Podcasts

This page mainly exists as a tool for me to write up my key takeaways from Podcasts.

Lennys - How a great founder becomes a great CEO (15th December 2024)

Link

Titled founders becoming CEO's, in practice seems to broadly relate to the gap between founder and exec.

Fairly critical of founder mode

Strong focus on listening to intuition, e.g. the "little voice" you can only hear when you're still and quiet and give yourself space to think. Contrasts this with doing everything from the hip and being reactive which can feel the same but is completely different.

Key failure modes for execs:

1. The Robot: Believing emotions have no place in a startup
2. The Pleaser: Avoiding conflict and difficult decisions
3. The Perfectionist: Prioritizing being right over moving forward
4. The Angry: Letting frustrations negatively impact the team
5. The Laissez-faire: Believing great people don’t need management
6. The Micromanager: Not trusting employees to do their jobs
7. The Ready, Fire, Aim: Jumping into action without proper planning or direction
8. The Riding the Brake: Constantly hesitating to spend or take risks
9. The Riding the Gas: Driving growth without a clear strategy

Hiring:

1. Has the candidate already done what you need them to do next?
2. Do they have a history of creating “raving fans” in their previous roles? Here recommended screening people by asking them to outline how many of their previous bosses would give the a rave review
3. Do their values align with your company’s culture? Suggested using people throughout the org for this. E.g. work out who your best brand ambassadors are

Exit through acquisition:

1. Read magic box paradigm
2. Never verbally negotiate with Corp dev, they always win

Book recommendations:

• Magic Box Paradigm - book on startup acquisitions
• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable
• The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself