CEO Coach

Last year Fortune magazine reported on gender and racial diversity in nine leading US tech companies, with disappointing results. Anne & Gillian go back for another look to see what progress has occurred, with stats from more tech giants, and take a look at some new initiatives aiming to increase diversity in IT companies.

Fourth Quarter expectations lead to questions about your revenue. Anne and Gillian discuss some great steps to Ring the Freaking Cash Register, as referenced by Mark Shuster of Upfront Ventures. He says to startups, "Monetize your product as a priority, not an afterthought."

Anne and Gillian discuss Leadership Speaking Style and Communication Killers as they reference a blog post from Ian Lurie entitled These 10 Phrases Are Killing Your Team. Ian explains, " We rarely use these phrases out of disrespect. Usually, we use them to try to spare coworkers' and employees' feelings. In the long run, though, we're dodging issues and hiding destructive behaviors. It's a lesson I've learned, slowly, over 20+ years as a CEO: Be direct and clear. Don't confuse respect...

Need some practical productivity tools? The best streamline your process and keep you on track and distraction-free. Anne & Gillian talk about their favorites. It’s likely you already have a couple on your devices, and then, there’s another that isn’t even an app, but totally analog. Tune in and tune up your startup.

Time to step up your game in productivity. Q4 is nearly upon us. The summer doldrums are over. Hopefully you took Gillian and Anne’s advice and headed out of Dodge to take a holiday of your own. Now, it's time to buckle down, like the kids heading back to school. The episode is about how to bump up your productivity game - yours AND your key staff, starting with 100-year-old advice from productivity guru Ivy Lee’.

How abundant thinking makes you a better CEO as Anne and Gillian look at the work of Bay Area executive coach Katia Verresen and what she calls the remarkable advantage of abundant thinking. Plus, Anne and Gillian explain how to avoid the chasm of micromanagement in your start up.

Laura Weintraub, CEO of renowned digital agency Aimclear joins us to talk about leadership and managing growth at her company, one of Inc’s 500/5000 for four years, and three years named one of the best places to work in Minnesota. Plus, what are key elements of 10X leadership? How does 10% thinking limit your opportunities? Which companies are better suited to shooting the moon?

Anne and Gillian talk about why taking a vacation will make you a better CEO and your company more successful, and why you must make time to unplug your laptop and recharge yourself. After noting some alarming statistics about diminishing American vacations, and the resulting health effects, they highlight just how to make your getaway with a few do’s and don’ts to guide you.

Pre-money. Preferences. Dilution. The vocabulary of start up funding has a language all its own. What’s more, pitfalls await the unwary entrepreneur. Yes you can give away too much in the beginning. Gillian explains it all to Anne, and we wind up a lot better informed, as will listeners. We sprinkle in wisdom from H Ross Perot and Alejandro Cremades of 1000 Angels.

What attributes make a good founder? Gillian and Anne review characteristics of successful entrepreneurs, with input from Fast Company, Compass and Techstars. Patterns emerge from a multitude of opinions on asses and attributes. Most successful founders share what Mom and Dad used to call ‘character’ -- integrity, authenticity and compassion.

What do you do when a big VC firm or a Really Big Company wants to invest and become your strategic partner? Push the euphoria aside and proceed with caution. Anne and Gillian talk about the important questions to ask yourself, and the potential investor, with insights from Elizabeth Yin, partner in 500 Startups, and Patrick Meenan, VC and before that at Microsoft doing acquisitions.

Fine-tuning Your Fundraising Part 3: Rejected! What to Do Next. In a continuing series on how to boost your fundraising results, Anne & Gillian talk about rejections, which will inevitably happen, and what to do next. Source Elizabeth Yin had very specific advice on which investors you’ve pitched are worthy of following up, and which are not worth your time, and how to tell the difference.

When you pitch to potential investors keep control of the conversation. Drive the car, says Elizabeth Yin, entrepreneur and partner at 500 Startups. Avoid letting the direction of your presentation veer all over the place. Stick to the points you want to make. In other words, stay proactive, not reactive. Gillian and Anne review some techniques to keep your next meeting with potential investors rolling down the road.

In the first of a multipart series on fine-tuning your funding, Gillian & Anne discuss the difference between angel investors and seed VC’s, and why understanding the difference is critical to your fundraising success. Hint: it’s all about how they make money on their investments. We draw inspiration and insights from Elizabeth Yin, partner at 500 Startups, herself a successful entrepreneur.

Anne and Gillian look at the work of Bay Area executive coach Katia Verresen and what she calls the remarkable advantage of abundant thinking. It’s a 21st century take on how to lead, because, says Verresen your attitude is 100% of your performance. We can use what she calls ‘abundance tactics’ to feel more energized, expand our worldview and achieve our visions instead of being drained by the opposite of abundance which is scarcity, and a scary way to think. Verresen provides specific...

What can you learn from The FBI about closing sales? Plenty, according to Chris Voss, former FBI international kidnapping negotiator and author of “Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It” (HarperCollins, May 2016). It’s all about understanding and influencing your prospects or adversary’s emotions. Beyond active listening and mirroring, Gillian and Anne discuss some of the surprising tactics The FBI uses and how to apply them to close more deals for your...

What You Must Do In June: “Gitter Done!” We’re halfway through 2016; what must every start up absolutely do this year? Get to work and execute on your plan. You have set your goals and strategies; now it’s time to activate your tactics to meet your goals . . . or just “Gitter Done!” Gillian and and Anne tell you why, and how to work around whatever is blocking your way forward.

Gillian Muessig and Anne Kennedy talk about Nancee Winslow, Senior Technology Recruiter and Executive Consultant for Kim Finch Cook Executive Recruiter, Inc