Ventures and Dynamic Leaders

Tom Byers, in his talk at the Entrepreneurial Thought Leader speaker series, discusses how a CEO should evolve as a startup goes through its phases. He quotes Randy Komisar in drawing an analogy between a CEO's evolution and types of dogs. As a startup is just getting off the ground, the CEO should be like a retriever, seeking venture capital and trading equity for ideas and dollars. As the startup matures, the CEO should be like a bloodhound, sniffing a trail and setting a strategy for the company. Once the startup is established, you need a husky as a CEO, one with temperament and high-energy for the long haul.