Enter the Boardroom with Nurole 120. Tim Jackson: Coaching CEOs: how Chairs, NEDs and Investor Directors add most value to their most senior executive
Apr 30, 2025
Tim Jackson, founder of QXL and a general partner at Walking Ventures, shares deep insights from his extensive experience as an early-stage investor and advisor. He discusses the crucial dynamics between CEOs and their boards, emphasizing the importance of proactive fundraising and the traits that enhance these relationships. Jackson also explores how CEOs can effectively prepare for crises, adapt as their companies scale, and the value (or oversight) investor directors bring to the table. His thoughts culminate in strategies that drive successful board interactions and decision-making.
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Board Misstep on Customer Acquisition
- Tim Jackson shares a board moment at QXL where aggressive customer acquisition spending was encouraged before IPO.
- In hindsight, this strategy was profoundly mistaken, illustrating risks in board-driven decisions during growth frenzy.
Boards Temper Founder Optimism
- Good boards temper CEO optimism with injected reality checks.
- Boards should advise CEOs to raise funding proactively, not reactively, to ensure stable growth and avoid cash crises.
Board Shapes CEO Successor Specs
- Boards add value by refining CEO successor job specs and aligning them with company growth needs.
- Gathering board input early and broadly on key role criteria improves recruitment success for CEO successors.