The Art of Influence: Leading Teams in Founder-Driven Companies

The Adaptive Executive

Guest: Todd Wilkins, a seasoned executive with extensive experience leading product teams in startups

Discussion Points:

• Background and Career Journey: Todd shares his transition from computer science to leadership roles, emphasizing his interest in user experience, sociology, and supporting small to medium businesses.
• Working with Founders:
• Adaptability and Growth: Founders often face new challenges, requiring them to adapt and grow. They need support in areas they're not fully prepared for, combining a need for learning with their inherent conviction.
• Conviction vs. Stubbornness: Founders are described as having a strong conviction, which can sometimes appear as stubbornness but is crucial for overcoming entrepreneurial hurdles.
• Trust and Understanding: Building trust with founders involves deeply understanding their motivations and the journey they've taken, akin to hostage negotiators understanding their subjects.
• Challenges in Founder-Led Companies:
• Delegation: Founders often struggle with giving direction and power effectively, which are essential for proper delegation.
• Communication: Founders might communicate their vision or mission inconsistently, leading to misinterpretation among team members.
• Strategies for Effective Leadership:
• First Principles Approach: Todd uses a simple framework to break down business operations into core components (revenue, costs, customer acquisition, retention, expansion) to align teams and clarify strategic actions.
• Personal Reflection: Importance of self-awareness and personal growth to be an adaptive leader, which also aids in understanding others.

Chapter Time Stamps:

• 12:06:09: Podcast introduction and guest introduction.
• 12:07:27: Todd's background and career journey.
• 12:08:51: Todd's experience with various companies and founders.
• 12:12:27: Characteristics of founders and working with them.
• 12:14:57: Discussion on "founder mode" and conviction.
• 12:16:47: The energy and challenges of working with founders.
• 12:18:16: Specific example of working with WooCommerce founders.
• 12:22:29: Building trust with founders.
• 12:26:04: Delegation challenges and the concept of direction and power.
• 12:31:35: Common founder-team misalignments.
• 12:35:59: First principles approach to business strategy.
• 12:43:11: Concrete example of defining quality at Qualio.
• 12:46:44: Todd's approach to supporting founders and the organization.
• 12:53:52: Todd's sources for staying updated and personal growth.
• 12:57:46: Where to find Todd and his offer for coaching/mentorship.
• 12:58:28: Conclusion of the podcast episode.

Contact Information

Todd can be found:

website - ToddWilkins.com

LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/toddwilkens