From founder to CEO: An entrepreneur's roadmap

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• 作者：Joseph C. Picken ^{jpicken@utdallas.edu}
• 关键词：Founder-CEO ; Entrepreneur characteristics ; CEO replacement ; New business enterprises ; Entrepreneur challenges ; Developing leadership
• 刊名：Business Horizons
• 出版年：2017
• 出版时间：January-February 2017
• 年：2017
• 卷：60
• 期：1
• 页码：7-14
• 全文大小：256 K
• 卷排序：60

文摘

Many entrepreneurs aspire to build an exceptional company, reap the rewards, and retain the CEO position at the end of the journey. Launching the startup is only the first step. The period of transition during which a startup grows up and becomes a scalable business is arguably the most critical time in the life of an emerging firm. I summarize the challenges of this period in a framework—the eight hurdles of transition—that outlines the essential steps in the evolution from a nascent startup into a disciplined organization capable of sustained and profitable growth. As the company engages the eight hurdles, the entrepreneur who aspires to retain the top position must embark on a parallel journey of personal and professional growth: the transition from founder to CEO. The skills, motivations, and behaviors that make a good entrepreneur are not the same as those required to lead a high growth organization. Using the literature and five scenarios from personal experience, I summarize the most commonly cited reasons for CEO replacement. Some are beyond the founder's control; most are not. I identify five shifts in perspectives and behaviors essential to retaining the CEO position and provide practical guidance for developing the founder's leadership capabilities.