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.

9 Signs Your Team Might Be Toxic

(And it's costing you more than you think)

No team is perfect.

But there's a critical difference between:
Temporary Discomfort and Permanent Dysfunction.

The ❌'s reveal the hidden damage.
The ✅'s show you what excellence looks like.

The more signs you recognize,
The faster you need to move.

Good People Leave
❌ Your best talent quits, replaced by whoever applies
✅ A-players recruit and develop other A-players

Mediocre People Stay
❌ Average becomes the accepted norm
✅ Excellence is supplied, recognized, and multiplied

Conflict Never Gets Fully Resolved
❌ Tension builds privately until it erupts publicly
✅ Problems are surfaced, discussed, and solved

The War Inside Our Walls
❌ Departments compete instead of collaborating
✅ Everyone focuses on beating external competition

Decisions Get Made and Unmade
❌ Choices get revisited endlessly, killing momentum
✅ Decisions are made, with clear owners and follow-through

Questions Are Met With Silence
❌ Information is hoarded for leverage and protection
✅ Knowledge is shared openly to strengthen everyone

Feedback is Nonexistent
❌ People guess at their performance without clarity
✅ Consistent, direct feedback accelerates growth

Tomorrow Never Comes
❌ Promises are made but never kept
✅ Commitments today become results tomorrow

Success Is Accidental
❌ Wins are downplayed, high standards feel threatening
✅ Success is analyzed, replicated, and built into systems

The opposite of a toxic environment is a high-performing one. 

Building one requires:  
✅ the right people, 
✅ the right systems, 
✅ and the right leader. 

Our MGMT Accelerator will help you become one faster. 

Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eFwuqzh3

See why 1,400+ leaders said it was worth 25x what they paid.

Remember:
If you're quietly tolerating a toxic team,
You're slowly becoming part of the problem.

You either shape your environment or it shapes you.
Choose to be the catalyst, not the casualty.

♻️ Please repost to help others.
✅ And follow Dave Kline for more.

9 Signs You Might Have a Toxic Team

One choice hurts more managers than any other:

The 'More People' Paradox.

Here's what it is and how to avoid it...

Most teams fall into this pattern:

❌ Problem →
❌ Add People →
❌ More Complexity →
❌ Bigger Problems →
❌ Add Even More People

In an effort to add capacity,
They drown themselves in complexity.

Here's the trap: 

Capacity grows linearly. 
Complexity grows exponentially. 

High-performing teams know this. 
They choose a different path: 

❌ Problem →
✅ Diagnose →
✅ Delete, Simplify, or Automate →
✅ Refocus & Execute →
✅ Scale

Why does this order change things? 
Pruning is required for healthy growth.

They fix the model to scale. 
They don't hope scale fixes the model. 

Ask these 3 questions before you hire:

1️⃣ What could we stop doing?
• Nice-to-have projects
• Low-impact meetings
• Redundant reports

2️⃣ What are we overcomplicating?
• Communication channels
• Project workflows
• Decision making

3️⃣ What are we avoiding?
• Technology improvements
• Difficult conversations
• Priority decisions

BONUS: What could AI handle?
• Document processing
• Standard responses
• Data aggregation
• Routine analysis

✅ Remember:
Our optimal path to greater success...
Doing half as much, twice as well.

If this post resonated with you...
🔔 Follow Dave Kline for more
♻️ Share to help others go big by thinking small

PS - We have another free AI-Enhanced Leader workshop coming up. 
"Build Your AI-Powered Leadership Coach in 30 Minutes"
Join 352 leaders already signed up: https://lnkd.in/guyyAMdN

Managing up doesn't require sucking up.

If you know how to do it right.

Managing up isn't about:
• Power
• Politics
• Persuasion

It's about building a relationship with your boss.
And making them successful while you do it.

And that starts by knowing who your manager is.

Here are 3 common manager archetypes
(and how to speak their language):

The Relentless Micromanager
• Needs to control every detail
• Constantly checks in for updates
• Language: High-velocity details before they ask

The Volatile Visionary
• Focuses on big ideas and long-term goals
• Everything is extreme: failure or excellence
• Language: Contrarian insights tied to their vision

The Disconnected Diva
• Out of touch with day-to-day operations
• Doesn't understand frontline challenges
• Language: Repeatable stories that connect dots

Once you know who you're talking to,
You can apply a range of practical tactics. 

The carousel below has one proven tactic
To overcome 10 common objections to managing up.

Swipe through and give one a try.

Make your boss's goals your goals, and three things happen:
• You get more support for your team
• You get more opportunities for growth
• You get more autonomy in your decisions

This isn't politics. 
This is partnership.

Want help applying this skill?

Join MGMT Fundamentals starting next Tuesday.

"Managing Up" is one of the 6 core skills we teach.

• One hour a day over two weeks.
• Critical Skills + Proven Systems. 
• Group coaching to unlock your challenge.

Enrollment closes in 3 days: https://lnkd.in/ewTRApB5

Join 33 leaders looking to level up.

♻️ Share this to help a new manager.

🔔 Follow Dave Kline for more leadership insights.

How to Manage Up (and get what you deserve)

Most new managers fail (nearly 60%). 

Not because they aren't capable. 

It's because they focus on the wrong things. 

Here's what I wish someone had told me:

1. Define a Clear Mission

Average teams execute tasks.
High-performing teams drive outcomes.

Your team needs to know:
• Why their work matters
• How it impacts the company
• What winning looks like

Test: Can each person explain the mission in one sentence?

2. Hire Slowly, Fire Fast

High performers want to work with high performers.

Never compromise on:
• Proven ability to deliver
• Self-direction and ownership
• Character over credentials

One A-player is worth three B-players.
One C-player destroys team standards.

3. Give Earned Autonomy

Top talent doesn't need micromanagement.

Define the outcome, not the process.

Let them:
• Set their schedule
• Choose their methods
• Make meaningful decisions

Your job: Remove obstacles, not create them.

4. Protect Their Time

Meetings are overhead, not output.

Only meet to:
• Align on priorities
• Solve blocking problems
• Make decisions

Default to async communication.
Protect their time to create value.

5. Kill Bureaucracy

High performers hate administrative waste.

Cut ruthlessly:
• Unnecessary approvals
• Redundant reporting
• Meeting theater

Ask: "Does this help us win or just look busy?"

6. Guard Their Focus

Concentration beats distraction.

Say no to:
• Random committees
• Shiny object syndrome
• Everything that's not the main thing

The best teams do half as much twice as well.

7. Track Outcomes, Not Activities

Set clear expectations.
Measure results, not hours.

Focus on:
• Results delivered
• Quality standards met
• Timeline commitments kept

Outputs matter more than inputs.

8. Remove Friction Daily

High performers solve problems relentlessly.

Will it be customer problems?
Or the ones you create?

Daily question: "What's slowing my team down?"

Then fix it immediately.

New managers succeed when talented people have:
• Clear direction
• High autonomy
• Zero friction

Want to start strong as a manager?

Get the training 85% of managers never receive.

MGMT Fundamentals starts January 27th.
10 hours over two weeks. The 80/20 skills and systems to lead effectively.

Learn more: https://lnkd.in/ewTRApB5

85% of managers get reimbursed by their company. Just ask.
Bonus: Bring a colleague and you both save 20%.

Come learn how to become a leader you'd follow.

♻️ Share this to help a new manager.

🔔 Follow Dave Kline for more practical management insights.

 Quick Tips for New Managers

Success isn't determined by what you know.

It's determined by how fast you move.

And how quickly you adjust based on what you learn.

But before every action, there's a decision.
And before every decision, there's indecision. 

Those who win work from data: 
• Data from experience. 
• Data from customers. 
• Data from doing.

And they know: 

The faster you decide, the faster you learn.

Here are 7 simple tips to make better decisions:

Empty Your Mind
• Write down every swirling thought
• Focus only on your top 3 factors

Flip a Coin
• Not for the result, but for your reaction
• Your gut reveals the right answer

Find a Partner
• Direct partner shares the journey with you
• Trusted advisor shows the path ahead of you

Sell Then Build
• Get one real customer to pay first
• Let revenue validate your next step

Price Your Indecision
• Calculate what waiting costs you
• Compare it to the cost of choosing wrong

Only Commit to Today
• Skip the 10-year questions
• Answer one question today

Burn the Ships
• Make a call you can't reverse
• This meeting ends with a decision

Remember:

The faster you decide, the sooner you learn.

Indecision only creates one thing: anxiety.

Stop waiting for clarity.
Start creating it.

You can almost always go back.
But not without moving forward first.

Helpful?

✅ Follow Dave Kline for more.

♻️ Share to help others get unstuck.

7 Simple Ways to Make Better Decisions 

Everyone wants accountability.

No one wants to be held accountable.

This guide makes accountability the default mode.

Accountability is not something you do.
It's the outcome of doing things the right way.

Most leaders think accountability is about confrontation:
• Creating consequences for failure
• Calling people out in meetings
• Tracking every detail

That's not accountability.
That's micromanagement.

Real accountability happens when your people want to win. 
And your systems make it hard to fail.

Here are the 5 systems that make accountability automatic:

1. Crystal Clear Outcomes
Define success before you start. Vague goals create average results. Specific targets create clear accountability.

2. Visible Progress Tracking
Make progress public. When everyone can see the scoreboard, people naturally step up their game.

3. Regular Check-In Rhythms
Weekly reviews, not quarterly surprises. Frequent small course corrections beat big dramatic overhauls.

4. Ownership Assignment
One person owns each outcome. Shared ownership means no one is responsible.

5. Outcome Clarity
Know what happens when you hit the target and what happens when you miss. No surprises, no excuses.

The result?

Teams that hold themselves accountable.
Leaders who coach instead of complain.
Results that speak for themselves.

What's your biggest accountability challenge?

Getting people to own their results?
Having the hard conversations?
Making progress visible?

Steal my step-by-step playbook from the carousel below 👇

And make Mutual Accountability your team's default mode.

And if you found this playbook helpful: 

♻️ Share to help others build success through accountability
🔔 Follow Dave Kline & Marsden Kline for more leadership systems

PS - We've got our first free Lightning Lesson for 2026 on Thursday. 
"AI-Powered Planning: Get Buy-In, Stay Agile, and Win 2026"
Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/gGGcRKMp

 Build a Culture of Accountability

Founder @ Growth Marketing Agency - Single Grain, Podcaster @ Marketing School + Leveling Up

Single Grain is a digital marketing agency focused on driving scalable and predictable revenue growth using Facebook advertising, Google Ads, YouTube advertising, SEO, video production and content marketing. 

We've worked with companies such as Amazon, Uber, Nordstrom and venture-backed startups to create and execute on custom-tailored growth strategies.






-> For those of you that are interesting in marketing and personal growth tips from top entrepreneurs, please visit http://www.levelingup.com for our free podcast. You'll hear from billionaires, authors, and other high performers.

-> For my daily marketing podcast, go listen to Marketing School at https://www.singlegrain.com/marketing-school-podcast



Skills:
SEO
Paid Search (Pay per click advertising)
Affiliate Marketing
Display Advertising
Mobile Advertising
Remarketing/Retargeting
Facebook Marketing
Video Advertising
Twitter Marketing
Google Analytics
Conversion Rate Optimization
Sales
Strategic Partnerships
Content Strategy/Development
Business Development
Social Media
Community Development
Operations
Affiliate marketing
Affiliate program management
Retargeting
Growth Hacking

Eric Siu ✓

$50K of copywriting. 15 minutes. One prompt.

That's what we did with Claude.

Rewrote my agency's homepage from scratch.

Friends rated the old copy 6/10.
New version? 9/10.

The prompt is stupidly simple: "Pull from the top 10 advertising practitioners in history. Score each rewrite 0-100. Don't stop until you hit 90%."

First attempt: 74%.
Final version: 94%.

The copy went from generic agency speak to lines like "The last agency you'll ever fire" and "The cost of mediocre marketing has doubled."

Same week, SEO team said 150 programmatic pages would take a week.

We did it in 20 minutes. $45,000 worth of work at an 8-9/10 level.

Then did 600 pages because why not.

Here's what I'm realizing: the work isn't disappearing. It's compressing.

Tasks that took a week now take an afternoon. Tasks that took a day now take 15 minutes.

We can no longer think about work as doing tasks.

If AI can do it at 90%, your job is to find the 10% that actually matters.

What's the 10% for you?

If “I’m good at ChatGPT” is your company’s AI strategy, you’re already falling behind.

AI proficiency alone at work isn't enough.  It's not just about tools or prompts.

It's about working up the stack - from tasks to strategy, judgment, and client relationships.

We've been driving Claude Code proficiency at Single Grain because we believe it's the future of work. 

Work is going to be more and more focused on strategic thinking and client relationships, not tasks. 

What we've been doing:

- 2-day full-day hackathons where people get into pods and build solutions that actually affect their day-to-day work
- Show and tell demos so ideas don't stay theoretical
- Weekly office hours to unblock people fast
- An internal Slack 'Claude Code help' channel where people can get help
- An 'AI working group channel' where people are sharing the latest news

Most importantly, we've made these mandatory. These take priority over all 'normal' work. That includes client work, sales work, etc.

Initially, I could tell there was resistance to this. Inertia is a very real thing in companies. As a leader, you must do everything to break this inertia. 

My wonderful team handled the logistics, and I just showed up to the show-and-tell section. Because of the initial inertia, I wasn't sure how the demos would turn out.

They turned out amazing. People were sharing real solutions that would save them hours of time each. People also started to connect the dots with their projects being able to combine with other teams' projects. I could see the wheels turning and, more importantly, I could see the excitement.

When demo day came, the results were undeniable:

- 3 hours per task saved on client reporting
- 12 hours per month saved per client on client strategy 
- An ROI calculator that quickly calculates how much revenue we'd drive per client based on the work that we'd do for them. This saved 5 hours per proposal.

But the bigger shift wasn’t the time savings.

People stopped seeing themselves as task executors.
They started seeing themselves as product builders, creating compounding leverage in service of our purpose: helping customers generate more customers.

This is where work is going.

Less execution.
More high-leverage thinking.
More exponential outcomes.

AI skill gaps are now knowledge debt.
The longer you wait to pay it down, the more interest you’ll owe.

I shared a short show-and-tell recap below so you can see how we approached it. This is just a starting point.

What’s one concrete way you’re making AI adoption real, not optional, inside your company?

AI transformation at Single Grain

Ranking in the Age of AI: The Playbook for 2026 and Beyond

The SEO content game is DEAD.
Or is it?

Most SEO teams are still optimizing for a world that doesn't exist anymore.

AI Overviews, Gemini, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other answer engines are completely rewriting the rules of search. The marketers who aren't optimizing for these platforms are getting left behind.

The winners? They're building AI-first content systems, scaling without sacrificing quality, and driving real revenue in 2026 and beyond.

In this live session, I'm breaking down:
• If the SEO content game is dead
• Where to allocate your SEO budget today
• The new levers that actually move traffic and conversions in an AI-first world
• The exact playbook to show up in Google's AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and more
• How to future-proof your SEO strategy with scalable systems + AI workflows
• Real examples of what's working (and what's dead)

If you're still relying on 2022 tactics, you'll be invisible in 2026.

Ranking in the Age of AI: The Playbook for 2026 and Beyond

Most teams are "good at ChatGPT."

Very few are actually using AI to change how the business runs.

I'm doing a livestream tomorrow (Weds at 9am PT 1/29/26) to break down exactly how operators are using Claude Code, Remotion, Manus, Moltbot (formerly Clawdbot) and agents to move faster than teams 10× their size.

Not theory. Not prompting tutorials. Here's what we're covering:

- Claude Code for internal tools and agents
- Building workflows that generate real revenue without engineers. We've cut 90+ hours monthly using these systems.
- Remotion for scaled content
- How teams are doubling output without doubling headcount.
- Manus-style agents replacing manual work
- Entire categories of tasks that used to require full-time hires.
- Where AI creates real leverage vs. where it's overhyped
- Most "AI implementations" are just expensive toys. I'll show you the difference.
- What roles break, what roles evolve

This is for founders, CEOs, marketing leaders, and anyone responsible for output or P&L.

If you're still asking "how do we use AI?" you're already behind. Let's fix that.

📅 Live + interactive with Q&A throughout

Link to register in comments.

What's the biggest workflow you've automated with AI so far?

Before the industrial age, 80-90% of people were farmers.

Now it's 2%.

There were 30 years of job displacement in between.

We're entering that transition period again.

But this time it's not about manual labor. It's about tasks vs purpose.

Think about it:

The job of an agency was never "run campaigns." It was driving revenue.

The job of a data analyst was never "make reports." It was surface insights.

The tasks were just the way we delivered the purpose.

Now the tasks are collapsing.

Last week, one person did:

$45K of programmatic SEO in 20 minutes
$50K of expert copywriting in 10 minutes (simulating Ogilvy, Cialdini, April Dunford)
156 unique pSEO pages generated in parallel

No handwritten coding was involved.

The strategic thinkers will thrive. The task-executors will struggle.

I broke down the key workflows in the slides below from the livestream I did earlier this week.

Everything you need is widely available. The true constraint is taste and agency.

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