Executive Founders are entrepreneurs who have previously held a high-level, executive role at a startup or enterprise (COO, CMO, CTO, etc.) who are now playing a CEO role in their new venture.

Executive founders have a tendency to believe that, since they were on the leadership team at a previously successful venture, they themselves have what it takes to lead a venture of their own. As such, they can be broadsided by what others might describe as arrogance and hubris.

When working with this archetype, it's important to ask questions and use Positive Reinforcement when they acknowledge there's something they don't know. By offering introductions to respected, neutral parties project co-creators can often plant new ideas more effectively than by themselves.

If you are yourself an executive founder, begin by acknowledging that you don't know what you don't know and what you do know takes practice to implement successfully. It's also important to build an advisory board that is rife with dissenting opinions and to meet with them regularly.

Contexts

• #founder-archetype

• #index (See: #index)