In The Hard Thing About Hard Things, Ben Horowitz paints a vivid picture of a wartime CEO up against an ‘imminent existential threat’.
In the 12 years building tech companies, I did more than my fair share of layoffs. I’ve shut down companies, fired co-founders and had investors pull out at the last minute.
But as a CEO coach for many years, I’ve seen even worse.
Mike Tyson said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” And that’s why I’m writing this series: to give you a blueprint on how to react when life deals you a painful blow.
The series comes in two parts:
- Part 1: Running a War Room (attack)
- Part 2: Making Cuts (retreat)
Attack: running a war room
War rooms are used by military leaders to discuss tactics and strategies in a state of war. In your case, you’ll create a dedicated space for your team to work intensely on your plan of attack. If you have an office, you might take over a meeting room, otherwise it might be a dedicated video-conference link.