Category: Being CEO

Being CEO

In a meeting, the CEO should always speak last

Chris Labs

As Jeff Bezos says so brilliantly, people might have a certain opinion. But once they hear the opinion of the CEO, they might think: Well, if this person thinks that way, maybe I missed some data or information and I should go read it again. That will alter people’s original opinion. And if they are smart enough to be in that room, their opinion was probably valuable too. Jeff Bezos, Lex Fridman Podcast Continue reading In a meeting, the CEO should always speak last

Being CEO

Format for team meetings: Memo

Chris Labs

The perfect meeting starts with a crisp document and a messy meeting. The meeting should be about asking questions that no one knows the answer to. The organization should be truth-seeking. If something can be known for sure through data or research, find the answer. 6 pages memo A typical meeting will start with a 6 pages narratively-structured memo. For 30mins, everyone in the meeting will read silently the memo quietly and write down questions they might have. If people were asked to read it beforehand, most are too busy and they would only skim the document. Or pretend they … Continue reading Format for team meetings: Memo

Being CEO

How to structure Marketing Department

Chris Labs

It is such an important role, the role of media buying. You do not want all your business to rely on one or very few individuals. On the podcast Operators, Marty gives this structure recommendation. Basically, the department should be divised into two groups: – Marty, E006: Marty Wholesome Goods, De-Risking Talent, Data & Testing, Gamers, Panzerism, Prime Day & More. Continue reading How to structure Marketing Department

Being CEO

Idea for team building activity

Chris Labs

You gotta be creative and take that many dollars of budget and make it feel like a trillion dollars of budget. Sam Parr organized a visit to Costco with the employees from The Hustle. In teams of 2 or 4, they were given a 200$ budget and they had 30mins to go into costco and buy the coolest stuff for the office and food for lunch. Everyone was then voting on who had picked the best goods. My First Million, Ep. 299, minute 1:01:10 Continue reading Idea for team building activity

Being CEO

Watch out: Are you on a Maker’s Schedule or on a Manager’s Schedule? What about your employees?

Chris Labs

“Maker” time requires large blocks of the clock to write code, develop ideas, generate leads, recruit people, produce products, or execute on projects and plans. This time tends to be viewed in half-day increments. “Manager time”, on the other hand, gets divided into hours. This time typically has one moving from meeting to meeting, and because those who oversee or direct tend to have power and authority, “they are in a position to make everyone resonate at their frequency.” This can create a huge conflict if those needing maker time are pulled into meetings at odd hours, destroying the very … Continue reading Watch out: Are you on a Maker’s Schedule or on a Manager’s Schedule? What about your employees?

Being CEO, Hiring

Filter out losers with those questions

Chris Labs

Don’t hire losers. They might be able to do the job for which they are hired. But that is not good enough. Especially at a startup where you are able to hire a lot fewer people than you would like. Here are some of the questions you can ask to detect losers: “Tell me about what you studied in college, and what were some of your favorite classes?” A person who spent $120,000 and dedicated four years of their lives to any pursuit better be able to speak eloquently for five minutes on that humongous experience. Or else they are … Continue reading Filter out losers with those questions

Being CEO

Each person in the company is forced to take responsability for what they do.

Chris Labs

You just say, “What do you think your job entails?” or “What is it going to take to get your job done?” They innumerate it. And then after they enumerate it, say, “Okay, now that you said this is what you have to do, you’re responsible for making sure that it gets done. It’s not up to me to make sure you get it done.” Most people wait for the owner or the boss to tell them what to do next and how to do it. And then once you stop telling them that, they stop doing whatever they’re doing. … Continue reading Each person in the company is forced to take responsability for what they do.