# Founder Toolkit Practical tools for founder self-management and leadership development. --- ## 1. Weekly CEO Reflection Template **15 minutes. Every Friday. No excuses.** This is the most important meeting of the week. You with yourself. ``` DATE: _______________ ## This Week **1. What was my most important contribution this week?** (Not the longest meeting or the hardest problem — the thing that will matter in 90 days.) _______________________________________________ **2. Where did I add the least value? Why was I involved?** (Be honest. Where were you in the room out of habit, not necessity?) _______________________________________________ **3. What should I have delegated but didn't?** (Name the specific task and the person you could have delegated it to.) _______________________________________________ **4. What decision am I avoiding? Why?** (Fear of being wrong? Not enough information? Conflict avoidance?) _______________________________________________ **5. What would I do differently this week if I could do it over?** (One thing. Make it specific.) _______________________________________________ ## Next Week **My one most important outcome for next week:** _______________________________________________ **What will I stop doing / not start / protect myself from?** _______________________________________________ ``` --- ## 2. Energy Audit Template Map your week by energy, not tasks. Do this for one full work week. ### Step 1: Time block mapping For each 30-minute block in your week, record: - What you did - Energy level: 🟢 Energizing / 🟡 Neutral / 🔴 Draining ``` Monday: 08:00-08:30: __________________ [🟢/🟡/🔴] 08:30-09:00: __________________ [🟢/🟡/🔴] 09:00-09:30: __________________ [🟢/🟡/🔴] ... (continue through the day) ``` ### Step 2: Pattern analysis After one week, categorize activities: | Activity type | Energy level | Total hours | % of week | |--------------|-------------|-------------|-----------| | Customer calls | | | | | Investor meetings | | | | | Team 1:1s | | | | | Product decisions | | | | | Strategy/planning | | | | | Email/Slack | | | | | Recruiting | | | | | Financial review | | | | | External talks/events | | | | | Administrative tasks | | | | | Deep work/building | | | | | Recovery/breaks | | | | ### Step 3: Optimization plan **Green activities to protect (min 40% of week):** - _______________________________________________ **Red activities to eliminate or delegate (target: < 15% of week):** - Activity: __________________ → Delegate to: __________________ - Activity: __________________ → Eliminate via: __________________ **Your personal energy peak hours:** I do my best thinking: _______ to _______ Schedule this time as: Protected deep work (no meetings) --- ## 3. Delegation Matrix For every task you regularly do, run it through this matrix. ### Assessment | Task | Skill level needed | My will to keep it | Decision | |------|-------------------|-------------------|----------| | | High / Med / Low | High / Med / Low | Keep / Coach / Delegate / Kill | ### Delegation scoring | My Skill | My Will | Decision | |----------|---------|----------| | High | High | Keep — this is your zone of genius | | High | Low | Delegate — you can do it, but it drains you. Train someone. | | Low | High | Develop — learn it or hire for it | | Low | Low | Kill or outsource — why is this on your plate? | ### The 70% rule If someone can do a task 70% as well as you, delegate it. Trying to get to 100% is a trap: - Their 70% will grow to 90% with practice - Your 30% extra effort costs more than the quality gap - You free up time for things only you can do --- ## 4. 1:1 Template for Direct Reports Weekly or biweekly. 30 minutes. Their agenda, not yours. ``` DATE: _______________ PERSON: _______________ ## Their Section (first 20 min) **What's on their mind? (open the meeting with this)** (No agenda from you first — let them lead) **What are they working on? Where are they stuck?** **What do they need from me?** **Anything they wanted to raise but haven't had the chance to?** ## Your Section (last 10 min) **Context to share (strategy, changes, what they should know):** **Direct feedback to give (if any):** - Be specific: "In Tuesday's meeting, when you [did X], the impact was [Y]" - Make it actionable: "Next time, I'd suggest [Z]" **Career/growth check-in (monthly, not every meeting):** - How are they feeling about their growth? - What do they want to be doing more of? - What are they interested in that they're not currently doing? ## Follow-ups | Commitment | Owner | Due | |------------|-------|-----| | | | | ``` ### Rules for effective 1:1s - **Their agenda first.** If you dominate with your updates, they stop bringing theirs. - **No status updates.** That's what tools are for. This time is for their thinking, blockers, and development. - **Consistent time.** Rescheduled 1:1s signal that they're not a priority. - **Take notes.** Review them before the next meeting. It signals that you listened. - **Follow up on commitments.** If you say "I'll get you that answer by Thursday," get it by Thursday. --- ## 5. Personal OKRs for the Founder Most founders hold their team accountable to goals but have none themselves. Fix that. ### Template: Quarterly Personal OKRs ``` Q[X] YYYY | FOUNDER OKRs ## My One Priority This Quarter (The single most important thing I personally must accomplish) _______________________________________________ ## Objective 1: [Leadership Development] What I'm trying to achieve: _______________________________________________ KR 1.1: [Measurable outcome by EoQ] KR 1.2: [Measurable outcome by EoQ] KR 1.3: [Measurable outcome by EoQ] Progress check (mid-quarter): _______________________________________________ ## Objective 2: [Delegation / Team Building] What I'm trying to achieve: _______________________________________________ KR 2.1: [Measurable outcome by EoQ] KR 2.2: [Measurable outcome by EoQ] ## Objective 3: [External Impact — Investors / Customers / Market] What I'm trying to achieve: _______________________________________________ KR 3.1: [Measurable outcome by EoQ] KR 3.2: [Measurable outcome by EoQ] ## The "Stop Doing" List (equally important) Things I'm committing to stop doing this quarter: - Stop: _______________________________________________ - Stop: _______________________________________________ - Stop: _______________________________________________ ``` ### Personal OKR examples **Objective: Become a better coach, not just a decision-maker** - KR: 90% of my direct reports can make their top 3 recurring decisions without me by EoQ - KR: In 1:1 reviews, 80% of team rates me as "helps me think through problems" vs "tells me what to do" - KR: Conduct quarterly 360 feedback session with all direct reports **Objective: Build investor trust before I need it** - KR: Monthly investor updates sent within 5 days of month-end, every month this quarter - KR: 1:1 calls with each board member, once per quarter, outside of board meetings - KR: Create and share 3-year financial model with board by EoQ **Objective: Protect my energy and performance** - KR: 3+ hours of protected deep work time per day, 4+ days per week - KR: Complete weekly CEO reflection every Friday (track: 0/13 weeks → 13/13) - KR: Zero email after 8pm, zero weekends unless explicit crisis --- ## 6. The "Stop Doing" List The hardest list to make and the most valuable to keep. Most founders have clear to-do lists. Few have stop-doing lists. The asymmetry is the problem. ### The stop-doing audit **Things to stop doing immediately (decision you can make today):** - Attending meetings you don't add value to - Being the default person for decisions that should be made by others - Redoing work that your team completed - Checking email/Slack during deep work blocks - Starting tasks you know you'll delegate partway through **Things to stop doing by delegating (need to train someone):** - _______________________________________________ - _______________________________________________ - _______________________________________________ **Things to stop doing by building systems:** - Recurring manual tasks → automate - Recurring decisions → write decision criteria so others can decide - Recurring explanations → document once, reference always ### The decision filter Before accepting new responsibilities, run through: 1. Does this require something only I can do? 2. Is this the highest and best use of my time? 3. If I say yes to this, what am I saying no to? If the answers are no, no, and something important — say no. --- ## 7. Evidence File For when imposter syndrome hits. Keep a running file of: **Wins** (monthly minimum) - Company milestones you led - Decisions that worked out well - Feedback you received that was genuinely positive **Quotes** (capture as they happen) - Direct quotes from team members, customers, investors about your impact - Emails or messages that reflect trust or appreciation **The hard calls that paid off** - Decisions you were scared to make that turned out well - Times you said no to something that would have hurt the company **When to read it:** When you're doubting yourself before a board meeting, a hard conversation, a big pitch. The feeling isn't fact. The evidence file is.