Questions

I'm a 1st time startup co founder and CEO. My partner joined after falling in love with the idea, but since then, decision making became much more complicated, and I feel like the product gets pulled in too many opposing directions. When I do insist on my vision, we execute together beautifully. We did agree that I'll be the CEO, but it seems he has trouble settling for it. Any advice?

I am quite not surprized when you said that the product is pulled in opposing directions, because he is interested in idea and not in you. So, it is time you understand what his roles as a co-founder is :
1. Embrace Co-Founder Job Descriptions: Co-founders are vital to the business but can get lost as the company evolves. We evaluate our co-founder job descriptions yearly to ensure that the written expectations are in line with the work the company needs done. Do not be afraid to reassign co-founder roles and responsibilities so that business goals can be met.
2. Track Tasks: You should be tracking everything and making sure that your co-founders are keeping up with the tasks that they are assigned. Tracking everything will keep everyone organized and on the same page. Talk about these openly in meetings, and do not be afraid to make sure that your co-founder is not dropping the ball as you might be in the same situation and need his or her help.
3. Communicate Openly: You can always tell when an organization has good communication. The leaders know about a problem before it happens. It is important that co-founders check in with each other frequently to share updates, achievements, losses, and obstacles. While using each other’s strengths is important, sharing varied perspectives is equally necessary.
4. Use the Same Technology: Whether you use Google Docs, Microsoft Project, or Basecamp, all your founders must be using the same management system. Your team should also try to streamline the number of tools you need to access daily. More is not better in this case.
5. Sign a Co-Founder’s Agreement: One way to minimize risk of conflict is to clearly define roles and responsibilities at the outset by signing a Co-Founder’s agreement. For example, one person handles strategy and business development while the other manages operations. Putting these in writing and agreeing on who makes the ultimate decision in each arena or what you will do in case of disagreements is critical and too often overlooked.
6. Focus on Expertise: In the beginning, it is important to establish co-founder roles and responsibilities based on expertise. Each founder should be there because of a specific skill, and their job description should align with that skill. For instance, a technical co-founder should run technology. Other founders can have input, but on technology, the buck stops with that technical co-founder.
7. Establish Complementary Roles: Each co-founder should ask what role they, and they alone, can fill, and then you should articulate those roles to your entire team. This should go beyond tactical execution and extend to personas that are widely understood throughout your organization.
Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath


Answered 3 years ago

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