Stress, overwhelm and exhaustion are ubiquitous among founders. It’s no surprise then that recent research identifies founder burnout as one of the top twenty reasons for the failure of VC-backed start-ups.1 …

(otherwise known as ‘How to be less of a dick’) It’s stressful being a founder at the best of times. In the current economic environment, with slowing or stagnant growth, and news of redundancies and a tough economic outlook, it’s more stressful than ever. In moments like this your staff and investors are looking to you for reassurance, confidence and…

Otherwise known as… How to stay effective as a founder when things are looking bleak. What are you like on a bad day? Imagine your business was run entirely by people who behaved just like you do on a bad day. What’s that like? I imagine it’s not the most…

How to keep your team pulling in the same direction and performing well Management skills are the thing that founders lack the most and enjoy the least. That’s not surprising when you consider that the superpowers of entrepreneurship (speed, innovation, risk-taking and individualism) are the kryptonite of management. Maverick, rule-breaking…

How to have ‘tough’ conversations In the last article we looked at the clarity you need to create with your people to set them up for success. In this article we look at what to do when your people under-deliver, when they don’t uphold the standards of behaviour you expect…

Setting your direct reports and team up for success -What do you say when your direct reports are underperforming? -What do you do when your leadership team is floundering? -What’s your approach to managing people? If you said, ‘I hire great people then let them get on with it,’ that’s…

That is the question for founders of rapid scaling businesses. In the last article we focused on the Brave Warrior mode and how best to manage that as your business scales. Today we’ll focus on the Considered Architect and Wise Monarch modes. What are they? When are they appropriate? …

Most founders and entrepreneurs I coach are what I would call ‘Brave Warriors’. They are single-minded, goal-oriented and driven. They are courageous, comfortable with risk and will go to any lengths to win. They appear confident and self-assured (though they may not always feel that way). They are brilliant tacticians…

In last week’s article we explored the idea that self mastery is the personal foundation upon which founders can build long term success. In today’s article we zoom in on one of the two elements of self mastery, namely energy mastery. I want to start with an admission. I have…