The Great CEO Within: The Tactical Guide to Company Building

In a First Round Review article titled “How to Become Insanely Well-Connected,” Chris Fralic of First Round Capital says that he reserves one hour each week for follow-ups and outreach, most of which include appreciations. I recommend that you do the same. Just as with gratitude, giving appreciation should be as specific as possible, as in this exa

The top goal framework will help you fix this. Greg McKeown, who wrote a phenomenal book on productivity called Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, boils this down to one key concept: Schedule two hours each day (i.e., put an event in your calendar) to work on your top goal only. And do this every single workday. Period.

There is someone else on the other side of your agreement to start the meeting at a certain time. They have stopped what they are working on to attend the meeting on time. If you do not show up on time, they cannot start the meeting, but they also cannot leave because they don’t know if you’ll show up the next minute or not.

Your body goes through a sleep cycle of light sleep, deep REM sleep, and lighter sleep again. These cycles usually last an hour and a half each. What makes us feel tired and groggy is being suddenly woken from deep sleep, and this almost only happens due to an alarm clock. Curiously, we feel better rested with six hours of sleep (waking while we ar

So in order to get the full benefit of your team’s knowledge and to make sure that they get to full buy-in, be careful not to tip your hand before all others have shared theirs. The most effective way to do this is to have people write down either their vote or their thoughts before you share your perspective.

At any point, a leader is either above the line or below the line. If you are above it, you are leading consciously, and if you are below it, you are not. Above the line, one is open, curious, and committed to learning. Below the line, one is closed, defensive, and committed to being right.

It is difficult to create objective criteria for compensation, raises, and promotions, but there are models. The most successful method I know of is called grade level planning (GLP)—at least, that’s what Tesla calls it (another common term is “Levels and Ladders”). It calls for a very detailed definition of every position in the company and every

Tyler determined the ultimate structure for telling one’s story in a humble way: Credit: “It could not have happened without [name the others involved].” Hard work: “We had to put in so much to make it happen, for example, [describe the hard work].” Vulnerability: “It was most difficult for me when…” Duty: “We were driven by our dream to [noble mot

CEO Open Office Hour The CEO open office hour (which I highly recommend) can be scheduled anytime in the day. Each manager should set aside one hour each week for an open office hour, during which anyone can come introduce an issue. This ensures that all employees feel that they can be heard but limits the amount of time required to a predictable l

You ask a series of questions with the aim of understanding these three things: What are their goals? What are the challenges preventing them from reaching those goals? What are their ideal solutions to overcoming those obstacles?