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At best it's a tough job and at worst its an impossible job. I've hear experienced CEO's complain about investors that "they love you 'til they hate you". Over the course of a number of CEO gigs or as an executive in early stage companies, I've tried to encapsulate a "roadmap" for thinking about how to "see through the fog of war" and maintain clarity and effectiveness as a leader.

I'm interested in hearing about experienced, successes, and especially failures that people have had in trying to keep a complicated equation in balance.

Here's a starting point for the idea: http://blog.garyambrosino.com/strategic-marketing/the-startup-ceo-roadmap .

How about it ? Does anyone have suggestions and additions to the model ? What has your experience been ? How did you become a world class startup CEO ?

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You should embed the initial image in your question, as there is no benefit to going to your blog, and I think it is dishonest to have a question just to drive traffic to your blog. You could then have a clickable image to go to the larger image, or, just have your link above go to the full-size image, instead of your blog. – James Black Jan 22 '10 at 5:01

3 Answers

up vote 3 down vote

Large corporations in well known markets is like classical music. If you master your instrument and read the sheet, all the notes are perfectly laid out for you and all you need to do is play.

Small startups in unknown markets is like Jazz music. You only get the chords and have to improvise the rest.

For a startup you need to have the courage to make decisions within tight deadlines even though you know that most of your decisions will be wrong. It's all about intution.

Humans have a big problem with uncertainty. That is why we make these maps and plans but never follow them. It makes us feel as if we are in control.

But the map is not the territory. Using a map even though the territory has changed since it was made, can bring you so far astray that it's not even funny.

Therefore unless you are a CEO in a huge company like Procter & Gamble and is selling Colgate I suggest you throw out the Note sheet and start taking some jazz lessons.

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I see the CEO as the composer. If you have a few good people and give them some structure they can improvise successfully. Great CEO's of large corporations can improvise as well as write the sheet music and conduct the orchestra to follow. – JeffO Jan 22 '10 at 12:03
Perhaps for large companies. But not for startups. There you are at tops a band leader. – ThomPete Jan 22 '10 at 12:36
And it still assumes that there is no one above the composer which there is. The market. The market is the true composer. – ThomPete Jan 22 '10 at 13:05
I see the CEO as the foot pedal -- everyone kicks him in the guts and expects music to come out. – Jason Jan 22 '10 at 19:02
up vote 2 down vote

It seems like your model is a basic attempt at doing systems modeling. You may find this useful: http://managementhelp.org/systems/systems.htm.

You may find better results to your question if you expand out the system, as you are still too high-level.

I am confused though as to looking at the roadmap and your question, they are very different.

What makes a world-class CEO, but you just have very basic concepts of trying to balance needs of the stakeholders, but, you ar emissing anything about employees and their families, for example.

Your diagram is going to be the same for any public company, but, what about a company that has no external investors?

Also, a recent startup will require different skills while developing the product, or just trying to market it, than, for example, what I expect is the skills of something the size of Redgate or Foggy Creek. I picked these two as the CEOs may see this question and can add comments. :)

I see nothing about emotional IQ, and how those qualities would be helpful, but, as you go into more detail in your roadmap then you will see places where emotional IQ will be important in trying to communicate balancing different needs.

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up vote 1 down vote

Put the customers in the middle and make their circle much bigger.

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