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
🔔 Follow Dave Kline for more leadership frameworks

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
🔔 Follow Dave Kline for more leadership insights

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
🔔 Follow Dave Kline for more practical leadership insights

The 8020 of Management

#1 for Career Coaching on LinkedIn. I help senior-level ICs & people leaders grow their salaries and land fulfilling $200K-$500K jobs —​> 300+ placed at top companies.

Ranked The Top Career Coach Worldwide On LinkedIn | Helping Senior ICs & People Leaders Land $200K-$500K Dream Jobs

Ready to grow your salary and land a role you actually love?

I've helped over 300 professionals break through salary ceilings and land life-changing positions at Google, OpenAI, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Apple, Nvidia, Amazon, and other top companies.

Here's what makes my approach different:

Most job seekers waste months applying to hundreds of jobs with no results. My clients land multiple offers in 6-12 weeks using "The Simple Success Method" - my distilled 5-step system that focuses only on what gets you hired. After 300+ successful placements, I've learned that executive-level results come from doing the RIGHT 5 things perfectly, not overwhelming yourself with complicated processes.

My track record speaks for itself:
✓ 300+ clients placed at dream companies  
✓ Average salary increase: 40-80%  
✓ 300M+ content views helping job seekers  
✓ Featured in Forbes, Fast Company, Business Insider  
✓ Built my own 7-figure business using these exact strategies
✓ Ranked the top job search coach on LinkedIn (#1 in the U.S. and Worldwide by Favikon)  

What you get in Career Leap:
→ The Simple Success Method™ (my battle-tested 5-step system)  
→ 1:1 coaching sessions with me personally  
→ Exclusive access to proprietary AI job search tool  
→ Group coaching with other high-performers  
→ Private community of ambitious professionals  
→ Complete confidentiality throughout your search  

This isn't for everyone. I only work with senior-level individual contributors and people leaders who are serious about making a major career move and ready to invest in themselves.

My guarantee: If you don't land a $200K-$500K role within 90 days, we'll keep working with you until you do. That's how confident I am in this system.

More about me: Currently living in Chicago. I worked at LinkedIn for 4 years helping Fortune 500 companies hire top talent, then founded my own 7-figure recruiting start-up. Now I use that complete 360° perspective - platform insider knowledge + hiring expertise + entrepreneurial success - to help people land jobs they actually love.

Ready to transform your career?
  
Send me a DM with "CAREER LEAP" or book a free job search strategy call: https://lwspuk8wil4.typeform.com/to/LeHkspKC

P.S. - Spots are limited. I only take on a select group of professionals each month to ensure everyone gets the attention they deserve.

Reno Perry

My biggest hiring mistake taught me everything.

I passed on someone because they didn't fit the mold.

She had passion. 
She had drive.

But no industry experience.

So I hired the "safe" choice instead.

9 months later, they were gone. 
I was just a stepping stone. 

The person I rejected?

She's now embedded and thriving at another company. 
With no plans to move on. 

That's when it clicked:

People never forget the leader who took a chance on them.

And leaders who don't take chances?

They miss out on incredible talent.

What I’ve learned:

↳ Drive beats degrees
↳ Potential beats pedigree
↳ Character beats credentials

But most of all: 

Attitude beats everything. 

The intern we promoted over more senior candidates.
The career changer who became our top performer.
The self-taught developer who built our best systems.

They all had one thing in common:

Someone believed in them before they proved it.

Now that's how I lead.

I look for hunger, not just qualifications.
I bet on people, not just resumes.
I build futures, not just teams.

Because when you give someone their shot?

They don't just remember. They deliver.

Who's someone who gave you a shot? 

Tag them in the comments below.

I've helped 100s of candidates land 6-figure roles.

The best offers don’t always go to the best candidates.

They go to the most prepared ones.

Save this for your prep.
Share it with someone who needs a win.

12 tough interview questions with A+ answers
(from someone who’s seen what works):

1. “Tell me about yourself.”
↳ Share your value, impact, and what you’re building next.

2. “Walk me through your resume.”
↳ Show how each step made you stronger and more strategic.

3. “Why are you leaving your current role?”
↳ Don’t trash the past—focus on what’s ahead.

4. “I see a gap in your resume. Why did you take time off?”
↳ Be real. Keep it brief. Then move forward.

5. “How do you lead without authority?”
↳ Show how you align people and drive results anyway.

6. “Have you ever disagreed with your boss?”
↳ Prove your maturity: challenge with logic, solve with impact.

7. “What’s a decision you regret?”
↳ Pick one. Own it. Share what changed because of it.

8. “What’s something you’d do differently if you could?”
↳ Point to one thing that would’ve made a big difference.

9. “If I called your boss, what would they say about you?”
↳ Share real feedback that shows clarity, trust, and leadership.

10. “What’s your biggest weakness?”
↳ Be honest. Keep it small. Explain how you manage it now.

11. “What’s the biggest risk you’ve taken?”
↳ Walk through the bold move and the payoff.

12. “Tell me about a project that failed and what you did.”
↳ Own the mess. Show how you fixed it and rebuilt trust.

Great answers don’t just sound good.
They show you’re already thinking at the next level.

So if this helped you rethink how you prep...

Save it.
Remember it. 
Use it. 

Because your next big opportunity could come down
to just 1 question.

But you’d better be ready for all 12.

—

📌 P.S. Ready to land a stronger role in 2026?

I'm hosting a free masterclass where I'll walk you through exactly how senior-level candidates engineer the offers they want.

Grab your spot here: https://lnkd.in/g8fyNm7g

Your LinkedIn profile is costing you opportunities.

(And you don't even know it.)

I've reviewed 1000+ profiles.

Most make the same 7 mistakes.

The good news?

They're all fixable today.

Here's what separates profiles that get ignored
from profiles that get interviews:

1. Your Photo

Blurry selfie → Professional headshot
Dark lighting → Natural light
Busy background → Clean, simple backdrop

2. Your Headline

"Marketing Manager" → "Helping B2B SaaS Companies 
Triple Pipeline Through Data-Driven Campaigns"
Job title only → Keywords + impact + value

Try these headline formulas ↓
[Title] | [Keyword 1] | [Keyword 2] | [Keyword 3] | [Value Statement]
[Title] | [Industry/Expertise] | [Value Statement or Achievement]

3. Your About Section

Resume copy → Your actual story
Third person → First person, conversational
List of duties → Problems you solve

4. Your Skills

23 random skills → Up to 100 strategic ones
Old terminology → Current industry keywords
Set and forget → Update every quarter

5. Your Recommendations

2 generic ones → 3+ specific ones
Old colleagues → Recent success stories
Vague praise → Measurable outcomes

6. Your Custom URL

in/12345abc → in/yourname
Hidden profile → Easy to share and find

7. Your Activity

Ghost mode → Weekly engagement
Broadcasting → Conversations
Silent scrolling → Strategic commenting

The reality?

Recruiters spend 6 seconds on your profile.

Make them count.

I've helped 100s land 6-figure roles.

Every single one started here.

Your competition isn't just sleeping.
Their profiles are working 24/7.
Yours should be too.

Pick one section.
Fix it today.
Then move to the next.

Small changes. Big results.

—

📌 P.S. If you’re serious about making a move and want help positioning yourself for $200K–$500K roles, I work with a small number of clients inside my Job Search Accelerator. You can fill out the short form in my Featured section and, if it’s a fit, book a strategy call.

I stopped asking "What's the culture like?" in interviews.

Not because culture doesn't matter. It determines everything…your growth, confidence, stress, and well-being.

I stopped asking it because it never reveals the truth.

Ask any hiring manager and you'll hear the same three lines:

"Collaborative." "Innovative." And dare they say "Like family."

Vague. Rehearsed. Meaningless.

If you want real insight, you need questions that force specifics, not slogans. Questions that uncover actual behavior, not branding.

The 12 on this cheat sheet do exactly that.

Pay attention to how leaders respond, not just what they say. 

Do they lean forward or get guarded? Do they name real people and real examples or speak in theory? Do they admit where they're still improving or pretend everything is great?

Those moments tell you everything.

Because you're not just interviewing for a job. 

You're interviewing for the next 2,000 hours of your life.

Ask the questions most people are too afraid to ask. 

You deserve real answers.

📌 Want help landing a better role and a healthier team environment? Visit the featured section on my profile to learn more and book a free strategy call.

6-figure offers don't go to the best candidates.

They go to the ones who follow a system, not luck.

Applying to jobs feels like shouting into a void.
Recruiters get 250+ applications for every role.

I’ve seen many get 1000+

Your resume has a few seconds to make an impact.
But there's a better way to stand out.

After helping hundreds land amazing roles, 
I've noticed a pattern:

The most successful job seekers aren't 
using the same LinkedIn as everyone else.

They're using these 5 essentials that most people miss:

1️⃣ Your profile is your sales page, not your resume

Headline: Role + industry Focus + your Impact
About: Tell us who you are, what you do, why it matters
Featured: Showcase wins with real evidence

2️⃣ One good comment can outperform ten average posts

Comment on executives' content (they notice)
Add genuine insight to show your credibility.
Ask a thoughtful question to build a relationship

3️⃣ Consistency beats viral content every time

LinkedIn rewards weekly posters with 5x more 
profile views and 7x more connections. 

Your formula:

Start with a valuable insight
Add a quick personal example
End with a simple call-to-action

4️⃣ The DM template that gets 50%+ response rates:

"Hey [Name], I saw your post on [topic]. 
Really resonated with your take. 
I've worked on something similar, 
curious how your team is approaching [X] right now?"

5️⃣ The hidden "Open to Work" hack

Set your status to "Recruiters Only" - 
you'll get the algorithm boost 
without broadcasting to your network.

The job market has SERIOUSLY changed.
Most recruiters find talent on LinkedIn, not job boards.

Most still apply the old way and remain invisible.
While others wait for luck to strike, you need to be creating your own opportunities.

These 5 essentials are your system for standing out in 2026.
→ Your strategy beats talent every time.

—

📌 If you're spending more time applying than positioning, then we need to fix that. Visit my Featured section to learn how my Job Search Accelerator (Career Leap) can help and book a free strategy call.

The most successful people I've met share 1 skill:

They’re powerful communicators.

I've watched so many talented professionals get overlooked.

(Especially in job interviews these days)

All because they couldn't package their value into stories that stick.

The right frameworks can help you do that.

Here are 5 story frameworks every professional or job seeker needs to know:

1. PCAR Method
↳ Forces you to set the scene before jumping to what you did
↳ Makes interviewers feel the weight of your impact

2. The Minto Pyramid Principle 
↳ Saves time by leading with conclusions
↳ Perfect when you must make your point quickly

3. AIDA Framework 
↳ Builds momentum from the first word to the final ask
↳ Keeps readers engaged through your entire message

4. StoryBrand Framework 
↳ Shifts focus from what you did to what they need
↳ Makes your value instantly relevant to your audience

5. The Hero's Journey
↳ Turns career gaps into growth stories
↳ Shows resilience instead of just listing jobs

Each framework helps you:

✅ Build real connections
✅ Make your message stick
✅ Say more with fewer words
✅ Stand out from everyone else

Your experiences already matter.
These frameworks just help others see it too.

Which of these frameworks are you using right now?

If storytelling in interviews is the piece that's costing you offers (which it probably is tbh), that's exactly what we fix inside Career Leap.

My clients don't just learn frameworks. We practice real reps with them until their stories land every time.

Link in my Featured section if you want to see how it works.

Many candidates overthink this question.

They try to answer it by:

❌ Proving everything all at once
❌ Sharing their needs instead of the company
❌ Giving answers that are too generic/general

But what often works better?

Stories that show your impact.

(I would do this for most interview questions btw)

Research suggests stories are remembered up to 22x more than facts.

And the best ones follow a clear structure:

Problem → Constraint → Action → Result

Here’s what that looks like: 

1. Problem
What challenge were you solving?

2. Constraint
What made it harder—tight deadline, limited budget, unclear direction?

3. Action
What steps did you take? What skills did you use? What was your role?

4. Result
What changed because of you? Use data when you can or clear outcomes.

Some questions I always come back to:

☑ Does this story solve a problem they care about?
☑ Can it be shared concisely in no more than a few minutes?
☑ Does it highlight your decisions, not just your tasks?
☑ Will they remember both the result and how you work?
☑ Does it feel like your story, not a script?

When those answers feel solid, your story will feel solid too.

At the end of the day, you don’t need a perfect answer.
You need a structured one that connects.

Ever shared a story in an interview that really landed?
Would love to hear how you approached it.

📌P.S. If you want support using stories like this to land a better, higher-paying role, I’m opening a few spots this month in my job search accelerator. We have people leaving this month due to landing jobs! Fill out the short form in my Featured section and if it’s a fit, we can talk.

How_to_Answer_Why_Should_We_Hire_You

10 phrases that quietly kill interviews.

Most candidates don't realize they're saying them.

"I'm open to any role here." 
"I'm considering a career change." 
"I just really need to get back to work." 
"My greatest weakness is working too hard." 
"What's the work-life balance like?"

And it isn't just these exact phrases.

It's anything that sounds like them.

Anything that signals uncertainty, desperation, or lack of direction 
(even when that's not what you mean)

Hiring leaders at the senior level are reading between the lines on every answer.
 
One unguarded moment can quietly close a door you didn't even know was closing.

After coaching hundreds of professionals through this process, I've learned that interviews aren't lost on qualifications.

They're lost in the moments that candidates don't even know are happening.

The full cheat sheet breaks down phrases to avoid and what to say instead.

If you're a mid to senior-level professional targeting your next big move and want to know exactly how your words, positioning, and story are landing with hiring leaders, Career Leap was built for this.

Visit my featured section to apply and book a free strategy call.

Everyone's chasing the next AI productivity tool.

Meanwhile, the rules that actually work have been around for decades.

No prompts. 
No subscriptions. 
No learning curve.

Just clear frameworks built by people who figured out how to do more without burning out.

Warren Buffett built one to protect his focus. 

Cal Newport built one to protect his attention. 

Tim Ferriss built one to protect his time.

None of them needed an app to do it.

The problem most people have isn't that they lack the right tools. 

It's that they never built the right habits in the first place. 

A better app won't necessarily fix that. 
A better system will.

I put 9 of the best ones in the playbook below.

Some you've probably heard of. A few might surprise you.

But all of them work. And none of them require anything except a decision to start.

Pick the one that fits where you are right now and build from there.

The best companies don't have to beg people to stay.

I talk to hiring leaders every week.

The ones with great retention aren't doing anything complicated.

Their people feel challenged. Trusted. Recognized. Like their career is actually moving somewhere.

These are exactly the things you should be testing for in your interviews.

Most candidates never ask the right questions to find out if a company actually operates this way.

Or just says it does.

The difference between a role that energizes you and one that burns you out in 18 months usually comes down to how well you interviewed them.

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Dave Kline

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