Tag: Management team

The case for not deferring happiness

When is the last time you were truly “happy”? When was the last time you experienced real “joy”? I asked one of my CEOs this recently. He talked about the day he got married and when his kids were born. […]

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The three phases of the CEO role

The CEO role evolves across 3 themes as you go from startup to scale: Phase 1: Product Until you have product-market fit, you are not really CEO. You are the product manager. Any time not spent in product is a […]

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The CEO is customer #1

The CEO is customer #1. This is something I say to my clients all the time. Anyone familiar with the concept of ‘servant leadership’ might not agree. So let me expand on this. In the startup world, all the biggest […]

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Cracking the CEO Code: Strategies for Success in the Toughest Exec Role

The only way to prepare to be a CEO is by being one. There is no school or university degree. You can’t get a Bachelor of CEOdom. Every other leadership role is based on specific functional expertise and has a […]

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The Founder’s Dilemma: Separating Ownership from Management for a Stronger Leadership Team

Founders have a special kind of magic. They are not like the other leaders in a company, nor should they be. However, despite that magic, I find it that is important to separate your founder role from your role as […]

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Do you have board meetings or bored meetings?

Most CEOs I know do not look forward to their board meetings. This is especially true for boards that are dominated by institutional investors vs. Independents. This is a wasted opportunity. While the CEO reports to the board, the CEO […]

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