As I talk with more and more startup CEOs who are seeking leadership help a common theme has emerged. In the overwhelming majority of situations it is experienced execution leadership that is needed as opposed to things like strategic planning, marketing, and customer engagement. This is reflective of the fact that I have been targeting Seed and Series A companies where the priority is to get the first product commercialized.
What I’ve found, in general, is that these CEOs are looking for an experienced executive who can bridge the gap between having a prototype and shipping a commercial product. The precise needs vary but in general they encompass the following: translating customer inputs into a product definition, establishing a disciplined product development structure, leading the product development team, establishing a supply chain, and ramping up production.
The typical situation I’ve encountered involves a CEO with just modest experience or fully consumed raising money coupled with a set of young, aggressive technologists that have succeeded in building a prototype and attracting customer interest. In these situations the CEO has recognized that a new skill set and focus is needed to bring his first product to market and that an experienced operations/product development executive is required.
I think I once again am writing about something that is obvious to experienced entrepreneurs and investors but was not to me until I started talking to these CEOs. But that’s ok as that is precisely in line with the expectations I had established for myself upon leaving Analog Devices—that I would end up spending as much effort learning about startups as in seeking out my next position.
So, what does this mean for me? Fortunately, I have a lot of experience leading product development teams and am confident in my ability to take on such a role. Having said that, a pure product development role is not what I had been seeking out of concern it would take me too far away from customers, the marketplace, and an ability to impact a company’s strategy. But my impression so far is that these startups’ product development leadership roles are not so narrowly defined. If that’s the case, and I can find a product development leadership position that has a sufficiently strong connection to the marketplace and the company’s strategy, it would be attractive. For now, I am simply continuing my outreach to VCs and the CEO’s they refer me to.