

How To Be A Great Startup CEO - jasonlbaptiste
http://onstartups.com/tabid/3339/bid/34321/14-Ways-To-Be-A-Great-Startup-CEO.aspx

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robfitz
I saw a title of "14 Ways" and was ready to criticise, but this is an
impressively practical list.

Two additional qualities I prioritise in a startup CEO are 1) the knack for
making friends with a room full of strangers under hostile circumstances and
2) a terrific amount of empathy. Social comfort has obvious applications in
sales & fundraising, while empathy is key for knowing how far to go with the
other points you raised. For example, buffering the team from pain is good,
but going too far removes their sense of agency and destroys morale. Same with
firm decision-making.. the balance between spending time explaining and simply
saying "do it" is a very human issue with big long-term performance
implications.

So many questions in a startup are completely arbitrary... how much equity do
you give to that early employee? When's it going to do more good than harm to
ship the entire office out to the pub for an afternoon of camaraderie? Each
member of an early startup has exclusive access to such a significant chunk of
the company's institutional memory that being able to walk that
efficient/emotional line seems increasingly important.

While I largely agree that a traditional management education/experience is
damaging, I do think that theory & book learning have important roles to play.
The biggest is an understanding of how your industry fits together and how the
business models work (which you could certainly pick up from a uni course or
book if anyone chose to teach it). You see a lot of websites using
subscriptions because that's what the sites they use do when there's actually
a much better model out there for them.

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jasonlbaptiste
Thanks for the feedback Rob :). I changed the 14 ways title on HN within a
couple of minutes. For the blog, those titles seem to do well (we've tested
the crap out of this). Definitely two other great traits. I probably could
have made it 114 traits. It's all about people, you're right. The amount of
equity isn't about the number, but what within reason keeps them motivated,
passionate, and feel like they're doing something big.

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mraybman
Awesome article. How important do you think is experience in attaining these
vs good instincts/personal qualities?

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jasonlbaptiste
Thank you :). Experience is good for self awareness. Eventually you f __k up
on something enough, you recognize it. That's why it's good to dip your toes
into the waters early. It prepares you for the big company that you one day
hope to build. A lot of it just develops over time. Surround yourself with
good advisors that will help you catch these early.

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auxbuss
Fred Wilson recently used the following (which he borrowed from one of his
mentors): "A CEO does only three things. Sets the overall vision and strategy
of the company and communicates it to all stakeholders. Recruits, hires, and
retains the very best talent for the company. Makes sure there is always
enough cash in the bank."

I like concise, so I like this.

Jason has obviously expanded on that, but omitted the all important cash flow
advice, not that it detracts from the piece.

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akauppi
I especially liked the "Have An Uncanny Ability To Say No".

Will keep a tag to this set and revisit it at least yearly. It's a good
reminder of how to keep growing - and in the right direction.

Had at least one "should have said no" in the prior year. 6000 eur to visual
planning from which we ended up using the logo only. Should have said no. :&

