“Do you think investors are stupid?”
You would not believe how many times I have posed this question to my clients. And every time they talk about approaching investors with “quick wins” and meaningless metrics, I am forced to ask them again.
Category: Communication
The CEO is Responsible for the Why and the What. The Team is Responsible for the How
If you have a problem, do you honestly care HOW it gets done, as long as it works? Spoiler alert: the correct answer is no. Sure, you probably have conditions of satisfaction — the solution can’t cost more than X dollars, or require new software systems, or disrupt your supply chain. This is all a part of what success looks like. Once that’s defined, if your team can get the job done with helper monkeys in cute little vests, more power to them.
More Information is Always Better
There are several reasons why business owners are afraid of asking questions. I’ll tell you right now, all of them suck. But here they are:
* They’ll get answers they don’t want.
* They should already know the answer.
* They’ll frustrate the other party by asking.
The Purpose of the First Meeting is to Get to the Second Meeting
Your goal in this first meeting is not to have your counterparts think “dang, we have to acquire them right now” but “wow, this is a really thoughtful person who I can see working with on a regular basis.” The barrier to the former is insane. The bar for the latter is simply being yourself and taking the occasional breath so that the other person has an opportunity to speak.
The CEO Has Three Responsibilities
I regularly tell people the CEO has three responsibilities.
* Communicate the Vision.
* Hire Great People.
* Don’t Run Out of Money.
Full stop. End of story. Next blog post. But just in case you wanted more…