Skip to content
The essential traits of a great founderWhat a 10/10 looks like for each trait (what does excellence look like? What to strive for?)How to identify and overcome what might be stopping them from living up to these traits/pursuing their companyHow and when to live up to these traits dailyTools, resources, frameworks to dial these up
Study the greats / growth machinesJust don’t stop / relentlessWork is lifeAgainst the grain / think differentFull effort, always, everywhereNeed for speed / intolerant of slownessBoldnessProblems as opportunities / relentlessly optimisticRisk takingHigh expectations
Agency100% responsibilityExtreme ownershipAll rules are made up, like NeoSource security, control and approval from within (commitment 11)IntensityJust don’t stop / relentlessWork is lifeFull effort, always, everywhereNeed for speed / intolerant of slowness (Speed session)High expectationsEnthusiasmTechnical excellence Intellectual horsepowerDepth and breadth of knowledgeUniqueness of knowledgeGrowth machinesStudy the greatsSeek and iterate on feedbackSee all ppl and circumstances as allies (Commitment 13)
Integrity: Makes clear agreements (part of commitment 6)Doesn’t bullshit self or othersVision for the futureAudacityRisk takingAgainst the grain / think differentRelentlessly optimistic / Problems as opportunities ResilienceFeeling All Feelings (commitment 3)Fact vs story: Find opposite of storyCommunication abilityHow efficiently can you sync someone else’s mind with yours (eg story of self)PitchingCommercial intuitionProgress / what to build session from Scott, RubricCustomer Discovery, Great Biz, Choose What to BuildCandor (commitment 4)how much of your truth do you reveal to others?
Study the greats / growth machinesAll great founders voraciously consumed information about their industries and, in particular, information about the great founders/leaders that came before them.They’re also growth machines, always learning, always looking to improveJust don’t stop / relentlessThe best founders just keep going, even when others would consider things lost. They take "no" to mean "not now". They come back again and again until they find success.Work is lifeAll great founders put their mission first -- above friendships, above hobbies, and even above families. It's an unfortunate reality that building a startup requires sacrifice -- a bunch of really hard decisions that add incrementally to the chance of success. 2% higher chance here, 5% there. Maybe you get a 10% better. No one decision seems "necessary" or "required" because they're all small, but they add up to something essential for great success.Against the grain / think differentAll great founders challenge status quo thinking and the norms of their industries. The worst answer you can give to a question about why you're doing something a certain way is "this is how it's always been done".Full effort, always, everywhereAll great founders are unreasonably intense -- in their enthusiasms, their work ethic, and their expectations of others. They push constantly and are relentless.Need for speed / intolerant of slownessAll great founders are intolerant of slowness. They set expectations around timelines that others consider unreasonable (or even impossible) and often hit them. They approach everything with a "why not today?" attitude. No delay, no matter how small, is acceptable unless unavoidable.Always more audacityAll great founders have unreasonable ambition and audacity. They set goals others consider impossible and make big bets to get there.Problems as opportunities / relentlessly optimisticAll the great founders had a relentless optimism. They believed without doubt that they would achieve success over the long term. They saw even problems as mere opportunities to become better, smarter, more resilient.Risk takingAll great founders are comfortable with extreme risk. They're comfortable with "bet it all" strategies when that's what great success requires. They're willing to fail big in the hopes of succeeding big.High expectationsAll great founders expect exceptional performance from those around them. They push their teams to achieve the apparently impossible. They don't tolerate poor performance or excuses.
Founder Traits
We’ll teach them
V1 5050 Founder Traits:
V2 5050 Founder Traits:
Select for these 4 traits and dial up:
Dial up:
10 Traits with explanation:
Want to print your doc?
This is not the way.
This is not the way.
Try clicking the ⋯ next to your doc name or using a keyboard shortcut (
CtrlP
) instead.