The CEO Playbook: Scaling through the “Messy Middle” with Intentionality.
Startups Decoded E58 with Alisa Cohn
“Founder” is a status; “CEO” is a skill you’re ignoring.
This editorial distills a leadership playbook from Startups Decoded E58 with Alisa Cohn (Global CEO Coach, Author of From Startup to Grownup, and advisor to leaders at Venmo, Etsy, and Pfizer).
The episode surfaced a hard truth: the transition from “Founder” to “CEO” is the most dangerous inflection point in a company’s lifecycle. Most builders treat it as a natural progression. It isn’t. It’s a total re-skilling.
What you’ll get:
The distinction between “Founder” (status) and “CEO” (skill).
The “Reactive Trap” and how to break it with North Star Planning.
A decision framework for moving from Doer to Leader.
Why self-awareness is a performance metric, not a soft skill.
