The other day, a friend of mine asked me whether CEOs were born or made. I said, “That’s kind of like asking if Jolly Ranchers are grown or made. CEO is an unnatural job.”
Ben Horowitz, “The Hard Thing About Hard Things.”
Face it. You invest in them because of their potential, not their performance. You find them early, before the value is apparent, and nurture them to growth. That’s how venture fortunes are made. But how do you get them from here to there? CEOs become Reed Hastings or Reid Hoffman – they are not born one. And on the way they need advice and support.
But how much can you do for them? Do you have the time to be with them in the weeds? Do they trust you enough to tell it like it is, or are you getting the polished dashboard view? Have you been in their shoes recently? And can you be objective when it’s “your” money on the line?
To get the most of your CEOs, you should give them what they need to grow and get the most out of themselves. Give them someone who’s been in their shoes, who has the time, empathy and discipline to remind them who they are, where they’re going, and how they get there.
Eric Schmidt, Larry Page, Sheryl Sandberg and Bill Gurley all had Bill Campbell. Who do your CEOs have?
“Best advice for a new CEO comes not from VCs or other ‘advisors’ people tend to put on PowerPoint slides, but from more experienced CEOs who have been in their shoes before…ideally multiple times over.“ – Bilal Zuberi, Lux Capital
