My newsletter helps founders like you become the leader you're capable of so you can make the impact you set out to make. Each week I share exceptional essays from around the web, original essays from my desk, and my long-form interview podcast called Good Work -- all centered on reaching your potential as a founder and leader. I'm an executive coach to founders and creators using business to solve hard societal problems - lessons from my coaching work directly fuel the newsletter.
Hey Reader, Happy Saturday! Whether you’re already a founder, might be a founder one day, or simply want to learn about the founder path for the sake of learning, thank you for reading my work. I’m grateful for you. I’m running a little experiment this week by putting the mini essay first. Let me know what you think. Let’s get to it. A short essay sparked by my work with founders There’s this niche problem I’ve become fascinated with, which is: what happens when a founder or exec enters a career transition sparked by a theoretically positive event. This is the transition that comes after you sell your company, hire a CEO to replace you, get bought out by your partners, or step down from your executive role with enough cash in the bank to take a pause. If you’ve been around a while, you’ll know this is partially selfish. I faced this myself and wrote about it here and here. But the more closely I’ve worked with founders 1:1 and the more founders I meet as peers, the more I see this as a serious challenge that pops up. A “champagne problem,” as a former colleague put it, but a problem nonetheless. I’ve worked with founders going through a sale of their company. I’ve worked with execs leading up to and following a departure… But not many people talk about it publicly, because it feels insensitive. “I made all this money and now I feel lost” doesn’t land super well when most people are just hoping to have a secure job and provide for their families. The societal expectation is that a positive ending should be an incredible moment of celebration. Congrats, you did it! Now be humble and enjoy it. You either have some money (perhaps a lot of money), some reputation, or both to show for it. This should be an easy transition… especially compared to being fired or laid off, or your company failing. I think it’s important to talk about this stuff because it’s the reality some of you might face in the future and there are probably a few of you going through it right now. Here’s what I’ve seen that’s actually true: transitions are hard no matter the circumstances. But the circumstances dictate what’s hard about your specific situation. When your company fails, or you’re fired or laid off, there’s no time to lollygag. You need income and you need to take care of your family. You have to hustle to close that gap asap. The existential questions can wait for later. The loss of identity and internal doubts about your ability as a leader can be dealt with another time. The hard part is finding a job or raising money for a new company and doing it fast. But when you’re coming off a success, there’s not the same rush. You have money to give yourself some time off. Sometimes you have enough money that you never have to work again. Yet most people do end up working on something again, regardless of the money in the bank. And I’m here to tell you that the existential questions rage after a “success” that includes moving on from your company and your role. The freedom created by the money and reputation also creates the challenge. Combined with the loss of one of the organizing principles of your life — your former role as the founder or key leader at your company — this can create a deep psychological hole. You have time. You have money. You have reputation. You could do anything! And you have absolutely no idea what to do in the face of that. Nothing is more threatening than having every option available. Where do you start? And of course the next thing better be great because that’s what people will expect coming off a successful run… or you might feel like you still have something to prove because it didn’t turn out as well as you had hoped. Oh, and wait, who even am I? Without that job and company I identified so strongly with, who am I outside of that? What do I want? What do I enjoy? What matters enough to spend my working hours away from my family? It’s easy for the whole thing to tailspin into a story that you’ll never do anything worthwhile again or that you'll become irrelevant. Some people respond by anxiously jumping into something too soon. Some people descend into depression. Some people “retire” and spend time on hobbies and with family. The people who come back better are the people who take time to sit with themselves and answer that question: Who am I? And who do I want to become through whatever I do next? It takes patience. It takes courage. And it takes support from the people around you. If you're in it right now, I see you. And if you've been through it before, I'd love to hear from you. How did you decide what to do next? What did you learn in the process? Next week I’ll share the paths I’ve seen work well for founders to make the transition and get back to work. A quote to make you think from a book worth reading
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A newsletter for founders who want to make impact at scale and become the leader your team needs you to be
My newsletter helps founders like you become the leader you're capable of so you can make the impact you set out to make. Each week I share exceptional essays from around the web, original essays from my desk, and my long-form interview podcast called Good Work -- all centered on reaching your potential as a founder and leader. I'm an executive coach to founders and creators using business to solve hard societal problems - lessons from my coaching work directly fuel the newsletter.
Hey Reader, Happy Sunday! It’s a classic rainy and chilly spring weekend here in Portland and we’ve been enjoying it with pancakes, at the zoo, and with some delicious coffee and tea from our favorite local spots. I normally send this newsletter early on Saturday mornings, but I was exhausted after traveling solo with my son last weekend and two podcast recordings in a shortened week for me. I caught up on some sleep this weekend instead. Thanks for reading on Sunday :). If you missed it,...
Hey Reader, Happy Saturday! Yesterday was my grandfather's 90th birthday and we're celebrating today, which for a variety of reasons means I'm hitting your inbox a few hours later than normal. I'm thinking about interviewing him and recording it for our family's oral history. Hit reply with any great questions you've asked your elders and enjoyed hearing the answer to.Speaking of interviews, my interview with neuroscientist and author Anne-Laure Le Cunff has gotten great reviews. The #1 thing...
Hey Reader, Happy Saturday! What an incredible week. All of you awesome people made it possible for the podcast to hit #15 in the business category and #130 in all of Apple Podcasts. In week one! My friend made me say out loud that I have “A top 25 business show.” I’m taking it under consideration for future use. #15 in business right behind my boy Guy Raz! Thank you so much for your support. My goal is impact, not fame or reach. Still, I know that reach is a key factor for impact because it...