In Traction, Gino Wickman provides a systematic approach to achieving business success through the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS). The book focuses on six key components: Vision, People, Data, Issues, Process, and Traction. It helps business leaders clarify their vision, align their leadership team, solve common business problems, and foster healthy communication and discipline within the organization. The EOS system is designed to help businesses overcome frustrations such as lack of control, people issues, insufficient profit, hitting the ceiling, and feeling stuck. The book offers practical tools, real-world examples, and actionable strategies to drive sustainable growth and improve business operations.
In 'The Untethered Soul', Michael A. Singer explores the nature of the self and how to achieve spiritual growth by recognizing and releasing the inner blockages that prevent us from experiencing true happiness. The book emphasizes the importance of accepting reality as it is, rather than trying to control or resist it. Singer provides practical advice on how to manage negative thoughts, cultivate a positive mindset, and live in harmony with the natural flow of life.
This book explores the fundamental causes of team failure and organizational politics through a narrative about a fictional company, DecisionTech, Inc. It outlines five dysfunctions: absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results. The book provides practical advice and real-world examples to help teams overcome these dysfunctions and become high-performing teams.
In 'Who: The A Method for Hiring', Geoff Smart and Randy Street offer a comprehensive and structured approach to hiring top talent. The book outlines a step-by-step method to ensure that the right candidates are selected, emphasizing the importance of defining the job, finding A players, and conducting effective interviews. It also provides strategies for avoiding common hiring mistakes and ensuring long-term success.
Jonathan Lowenhar is the co-founder of Enjoy The Work, an executive coaching firm that helps founders become great CEOs. Over the past decade, Enjoy The Work has supported over 165 founders on their journey to becoming better leaders. In our conversation, we discuss:
• The difference between being a founder and being a CEO
• Common failure modes for startup CEOs and how to avoid them
• The four key elements of an effective go-to-market strategy
• A framework for evaluating potential acquisitions: the magic box paradigm
• How to find and hire the best people
• How to build a repeatable GTM machine
• Why founders need to trust their intuition
• Much more
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Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-a-great-founder-becomes-a-great-ceo-jonathan-lowenhar
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Where to find Jonathan Lowenhar:
• X: https://x.com/jlowenhar
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jlowenhar/
• Enjoy the Work: https://etw.live/lenny
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Where to find Lenny:
• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com
• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/
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In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Jonathan’s background
(02:56) Understanding the rhythm of well-run companies
(09:20) The founder mode vs. manager mode debate
(12:05) Common company failure modes
(13:36) Common CEO failure modes
(25:25) The magic box paradigm for selling your startup
(43:07) Advice for founders on building relationships
(49:28) Hiring and building an amazing team
(57:11) Types of executives: architect, optimizer, scaler
(59:45) Working backward in hiring
(01:02:54) Four key components of a go-to-market strategy
(01:15:01) Trusting founder intuition
(01:19:12) Founder vs. CEO: different roles, different skills
(01:20:52) Closing thoughts and lightning round
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Referenced:
• Founder mode memes: https://techcrunch.com/2024/09/04/those-founder-mode-memes-keep-coming/
• Founder mode: https://paulgraham.com/foundermode.html
• “Founder Mode” Is a Dangerous Red Herring: https://enjoythework.com/founder-mode-is-a-dangerous-red-herring/
• Magic Box Paradigm: A Framework for Startup Acquisitions: https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Box-Paradigm-Framework-Acquisitions/dp/0692778047
• Facebook Buys Instagram for $1 Billion: https://archive.nytimes.com/dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/04/09/facebook-buys-instagram-for-1-billion/
• Chris Voss on X: https://x.com/fbinegotiator
• Who: https://www.amazon.com/Who-Geoff-Smart/dp/0345504194
• Brian Chesky on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianchesky/
• Joe Gebbia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jgebbia/
• Nathan Blecharczyk on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blecharczyk/
• 4 questions Shreyas Doshi wishes he’d asked himself sooner | Former PM leader at Stripe, Twitter, Google: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/shreyas-doshi-live
• Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth: https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Startup-Achieve-Explosive-Customer/dp/1591848369
• Adam Grant on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adammgrant/
• This will make you a better decision maker | Annie Duke (author of “Thinking in Bets” and “Quit,” former pro poker player): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/making-better-decisions-annie-duke
• How to identify your ideal customer profile (ICP): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-identify-your-ideal-customer
• How to get your marketing team to drive more impact: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-get-your-marketing-team-to
• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable: https://www.amazon.com/Five-Dysfunctions-Team-Leadership-Fable/dp/0787960756
• The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself: https://www.amazon.com/Untethered-Soul-Journey-Beyond-Yourself/dp/1572245379
• Will & Harper on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81760197
• Slow Horses on AppleTV+: https://tv.apple.com/us/show/slow-horses/umc.cmc.2szz3fdt71tl1ulnbp8utgq5o
• Aura frames: https://auraframes.com/
• Augie studio: https://augie.studio/
• Harrah’s Entertainment: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrah%27s_Entertainment
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Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.
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Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
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Lenny's Podcast: Product | Growth | Career 
