A book to return to

The Great CEO Within

Matt Mochary

The main takeaway

Clear ownership, written agreements and regular feedback make a growing company easier to lead.

The short summary

Drawing on his CEO coaching, Mochary presents routines for running a growing company. He covers personal habits, meetings, responsibility, feedback, hiring and growth. The handbook concentrates on systems that help people work together as the business becomes larger and more complex.

One idea at a time

Key takeaways.

Idea 1

Name one owner

Assign each area of work to a specific person so everyone knows who is responsible for decisions and follow-through.

Idea 2

Make agreements clear

Record the promised result, its owner and deadline, then confirm that everyone involved understands and accepts the commitment.

Idea 3

Build feedback into work

Discuss specific actions and requested changes regularly, giving people a practical way to raise concerns and improve collaboration.

An everyday example

An illustrative example: shared supplies

A shared flat keeps running out of essentials. One person owns the shopping list, everyone adds requests by Thursday, and they review the arrangement monthly.

Sources and credits

Ideas credited to Matt Mochary. This page uses original wording and an original everyday example.

A management handbook drawn from startup coaching. Its prescriptions require judgement about the organisation and situation.

Matt Mochary: author and book The Great CEO Within: author-linked free manuscript