Startup Leadership

Anyone can start a business. But only leaders can succeed. Most entrepreneurs know the long odds: only a fraction of them will lead their enterprises through the rocky stages of growth to launch self-sustaining companies. Very few know how to outflank the failures that await them at every turn, including the most painful—being abandoned by key members of their team or getting pushed out by their board just as their business starts to generate real value. Derek Lidow is on a mission to improve these odds and change these outcomes. Throughout his long career—as CEO, innovator, and entrepreneur—he has tested virtually every aspect of launching a business. Lidow now argues that success is far less dependent upon a firm’s idea or any grand strategy than it is upon something more personal: leadership. Emerging companies have specific leadership requirements, stage by fast-moving stage. Few founders have been able to leverage the tremendous power of this underrecognized reality—until now. Startup Leadership demonstrates how founders can adopt the skills that are required at each stage of their journey. Whether you are at the idea stage or managing a more mature enterprise, you can start to recognize the fundamental conflict: how to balance your selfish drives with the more selfless leadership required by the organization at any given time. The book shows you how to achieve this balance by: Assessing your unique motivations, traits, and skills Creating a personal leadership strategy that leverages your strengths and mitigates your weaknesses Mastering how to lead teams, including boards Understanding the five prerequisites for driving change Taking control of your inevitable crises, thereby strengthening your team and your leadership With Lidow’s help, you will learn how to become the startup leader your business needs, and you’ll move forward with your plans with greater confidence and success.

Preface ix 1 Success Requires More Than Entrepreneurship 1 Part One Prerequisites: Mastering The Skills of Entrepreneurial Leadership 2 Are You Selfish Enough to Be Selfless? 17 3 Enterprises Are Needy 33 4 Building Relationships 50 5 Motivating Others 83 6 Leading Change 94 7 Creating a Personal Leadership Strategy 113 Part Two Application of Entrepreneurial Leadership Skills 8 Strategizing Fragile Growth 129 9 Organizing to Succeed 146 10 Hiring and Firing 164 11 Leading Teams 176 12 Leading Through Crises 197 13 The Selfish Rewards of Selfless Entrepreneurial Acts 211 Appendix A Motivations, Traits, and Skills 223 Appendix B The Five Essential Entrepreneurial Leadership Skills 225 Appendix C Characteristics of Projects, Processes, and Culture 226 Appendix D Characteristics of Enterprises and Their Leaders in Stages One Through Four 228 Appendix E Relationship Building and the Benefits and Costs of Cooperation, Competition, and Retreat 233 Appendix F The Five Prerequisites of Change (The Five Ducks) 236 Appendix G Ten Basic Strategic Questions 237 Appendix H Five Phases of Crisis Resolution 239 Notes 240 Acknowledgments 246 About the Author 249 Index 251