Lead Upwards. Sarah E. Brown
SET‐BACKS AND GIVING YOURSELF PERMISSION TO FAIL AND LEARN IS IT TIME TO CALL IT QUITS? NO ONE GETS TO DECIDE WHEN YOU STOP BEING A STARTUP LEADER BUT YOU REFRAMING FAILURE AS ANOTHER LEARNING OPPORTUNITY OTHER TYPES OF SETBACKS OTHER THINGS THAT CAN GO WRONG AND HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM ADVERSITY IN THE STARTUP WORLD IS A FEATURE, NOT A BUG NAVIGATING PIVOTS SUCCESSFULLY AS A STARTUP LEADER TREAT PIVOTS AS A CHANCE TO BECOME A BETTER COMPANY IN TIMES OF CRISIS, UNDERSTAND YOUR CIRCLE OF CONTROL STAY AND ACCEPT, TRY TO CHANGE THINGS, OR LEAVE? IN TIMES OF MAJOR CHANGE, CONSIDER HAVING AN “ON THE BUS OR OFF THE BUS” CONVERSATION WITH YOUR TEAM IF YOU STAY, KNOW YOU WON'T AGREE WITH ALL DECISIONS TURNING A STARTUP PIVOT INTO A STARTUP LEADERSHIP ADVANCEMENT OPPORTUNITY: MINDY LAUCK, CEO OF BROADLY DON'T TRIANGULATE: IDENTIFY “YOU TWO” PROBLEMS ON THE FAME/BLAME CYCLE—WHEN THE HIGHS ARE HIGH AND THE LOWS ARE LOW DEPARTURES: WHEN IT'S TIME TO MOVE ON FROM YOUR ROLE DECIDING WHEN IT'S TIME TO MOVE ON QUESTIONS YOU CAN ASK WHEN DECIDING WHETHER TO LEAVE YOUR EXECUTIVE ROLE HOW TO LEAVE A ROLE LIKE AN EXECUTIVE HOW TO GIVE NOTICE WHEN YOU GIVE NOTICE: BE PREPARED TO BE ASKED TO CLOSE YOUR LAPTOP ON THE SPOT A WORD OF ADVICE: RESPECT THE COMPANY'S INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (IP) AND DON'T TAKE IT UPON DEPARTURE ANOTHER WORD OF ADVICE: BE CAREFUL ABOUT POACHING EMPLOYEES (AT LEAST RIGHT AWAY) EXERCISING YOUR VESTED EQUITY AROUND YOUR DEPARTURE TAKING TIME OFF IN BETWEEN JOBS MAKE A COMMUNICATION PLAN KEEP IT POSITIVE BEWARE THE “DILBERT PRINCIPLE” AND LEAVE WITH GRACE ANYWAY NOTES
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PART V: PROVING, SUSTAINING, AND EXPANDING YOUR IMPACT AS A LEADER
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Measuring Success: How to Know If Things Are Working
WHO CARES ABOUT LEADING AND LAGGING INDICATORS?
UNDERSTANDING THE METRICS THAT SET UP YOUR DEPARTMENT FOR SUCCESS
FOCUS ON MEASURES THAT SHOW OUTCOMES VS. ACTIVITY
GETTING COMFORTABLE WITH QUANTITATIVE MEASUREMENT TOOLS
HOW THE BOARD THINKS ABOUT YOUR INDICATORS
MEASURE WHAT COUNTS AT A REGULAR CADENCE
OTHER “SUCCESS” MEASURES
LETTING LEADING INDICATORS GUIDE YOUR EARLY‐STAGE STARTUP GROWTH
RAND FISHKIN'S ADVICE FOR METRICS: KEEP IT SIMPLE
HOW TO WORK WITH YOUR CEO ON MEASURING YOUR PERFORMANCE
BUILDING ACCOUNTABILITY INTO YOUR TEAM REPORTING
CHAPTER NINETEEN: Communicating Your Results to Your CFO, CEO, Company, and Board
WHY BOARD MEETINGS EXIST (AND NO, THEY'RE NOT JUST TO TORTURE STARTUP FOUNDERS AND EXECUTIVES!)
COMMUNICATING AT THE BOARD LEVEL
COMMUNICATING AT THE “ALTITUDE” OF THE BOARD
HOW IS YOUR BUSINESS PERFORMING WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE GREATER MARKET (OR THE VC'S PORTFOLIO?)
DO YOUR HOMEWORK
BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE BOARD PRIOR TO YOUR FIRST MEETING
TAKING A STORYTELLING APPROACH TO BOARD PRESENTATIONS
COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR DEPARTMENT TEAM TO GET WHAT YOU NEED FROM THEM
CREATING YOUR BOARD SLIDES: THINK AT A HIGH ALTITUDE
HOW TO CREATE YOUR BOARD SLIDES
EXAMPLE DEPARTMENT OKR SNAPSHOT SLIDE REPORTING RESULTS WITH R/Y/G
OTHER TYPES OF SLIDES TO INCLUDE IN YOUR BOARD DECK
THE PURPOSE OF YOUR APPENDIX AND/OR PRE‐READ MATERIAL
TIP: ENSURE EVERY SLIDE HAS A NARRATIVE‐DRIVEN TITLE
PRESENTATION TIPS: BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER THE BOARD MEETING
CHAPTER TWENTY: Mentorship: How to Further Grow Your Career by Networking and Giving Back
MENTORSHIP POWERS THE STARTUP ECOSYSTEM
MENTORSHIP'S ROLE IN SUPPORTING DEVELOPING LEADERS
MENTORSHIP IS ABOUT KNOWLEDGE AND CHEMISTRY
MENTORS DON'T HAVE TO KNOW ALL OF THE ANSWERS
ENLISTING YOUR OWN MENTORS: DEVELOPING A GROUP OF PERSONAL ADVISORS
MENTORS