion, and LinkedIn was part of his exit strategy.

When we started working together, he had posted 5 times in the last year, with minimal traction and no visible narrative. Eighteen months later, he was posting 20 times a month, pulling 400-plus likes on his top posts, and had become a recognized voice in his industry.

Then a Fortune 500 company acquired his company.

When the announcement went out, it reached his entire industry because two years of consistent publishing had already built the audience to receive it. Acquirers, partners, and investors had been watching him think in public for two years before the deal closed.

Most CEOs never think about LinkedIn until a liquidity event, a fundraise, or a leadership transition is already in motion. But by then, it's too late to build the credibility that makes those moments land.

At Executive Presence, we work with executives before those moments arrive.

So join me on March 18 for a live webinar where I'm breaking down this case study and three others, with real before-and-after data (replay available if you can't make it live).

Register here: https://lnkd.in/gpMdqxwF

CEO @ Executive Presence | Executive LinkedIn Strategy | Say Something Worth Reading

One of my clients IPO'd at $6 billion.

He did it by posting less on LinkedIn, not more.

Before we started working together four years ago, he was already posting 18 times a month. More than most executives ever will. But 52% of his content was industry commentary. Safe. Professional. Forgettable.

We shifted the mix. He posted slightly less. 
Impressions went up 71%. 
Engagement rate went up 52%. 
Personal content drove 2.5x the reach of industry posts.

Less content. Better mix. $6 billion IPO.

I'm breaking down this case study and three others - with real before-and-after data - in a live webinar on March 18.

Register here: https://lnkd.in/gpMdqxwF

Yesterday, Executive Presence turned 4 years old. 

The last four years have been the most fulfilling years of my career. 

My first two companies didn't pan out as I had hoped. 
My third company has felt like the culmination of everything I learned in those first two endeavors. 

As I look back on our journey to this point, I want to thank people who played a key role on this journey.

David Lyon - you were the first person I told about this idea during a coaching session. You told me "this is the most clearly I've heard you describe a business. I love it." That encouragement was the initial spark. 

Ryan Hogan - you were our first official client. I couldn't have picked a more energizing, supportive client. 

Abby Cunningham - you were the first employee I hired. I never thought I wanted to hire another employee again. Your positivity & dedication made me change my mind. 

Kelley Braegger - you and I worked side-by-side in the trenches at all hours of the day. Your indomitable mindset kept me going. 

Bill Youstra - you challenged me when I needed it the most. "We've seen the limits of what Justin can build on his own." The day after you told me that, I got serious about becoming a recruiter for my company. 

Erin Dierker - I still cannot believe I ever convinced you to work with me. You are truly a unicorn - equal parts BCG-level strategy and Y-Combinator-level execution. 

Mitzi Mock - I've never campaigned so hard to hire someone. You convinced me that working with a close friend can be one of the greatest gifts in life. 

Greg Alexander - I still tear up thinking of your generosity. Your invitation to spend the weekend with you in Dallas changed the course of my company. You've shaped my thinking about business more than anyone else on this journey. 

My Entrepreneurs'​ Organization forum, No VC Coffee Club, and Collective 54: Thank you for being a sounding board, a support, and fellow travelers on this entrepreneurial journey.

And most of all - my team:
Thank you for joining me on this journey.
Thank you for making celebration, kindness & positivity a deep part of our culture.
Thank you for a commitment to constant learning, growth, and rapid iteration.
Thank you for supporting me and each other in a selfless way.
The best is yet to come. 

2026 is going to be our best year yet, and I can't wait for the next four years ahead.

LFG

One of my clients went from $0 to $200 million in revenue in <5 years.

2 of the 3 biggest retailers in the US regularly reference his LinkedIn posts in B2B sales meetings.

When we started working together, he had posted about 5 times a year for a decade, with minimal traction and no visible narrative. Two years later, he was posting 7 times a month with 5x the engagement, and the people reading his content were the buyers who matter most to his business.

When he walks into a meeting now, they already know who he is. His LinkedIn presence turned cold meetings into warm ones before a single word was said, and the biggest retailers in his market became familiar with his thinking long before any contract was on the table.

When a top-three retailer walks into a meeting already quoting your LinkedIn posts, the sales conversation starts from a completely different place. That kind of familiarity takes years to build, and it only comes from showing up consistently long before the meeting is ever scheduled.

I'm breaking down this case study and three others, with real before-and-after data, in a live webinar on March 18.

Register here: https://lnkd.in/gpMdqxwF

I watched a video of the McDonald's CEO eating a burger from his own restaurant, and I immediately recognized the problem.

He held the burger awkwardly, called it "the product," and took a tiny nibble before describing it like he was reading off a spec sheet. Millions of people roasted him for it, and one commenter said he looked "incredibly alien."

The thing is, Chris Kempczinski reportedly eats McDonald's three to four times a week. He probably loves the burger. 

But nobody who watched that video believed him, because the way he talked about his own product didn't match how someone who genuinely enjoys a burger actually talks about a burger.

That disconnect between what someone feels and how they express it is something I run into constantly in my work with CEOs on LinkedIn.

A CEO will be genuinely passionate about their company or their team, and then write a post that sounds like their PR department drafted it during their lunch.

I've helped hundreds of CEOs communicate on LinkedIn at @Executive Presence, and the first draft almost always has this problem. CEOs default to corporate language because it feels safe and polished, even though safe and polished is exactly how you lose people.

When a post reads like a press release, people scroll past it. And the audience you're trying to reach - employees, prospects, potential partners - never gets a sense of who you actually are.

The CEOs I've seen generate real traction talk about their business the way they'd talk about it over dinner. They name specific people, describe specific moments, and share specific lessons they've learned along the way. They sound like themselves, and their audiences respond to that.

Kempczinski's video went viral for the wrong reasons. But the lesson for every executive is the same one I share with our clients every week.

If you love your product (or your burger), talk about it like you love it. 

People can tell when you mean it, and they can absolutely tell when you don't.

Most of us need more time with more people.

I realized how true that was on a recent 48-hour trip to San Francisco, where I spent maybe two hours alone aside from sleeping. I'm someone who usually withdraws after big social events to recover, so I expected to be drained by the end of the trip.

But this trip was different, because I shared it with friends I have decades of depth, safety, and connection with. Being around them doesn't pull from my reserves the way a networking event or a conference would.

One afternoon, for example, I went on a two-hour hike with a friend near where he lives. There's something about being outside, in the sun, walking with someone and processing ideas together that effortlessly deepens a conversation. Hiking alone brings up ideas for me, but hiking with another person creates an exchange that goes beyond what I'd come up with on my own.

Later that weekend, I spent hours playing video games with a friend's son while his parents sat down and read. They clearly appreciated the breathing room, and I genuinely enjoyed feeling useful and connecting with their kid.

In both of those moments - the hike and the video games - everyone involved walked away with something they needed. 

When you spend extended time with people you trust, there's a natural give and take that's hard to replicate in a one-hour dinner or a scheduled Zoom call.

Both the give and the take are worth their weight in gold. After my trip, I walked away from 48 hours of nonstop togetherness more energized than I've felt in months. 

And I keep wondering why I don't do it more often.

I work with a CRO who built a $200M+ market from scratch, and three of the biggest retailers in the US now reference his LinkedIn posts in B2B sales meetings. 

Not his company's marketing materials or press releases. His LinkedIn posts.

And two years ago, he was posting five times a year.

He's one of four investor-backed leaders I've been tracking over the past two years, and the pattern across all four is almost identical. 

The same framework produced a $2B+ exit for a healthcare software CEO, 26% headcount growth for a Chief Clinical Officer during a nationwide talent crisis, and a $6B IPO for an enterprise software CEO who shifted his content mix and saw impressions jump 71%.

Every one of them either started from near-zero visibility or was visible in the wrong way. And every one of them almost quit in the first three months because it felt like nothing was happening.

But the ones who kept going are the ones you've heard of.

Four case studies that changed how I talk to operating partners about visibility I recently presented to a room full of PE and VC operating partners w

Open article: Every CEO Who Stayed Invisible Paid for It by Justin M. Nassiri • 6 min read

Every CEO Who Stayed Invisible Paid for It

I didn't know one of my employees was a baker until I spent an afternoon with him in San Francisco.

Having a remote team is one of the reasons we've been able to attract the best talent at Executive Presence - geographic separation within the U.S. hasn't limited our hiring. 

But remote work comes with a tradeoff. 

I miss breathing the same air as my people and getting a sense for who they are beyond a Zoom screen, where conversations tend to be scheduled, succinct, and specific, with rarely any room to wander.

So on a recent trip to San Francisco, I spent several hours with one of our newer Engagement Managers, Joey Perotti. We met at a coffee shop, went for a walk, grabbed dinner, went to lunch the next day, and walked some more.

After about an hour together, we’d already covered all the obvious work topics. And that's when the conversation got really interesting.

I learned that Joey's a baker. We talked about his creative journey writing screenplays and prose, and hosting a podcast. I got to see a side of him that a 30-minute Zoom call would never show me.

His time in film school, his documentary work, his podcast - all of these creative pursuits have sharpened his ability to help our clients communicate their stories, which is exactly what we need him to do.

Even as a fully remote company, I want to keep investing in these in-person moments with my team - and I only have 2 more team members to meet in person (hoping to see you soon Juliette C. and Melissa M.!).

So if a few hours over coffee and a walk can show me something months of Zoom calls couldn't, I'll keep booking the flights.

In 48 hours in San Francisco, I saw six Stanford University Graduate School of Business classmates and five of their children.

The length of my program at Stanford was only two years. But those two years were so intense - the workload, the pressure, the late nights figuring out what we wanted to do with our lives - that the bonds we formed run much deeper than two years would suggest.

And those bonds have persisted long after graduation, even as our lives have gone in completely different directions.

One friend runs a massive company, and another pivoted careers entirely. A few are deep in the weeds of parenthood, trying to figure out screen time rules and school choices and how to be present while also building something professionally.

Despite all that variance, every conversation I had that weekend landed in a similar place. 

Career is one piece of the pie, and for all of us, it's becoming a smaller piece. Fulfillment, family, health, being intentional about how we raise our kids - those are the things that dominated our conversations.

Even how we spend time together has changed. A far cry from how we spent our Friday nights at Stanford.

But no matter how different our lives look, these people still have a real read on me. They knew me during a formative period of my life, and because of that, they can be honest and direct in a way that few other people in my life can.

I'll always make time to invest in these friendships. Even when it means flying across the country for 48 hours.

Good people who genuinely know you - and are willing to tell you the truth - are always worth the trip.

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The Battle

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