How a great founder becomes a great CEO | Jonathan Lowenhar (co-founder of Enjoy The Work)
How a great founder becomes a great CEO | Jonathan Lowenhar (co-founder of Enjoy The Work)Learn how Jonathan Lowenhar helps founders transition to great CEOs with actionable insights on GTM strategy, hiring, leadership, and moreListen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. Brought to you by: • Pendo—The only all-in-one product experience platform for any type of application — 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:
Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-a-great-founder-becomes-a-great-ceo-jonathan-lowenhar Some takeaways:
Where to find Jonathan Lowenhar: • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jlowenhar/ • Enjoy the Work: https://etw.live/lenny 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 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 Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com. Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. You're currently a free subscriber to Lenny's Newsletter. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription. |
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