I love how you defined here the evolution of each key role, especially for founders. But do you have any tips on when this evolution becomes necessary? Is it after a certain raise, revenue marker, or head count?
No. I tend to focus on what someone is predisposed to be great at and then use smart hiring and team combinations to make up for their weaknesses ie like putting a puzzle together. Some people can't scale as the complexity scales and need to move internally or out but the best and smartest people can and do rapidly evolve as the challenges mount with scale
Loved this piece 👏 It’s a sharp reminder that clarity of roles beats prestige of titles every time!
Titles and polished C-suite labels have become so decorative lately that they often hide the only thing that actually matters: the functional model behind the role. When structure is defined by naming conventions instead of operational logic, alignment becomes theater rather than execution.
I recently explored this from a different angle using a historical model in my article on Sicily as a management field guide. Instead of modern titles, roles were defined like on a ship: captain, navigator, boatswain, first mate. No ambiguity, no ego inflation, just function and responsibility. When you map leadership that way, you immediately see where breakdowns actually come from.
The point about hiring a CFO too late is one I've seen play out more times than I can count. Finance gets treated as bookkeeping until the runway gets short, and by then the options are usually worse.
I love how you defined here the evolution of each key role, especially for founders. But do you have any tips on when this evolution becomes necessary? Is it after a certain raise, revenue marker, or head count?
No. I tend to focus on what someone is predisposed to be great at and then use smart hiring and team combinations to make up for their weaknesses ie like putting a puzzle together. Some people can't scale as the complexity scales and need to move internally or out but the best and smartest people can and do rapidly evolve as the challenges mount with scale
Chris, this really resonated!
Loved this piece 👏 It’s a sharp reminder that clarity of roles beats prestige of titles every time!
Titles and polished C-suite labels have become so decorative lately that they often hide the only thing that actually matters: the functional model behind the role. When structure is defined by naming conventions instead of operational logic, alignment becomes theater rather than execution.
I recently explored this from a different angle using a historical model in my article on Sicily as a management field guide. Instead of modern titles, roles were defined like on a ship: captain, navigator, boatswain, first mate. No ambiguity, no ego inflation, just function and responsibility. When you map leadership that way, you immediately see where breakdowns actually come from.
https://darynakaruna.substack.com/p/sicily-as-a-management-field-guide
OMG! So right and I owe you a response on Whatsapp. Let me get to that. It's Mrs Ts birthday week and she's keeping me busy 🥂
I totally understand you & Mrs Ts )) happy birthday 🎂
Thanks. She's milking all the attention
Nicely put.
Thanks 🥳
Excellent work guys - invaluable
Thanks Richard - you're an inspiration 🥳
The point about hiring a CFO too late is one I've seen play out more times than I can count. Finance gets treated as bookkeeping until the runway gets short, and by then the options are usually worse.