COMMENTS
Thanks for giving such a useful read.
I own all this that you mention in the 14 Ways but I have something important at the time to grow as a company and is money. If you have any way of how to present an idea to an investor and it decides to invest in my business, let me know so I can grow my business, which is just beginning.
I send you greetings and happy holidays.
Nice recap of our responsibilities as a CEO. I like the part about getting "your hands dirty every single day."
It's easy to lose site of that some days.
This is a great list. The point I'd champion over and over is the need to get your hands dirty. The most successful start ups I have coaches have leaders that do what needs to be done when it needs to be done. Whether that's cleaning the office and printing a welcome sign for a big proposal or simply being the last one in the company to take the allotted annual vacation - the leader does whatever it takes to lead the team where the money is.
Outstanding stuff, and all 100% true. Take a step back and almost all of these are traits of any good leader, start up CEO or not.
I might add one very important fact every successful CEO needs to know.
It is very lonely at the top.
"Can Motivate The Team Through Despair"
Probably my favorite one on the list. We work with the Twitter API - talk about having some times of despair! But I tell the MarketMeSuite team to keep spirits up, put on the Tassimo, and we always get through it :)
Another thing to have on these INNOVATION days, http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/ ... Never Let FEAR of SUCCESS dominate you!!!
Very good point. Not easy to have all in one however its also not easy to become one like that.
Keep sharing good stuffs!
Good list. But much, if not all, comes from fairly good articles by Ben Horowitz. If you find this interesting and are looking for more, I suggest following everything that Andreesen and Horowitz write. They bring insight based upon immense operational experience and all the stuff above comes really alive in their hands.
great post. It shows you've been there or somehow really know the role. I've been there and I think you are spot on. I will repost the link on my blog.
Words of wisdom for a CEO: Nothing stays the same, change is inevitable - adapt or die.
Great blog... as always. I'd like to add: recognize that there is no such thing as mundane. If you find yourself performing tasks that seem mundane, then those things need to be delegated down. If you, as CEO, are uniquely qualified to perform the task, then you need to change your attitude and truly see why the task is important, then give it your full attention and the mundane will melt away.
This is a great article! Thank you for writing/sharing Jason. I especially liked the examples you gave (Quarterback calling an Audible at the line of scrimmage). Very easy to relate to (for me at least). :)
Here's a great read: "The Art of the Start, by Guy Kawasaki". One of the best points I took from that book is the Art of Being a Mensch - To be a mensch, you must help people, do what's right, and give back to society.
There are too many people that focus only on "what's in it for ME", instead of being a genuinely good person. A start up CEO needs all the support he/she can get. So be a good person and the support should follow.
Great write up :-)
This is my second stint as CEO of a start-up (previous one had a very nice exit ;-)) and I thought that it would have been easier ..... no way ... I still wake up middle of the night thinking about the company ...
Best quote: "Often wrong, but never in doubt my friend"
Part of the team of professionals to defer to include legal and tax professionals. These are the professionals that will guide you over legal and tax obstacles and assist you in avoiding legal and tax traps, respectively.
Very good list. Oh so many with the same intent have been written. This one feels especially well-informed. Thanks!
nice read.. i wouldn't term it "ways" rather "qualities that a startup CEO should possess".. life is the best teacher and I believe most (could be all) qualities may not be inherent but can be gained with time..
Good points. I would also add #15: "Become an expert at removing obstacles"
Thankyou for this very useful and informed information.
I would however respectfully suggest one small addition to
The paragraph entitled "Have An Uncanny Ability To Say No".
Saying "No" means that you will probably make mistakes along the way - particularly if one is learning, and who amongst us don't?
Accepting that mistakes will be made from the outset I believe equips one with a better mind-state, helping to avoid fearful clutter of the kind that can get in the way of making objective and pragmatic decisions.
Being at the top is never about avoiding all mistakes, but more about steering the most successful course amidst them. Accepting that mistakes will occur and putting measures in-place to avoid recurrence is in my view one of the key requisites of a CEO.
Dear friend jasonlbaptiste,
Its knowledgeable article.
Just I would like to ask you something...
I am in India in Software/ERP Sales Business in West India , I have dream to setup professional company with good system.
Can you suggest me some organization structure. I have limited funds & started as Individual ownership firm.
can you guide, how to grow.
girish.tiwadi@gmail.com
Some good advice in this article. I would suggest that one reconsider the wisdom of having a CEO with no experience. Usually the CEOs who are able to take companies to the next level have done it before. Without the depth and wisdom gained from other positive and constructive business experiences, a CEO can lead the ship onto the rocks.
Nice work Jason. Stay well.
This is a good list. I think there is one more thing. Establishing the company culture and being unwavering in commitment to it as layers of employees are brought into the company. Often it is so easy to recruit based on resume merrit without doing a thorough evaluation as to whether the new individual really fits into the culture. As a result, the company culture begins to waffel all over the place as strong leaders pull the culture one way or another. As a result good employees often bail because of the conflict and hidden landmines this causes. For start up companies this can be devistating. It causes a form of conflict I refer to system's conflict because it will infiltrate all systems and in every direction. Not unlike the seeds of a dandylion taking root.
Dianne
"No Experience Almost Preferred". No argument here; although there are a few programs that focus more on early stage business skills (wealth creation) rather than the wealth management approach taken by most MBA programs.
For example, the Masters in Technology Commercialization at UT's McCombs school:
http://new.mccombs.utexas.edu/mstc
Great post of characteristics of great CEOs for startups. Well said.
Jeff Ogden, the Fearless Competitor
Find New Customers "Lead Generation Made Simple"
http://www.findnewcustomers.com
Thanks greatly for these information. Real struggle from over expectation of employees and lack of investors are killing the startup of my publishing company. I do love the people out there to come and help push the publication up...
Loved reading this concise article. There will be more qualities that may vary in degree in different CEO's but I think this captures the essence. I liked
'Have An Uncanny Ability To Say No' and
'Don't Be A "Fake CEO"' the best. People can make out if you are faking it and may tolerate it for a while, but never a good thing for the long haul.
As someone who has been through the startup grind (not as a CEO), I think the single most important skill is
Communication Skills: Sell to customers and investors and motivate the team. Everything else is secondary.
Very nice write up. Some great additions in the comments too. I would like to add that I believe you have to love having employees. I meet many CEOs who dislike having "employee issues". I don't know how you grow a business if you can't stand having people working for you. I personally find working with our staff one of the best parts of the job.
Another great article from Dharmesh. I have 2 more points to add:
1) Be cautiously optimistic: Most of the things that you hoped for do not happen. That customer who was almost signing up did not do so at the last momemnt. That check which was supposed to be on your desk got delayed by 2 weeks. So dont get excited too fast because it will most probably wont happen. At the same time excude passion so that the team members pick it from you.
2) Do NOT rely on VC funding in your Business plan: The chances of getting funding from VC for first time startups are less than winning a lottery. So make sure you get to the moentization fast. We are always lured by "lets build the userbase and then get the investment and then get to monetization" model. Monetization should always be the first thing you think..Assume that you will never get funding.
Now a shameless plug for Vaayoo's mobile application framework:
If you have a great idea and want to create a killer mobile app from it, try Vaayoo: http://www.vaayoo.com/appsplatform/VaayooAppsplatform.aspx .
We have helped several non-tech entrepreuners turn their ideas into market-leading and money making mobile apps. Subscription based model with negligible monthly instalments.
You just need an idea..Leave the rest to us.
Well...please begin by removing Zuckerberg's picture from the head of this text...makes most ppl want to shut off their PCs.
Obama does not have any of these traits. This is all about capitalism not socialism.
A startup CEO – in my view – may be compared to a coach of a soccer team. You will not score any goal on your own. But without you the people on the playing field most likely will score fewer goals.
As founder/CEO of a number of startups over the previous 15 years I came to learn from many different people and CEOs: There is no single path to success yet many of the successful startup CEOs share similar traits: Laser like focus, an uncanny ability to attract talent and an ability to lay out a clear goal and pursue this goal relentlessly. Just like a football coach.
This is a good list for being kicked out of the position by VCs for being "too operational". Still, it's good advice for a hypothetical company which might have some ownership/control left with the CEO. They're just way too rare to find nowadays.
Everything is good except that pic!
Great article, delegating is a key element of growing your business and working well with others
http://www.facebook.com/topoftheworldlimo
Great list! Thanks for sharing.
This could come very handy for most of us. To "Have An Uncanny Ability To Say No" is the hardest on the list for me.
Thank you very much for pointing these out. Happy Holidays.
Very solid advice, based on my 5 start-ups, one a HBS study (CNTX). I once explained being a disruptive company start-up CEO meant getting up early, taking a quick shower, suddenly having the dry heaves and knowing the best part of your day is over! A little harsh, but successfully starting and building a ground breaking company is harsh.
Very solid advice, based on my 5 start-ups, one a HBS study (CNTX). I once explained being a disruptive company start-up CEO meant getting up early, taking a quick shower, suddenly having the dry heaves and knowing the best part of your day is over! A little harsh, but successfully starting and building a ground breaking company is harsh.
In the immortal words of AC/DC's Bon Scott - 'It's a long way to the top if you want to Rock N Roll". This is something that has been resonating with me more and more as I grow my start-up. Sometimes (I bet often) entrepreneur's have a naive expectation of what and how long it's going to take to launch a successful start-up. I am guilty of this.
First point speaks to this however as a 'lean start-up' I also believe in flexibility to 'pivot' in order to achieve product market fit. This may require modifying or redefining your vision.
Great post, I have one more to consider.
The ability to be a little "naughty". As a start-up CEO, one cannot always follow the rules completely and do what everyone wants you to do. You have to be willing to bend the rules during the initial phases of starting up. I don't mean breaking laws, but being willing to do stuff that normal people wouldn't normally do. For example, sneaking into a conference staging room to meet the keynote speaker, who then might plug your product in his speech. No, you weren't supposed to sneak back stage, but it didn't hurt anyone and could lead to a great introduction.
Jason,
A great posting! Its true that the skill set that makes for a successful startup CEO is quite different from that of the corporate world. While the universe of startup CEOs who go on to take their company public is a small one, there is nothing better for the shareholders than to have a leader who was there obsessing about the company's potential from the beginning.
Best,
CO
Great post. I disagree re a couple items. Much better to have a startup CEO who has successfully built other startups. And while technical skills help, if you have a strong tech co founder you don't need that in many cases.
Great work. If I may add one thing I have learned to help garner traction, investment and key talent is to do whatever it takes to build your customer base and demand BEFORE you build your product. Build it and they will come is that much riskier...
Thankyou for sharing such great information.
Love it so much! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing, great points. Also love the comments of the others, insightful.
great article.thanks for sharing.happy new year.cheers.
vijetha shastry
bangalore,india
Wonderful article Jason!
I would like to add one more point to the above list
Being a decision maker A startup CEO shouldn't be afraid to take decisions. He should be bold enough to make quick decisions and take the responsibility for the consequences.
Hello, this is a great post and the key attributes described in it apply to any CEO I would add.
Thanks for the crap. :)
Remember there is never one formula for success, you should know which one suits best for you.It might never work for any one else, don't worry, it will work for you.
All very true employ the best both within your company, and on the outside lawyers accountants and if you can find one a friendly bank manager.
one very important thing thats missing is LUCK it has to be in there someware, VC are hard but patience is a virtue
Greta list I think every CEO or entrepreneur should read, However points off for zureburgs picture. He is in a tremendous growth period , lets see he does when adversity hits hard and his business is in decline and the money isn't flowing like milk and honey. Time when yo are not "popular" but someone out there is kicking you can. Let's see how e adapts then we will truly see if he is a great CEO.
I enjoyed this article very much Jason. Very insightful and helpful. I too tend to lead more towards a CEO with some previous experience as there are many, MANY obstacles to overcome. However every so often there are exceptions to the rules... and I for one love to shatter the limitations of "the rules" when they become more inhibiting than helpful.
Cheers,
R. Paiva
President & CEO
Trekmore Corporation Electric Overdrive /TM/
Great article. Spot on. Thanks for the post.
Nice post but I note with irony that you used Zuckerberg's image. He violates the principles expressed in number 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10 and ESPECIALLY #13. hehe
Judy Shapiro
Thanks Jason. Powerful points made simply. Lot of learning for an early stage co-founder. Happy holidays.
Very Good Articule. Thanks for taking the time to put this together.
Alot of things we take for granted, however always goof to have a recap to make sur we are doing what we are emant to do when we are meant to do it an not wasting time on task that should be delegated out to empower our staff.
Thanks again
Chris Madumere
CEO
Corporate Homes letting agency.
Great Summary. Enjoyed the entire article.
The CEO I currenly work for is great absorbing the pain, has a great vision and is pretty stable all round, Nice article Dharmesh. Thanks.
Wow Great article Dharmesh. Nice vision
This is a great post. I might just echo asking the right question; a good start up CEO needs to employ the techniques of positive inquiry, be authentic and human enough to exude a good measure of genuineness.
As is often the case, I find your blog to be a source of terrific information and inspiration. This post was no exception. Thanks for a terrific read!
Very informative. Good read!
I would add one thing. Don't get ahead of yourself. Plan for success but don't assume it. I have been involved with startups in the past that spent like dot.com millionaires before the revenue justified it. I will never make that mistake with SOCO Games.
Good inspiration to start the new year. Personally, I love your thoughts about "calling an audible" -- for a new entrepreneur, recognizing the need for courage in your role to steer and realign as needed is critical.
Enjoyed this post; thank you. I'd like to suggest that each of these could be broken out into individual posts to develop your ideas. Hope to see more.
Thanks.
good points, I would like to add three more, most important ones:
FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS. Select a niche for your solution, and stay focussed on that. Like Jason, I have seen start-ups go bankrupt because they went doing things that were not in there main vision.
Thijs van Hofwegen
european Business Developer for Start-Ups
I enjoyed reading this.. though the ways were very simply put I guess, there is no one formula for success...
I liked the motivating the team through despair..its very much true..Conviction is a key here, of course with a great marketting ability to sell anything...:)
Great Article and the list is very good
In the words of Woody Allen - "Success is often just a matter of showing up". For a CEO, it is showing up every single day without fail even on days when you didn't want to get out of bed to face what was in store.
I want to be a great startup CEO. thank you :)
Thanks for the guidelines! I'm sharing this with the management team in our search for a start-up CEO as interview questions and criteria for evaluation for hire.
"Find The Smartest People And Defer On Domain Expertise" In this respect, I have learned that you can only be as strong as your weakest employee. If you can't let go of what your not an expert at, you will be the weak link.
Thanks to forward emails to me
I wanted to add another thing is that as a startup CEO, yo should be able to understand what your product needs are and align the team with motivation. Need to find out who adds value. Understand unequal equity contribution and form a truely deserved team of co-founders. It an art as a CEO to bring it to the table.
I really like this article showing the best qualities of CEO. every one should follows this regulations sincerely to be the good CEO
Very Good Article. I feel one of the important point is to "Be Passionate" about the startup, not faking but really having a passion for the business.
This is a great article. Thanks for sharing.
well you are on the right track....
Thanks for the sharing ...#15
A Great CEO / Founder don't forget to "PRAY" to the God that deposited the idea in them , before going to battle .
Great article. One company I started I planned for 5 months. I then worked 11 months 18 hours a day. Hiring, training, managing, etc by day. Bookkeeper, planning etc. by night. It is a tremendous burden. One big important factor is your physical condition. You have to be able to physically endure! Go to: http://persoanlblueprinttransformation.blogspot.com/
I would also add: Be balanced.
There are many contradicting considerations, such as making expenses vs. purchasing equipment, services or giving a higher salaries, getting into arguments with your investors or bend a little to keep them happy even you think this is a bad path? A lot of things like that to handle.
Diego, money is
not mandatory. Take for example Mark Zuckerberg who developed most of Facebook primary code by himself, surrunding himself by talents who worked for equity only.
Great read and I am going to be sharing this with several start up companies I have been involved with over the past two years. I have another new start up that I will make these gospel. I have seen many mistakes and you hit it on the head why many can fail. Thankyou!
Profound insights! Very useful...
Thank you! You put these points to concisely and beautifully. My compliments to you.
Most people seem to forget or perhaps ignore that the CEO is basically the Father of the company. I'd gotta say that this is a pretty long post but it's worth reading!
Really great tips from Jason... Love reading his posts.
Truly Said jason...very informative and interesting article, thanks
Lovely article, actually very useful
Fabulous post - and very encouraging & affirming to this CEO / Founder of a Startup! Here's to not knowing it all, learning on the job, and being able to say no!
I was really greate, reading this article.
Finally read my backlog of posts from the Holidays in my feed reader. I must say that this post was awesome. Thanks!
Great article, thank for taking the time to educate and advise young and startup CEOs.
Hi Jason,
Enjoyed reading your article. Especially liked mention of "Have Some Technical Knowledge" And Skillset and Don't Be A "Fake CEO".
Another important trait could be "flexibility and adaptation". Things tend to change quite rapidly for small companies and this trait will be useful overcoming those odds.
-Mahesh B. Danke
I have no doubt that these are some of the characteristics of a super CEO. But I am very sure that each CEO is different and is made out of different carbon prints and might not necessarily fit in. Still, great read
These are good traits listed here and I like the part that not every founder wants to be the entrepreneur. The difficulty is deciding on the share of the company considering that you often dont share the risk! Wish I have a formula to sort this one out.
Great Pointers - thanks -
But, considering the revolution in entrepreneurism, can't women be CEOs as well???
;)
Hey I like the point:
"Ability to say NO" Because it is not the duty of CEO to win everybody's heart. And the one who try it face the failure.
Please visit my blog http://www.expertface.com
Here you will find lot of information regarding business and management.
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One characteristic not mentioned is maintaining a productive relationship with the board of trustees. If the CEO is the quarterback, the board is the coaching staff. The CEO needs to be responsive to the board's guidance, keep them fully informed, and work cooperatively with them.
We at Twist Education have been using a book "Building Better Boards" by David A. Nadler, Beverly Behan, Mark Nadler, and Jay W. Lorsch as a prime source of guidance in this regard.
Thanks..it inspires and corrects some of the mistakes for me.
Great article. Not only is focusing important but having that vision is writing is very critical to the future growth and success of any company. A visionary CEO will also consider the "Plan B" if something would happen to him or her, so that the longevity of their dream will continue on. The first question I ask a client or my audience is "Who comes after you? and 90% of the time, they have no one in mind. Business contingency planning is powerful and needs to be done at the onset of any idea.\
I like how you started this article. It's true, startup CEO job is not glamorous when you are the one doing it. And it's one of the most thankless jobs out there. I was a first time CEO of StarWind Software and I had to manage and grow a company of 35 person team internationally. I doubled global sales in 1 year (in USA alone >140%), got it to break even in 1.5 years and it was still not good enough for the founder who said I should've done more. :) A 24 hours a day job with little gratitude does not make things "glamorous" in my view. I felt as if I was just a grunt, a cog...never meant anything to have a CEO title.
Also, I would add several key items to the list of top things CEO must do at this stage of the company:
1) Strategic Planning with your team - clear and organized communication to everyone about the direction "where the company needs to go". Success depends on everyone stepping in sync and moving in the same direction in order to achieve an objective.
2) Set MBOs! - i.e. stop "flying by the seat of your pants" approach which some startup CEOs seem to do too much. Yes, being unstructured is in many cases at an early stage but this doesn't obviate the need for setting measurable MBOs/goals for your managers and for all experienced team members (this way you don't need to waste time on micromanaging everyone all the time).
3) Hire Slowly, Fire Fast!
(human capital is key but hiring wrong people can kill you at an early stage)
Agreed and well said.
Another thing think about is how the CEO is focusing on the team's collective goals in relation to the business goals. It's very interesting that most companies rarely think through their team's motivation/focus until after the business is going 150 mph (or veering a bit "sideways").
Having a People Strategy thought out is probably the most underrated, yet most crucial aspect to any organization (large, small, start-up, established).
Any company would be in a better place if everyone down from the CEO to a college intern could recite the company business goals with understanding and ease. This would drive synergy, productivity and laser focus. It would help guide the team to make smarter and the right decisions.
A CEO can't do it all. Not having a well planned People Strategy is like going to the gym after you've gained 20 lbs - pretty painful and a little bit too late.
Kerry Fischer
Casey Consulting
kerry@caseyhrconsulting.com
This is a great list that I'll be forwarding to some friends.
I think vision and "taking one for the team" are the most important. You can bring in someone else (with some experience) to handle money and investments.
Really great advices. "No Experience Almost Preferred".. brought me memories!
Amazing article, every start-ups CEO must read even all CEOs must read this article
I found many CEO's from old school dont have mush expertize into latest things so that they cant think like what todays customers are thinking.
I would love to spread this article in my network.
All the points are very important for a CEO but for the leader they are must.