Based on true events
Based on true events, after accompanying more than 60 startup founders over the last 10 years.
I don’t know why so many entrepreneurs in Spain, men and women alike, as soon as they have a business idea, get business cards printed or create their LinkedIn profile and say they are the CEO of their new company.
CEO stands for Chief Executive Officer, the top executive of a company, but if what you are doing is getting a project off the ground, some people put other titles: promoter, project manager, founder, head of sales, etc.
But anyway, back to my point. Having worked very closely with startup founders, I want to highlight two opposite cases so you can see whether you are a good CEO or a bad CEO.
A CEO needs a great many skills to lead an entrepreneurial project, such as:
- Leadership
- Negotiating power
- Public speaking and communication skills
- Resilience
- Ability to take risks
- Planning
- Building and motivating teams
- Flexibility, adapting to change
And many more…
This post came to mind after I met, not long ago, a pretty good CEO – more than good, generous, reliable, transparent – compared with another one I came across years ago who didn’t leave a very good taste in my mouth.
This post is meant to make you reflect on whether you are doing a good job leading your project and whether you look after the people who can bring you value.
| THE GOOD | THE BAD |
|---|---|
| If you’re going to work with me you’ll need business cards | Why would I get you business cards? They cost money |
| Tell me what times of day I can call you | Always give my project priority |
| Thanks for getting us funding, send me an invoice | Well, €30,000 isn’t bad, it’s part of your job |
| Do you mind if we meet this Saturday? It’ll only be 2 hours. | Tomorrow, Saturday, you have to come with me to an event |
| As you’ve been a key part of the project, I’ll give you 1% | As you’re a key part of the project, I’ll sell you 0.5% for 10K |
| Come to the Apple Store and buy whatever laptop you want | Give me the iPhone you got us so I can sell it on Wallapop |
| Lunch is on us, you’ve earned it | Let’s go for lunch and you pay for yours, OK? |
| If you leave the project, we want to keep working with you | If you leave, give back your stake at 0% interest |
| Call me when you can, it’s important | Where have you got to? You always have to be reachable |
| Thanks for getting us into the media, send me an invoice | I don’t know how to pay you for all the visibility you give us… |
Which of the two would you rather work with?
With the one who values all your work and what you do for their project/company, or with the one who thinks their project is the best in the world, that you have to work yourself to the bone, and who barely shows any appreciation?
If you are leading an entrepreneurial project, the team is without doubt one of the keys to success. If you have a winning team to grow your project, look after it as best you can and celebrate every achievement.
Motivate your team with an incentive plan, set them clear goals and reward them when they reach them. Make them love their work and never consider leaving the project, because they can see they will grow with you.
Investors bet on solid teams more than on the idea itself.
The team ranges from an intern who gives you a hand, an acquaintance who occasionally helps with any important task in your project, freelance collaborators, the mentors who help you pro bono without charging anything and give you advice and key contacts, to your first partners and employees.
Being a good leader can certainly be learnt. You can draw inspiration, as I have, from good leaders, from the good bosses I had when I was an employee, and also by learning from what I would never do and have seen in BAD bosses.
I hope you find a good leadership style that makes people admire you, appreciate you and want to work with you.
I recommend a book by Mario Alonso Puig, Madera de líder (“Leadership Material”); he signed it for me a few years ago when he presented it at an event: https://www.casadellibro.com/libro-madera-de-lider/9788496627505/2029274
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