Scale Your Business 
for Growth

As a CEO of a venture-backed startup, there is both pressure and aspiration to grow your business exponentially.

To follow-through on the pressure and aspiration, not only do you have to compete with other companies to win the market, you also have to juggle fundraising, product development, and team building, not to mention figure out how to grow yourself as a leader at the same speed at which your company is growing.

In essence, there is too much to do. Not only that, but there is nobody keeping you accountable the way you keep everyone else accountable. Such lack of accountability means you may easily procrastinate on important things over urgent things.

The position of CEO can feel lonely. You may also feel a great level of uncertainty and ambiguity at times, which make decision-making challenging. The expectation you feel from those around you can feel great as well.

Ideally you will have a thought partner for all issues that are complex and ambiguous enough to warrant one. But for various reasons, there are issues that you feel like you cannot discuss with anyone, leaving you feeling isolated.

Given your situation, it is natural to want a thought partner with whom you can think through decision-making, team leadership and management, as well as developing a great culture that performs.

For such a thought partner, you want some who knows the cutting-edge tools and best-practices from having worked with others just like you. Someone you feel safe enough to talk about your stress and fears. Someone who will challenge you, keep you accountable, give you feedback, and share encouragement when you need it the most.

1. Vision Clarification
2. Strategy Clarification
3. Resource Allocation

1. Talent Allocation
2. Culture Measurement
3. Organizational Design

1. Teamwork Guidance
2. Group Decision Making
3. Process Coherence

1. Board Effectiveness Design
2. Board Relationship Design
3. Board Capabilities Design

1. Connection Establishment
2. Interaction & Communication
3. Crisis Response

1. Time & Energy Allocation
2. Leadership Model Design
3. Meta-Cognition

In all 6 areas, CEOs have to make decisions on how to respond to situations of uncertainty.

While one may think that the only antidote to uncertainty is certainty, the actual antidote to uncertainty is clarity.

If we can more clearly see through the complexity of the situation, we can make decisions with greater confidence, even in the absence of a guaranteed outcome.

Two things contribute to a CEO's lack of clarity.

1. Lack of tools or support required to see more clearly.
2. Our own judgments preventing us from seeing more clearly.

The former can be seen with the provision of the right tools or support.

The second requires the resolution of the tension and conflict making it difficult for us to suspend or let go of our judgments.

In all 6 areas, CEOs have to proactively influence themselves or other people.

When trying to influence ourselves and others, many tend to focus on the change we wish to achieve. What works better is to resolve the tension or conflict that makes the change difficult.

If we can resolve the tension or conflict that make the change difficult, we can either more easily achieve the change we wish to see or achieve something unexpected that benefits us even more.

We realize empathy, when we suddenly empathize with someone (including ourselves) or something, through an unexpected realization. Hence, realizing empathy as opposed to merely having empathy.

Such realizations often make us go “Ah ha!” “Oh...” or “Ha ha ha!” concerning something we either did not or had incorrectly assumed to have understood or appreciated enough.

Seeing through the complexity of the situation with greater clarity requires a more accurate understanding of the system in which we are all interacting as parts.

More accurate understanding of systems comes from realizing empathy in relation to the relationships and interactions of its parts, which includes ourselves and others.

Resolving the tension and conflict that make change difficult for others requires a more accurate understanding and appreciation of their thoughts, emotions, and needs.

More accurate understanding of others' thoughts, emotions, and needs comes from realizing empathy in relation to others.

Resolving the tension and conflict that make change difficult for ourselves requires a more accurate understanding and appreciation of our own thoughts, emotions, and needs.

More accurate understanding of our thoughts, emotions, and needs comes from realizing empathy in relation to ourselves.

Every 3 months, we’ll set your goals and priorities for yourself as CEO. These goals and priorities will be directly aligned to the company vision and strategy.

We will then measure your progress and hold you accountable to your goals and priorities not only so that you will remember to follow through, but also to nudge you to become aware when you do not.

I guarantee that each time we meet for a coaching session, you will leave the session with the clarity and confidence you need to make commitments and follow-through before we meet again.

If you do not feel that way by the end of our coaching session, which is rare, I will offer as much of my time as you need to get to that point. With me, you’re never on the clock.

When appropriate, I will introduce you to tools and best-practices proven to be effective by successful startup CEOs. They will cover a wide array of topics ranging from business strategy to operations.

The tools and best-practices are not merely meant to save you time, but also to challenge you to break through any artificial limitations getting in the way of your growth and performance.

I expect you to be driven to be the best CEO you can be.

Someone who aspires to:

1. Make wise decisions amidst uncertainty and ambiguity.
2. Lead your ever-growing team to perform at their best.
3. Better manage your mind and emotions.

I expect you to be honest with me.

Especially in regards to:

1. The judgments you carry.
2. The emotions you feel.
3. The values you hold.

I expect you to feel compassion, first in relation to yourself and then others.

To be clear, compassion is an emotion we feel when we’re concerned for someone’s suffering and desire to enhance their welfare. That someone includes yourself.

Feeling compassion does not mean being a pushover or sacrificing yourself for others.