5 Common Mistakes Rookie Founders, CEOs and Managers Make…

George Roberts

January 5, 2011

While reading this week, I came across an article in the WSJ Small Business Section that resonated with me due to my 20 plus years as a senior operational executive in the software industry and my time as a partner at OpenView, a Boston based venture capital firm that invests growth capital in expansion stage software companies.

We spend a lot of time working with the founders, CEOs and their management teams on business growth strategies, operational execution, economic business models, competitive positioning, etc.

We also spend time on executive development which is why I wanted to share the article with you. The title of the article is “Management Flubs By Rookie Bosses”.

Here are the examples of the five common flubs (all of which I personally witnessed and in some cases made myself):

  • Yelling at employees when they make a mistake
  • Failing to check for competence
  • Lying to avoid hurt feelings
  • Blindly trusting workers
  • Giving mixed signals

I wrote a blog titled People… the only strategic asset you have and I feel that eliminating these types of mistakes within your organization and across your management team can go a long way in helping you attract and maintain top talent within your company now and in the future.

To read more about the WSJ article click here.

All the best!

G

Venture Partner

<strong>George Roberts</strong> is a Venture Partner at OpenView. He enjoys partnering with companies and helping them achieve their goals through strategy, focus and operational execution. From 1990 to 2003, George spent 13 years at Oracle Corporation, most recently having served as Executive Vice President of North American Sales. While at Oracle, George was responsible for over $1 billion in revenue and more than 2,000 employees, reporting directly to the company’s CEO and Chairman, Larry Ellison.