0/ After talking to 200+ founders this year about operating through COVID, @schlaf and I coined a term we hope catches on in 2021:

“Human-Centric CEO.”

We think this philosophy can drive 10x impact for leadership in organizations.

Let’s dig in to the what, why and how

1/ One of the most commonly cited management think pieces for operating through crisis is “Peacetime - Wartime CEO” by @bhorowitz. And for good reason, it's a philosophy for companies to survive, reinvent and ultimately win when macroeconomic environments shift.

2/ In most of the conversations we’ve had with Founders, we hear frequent allusion to this framework to help navigate the landscape. We’ve even used it over the past year.

But while helpful, it's incomplete. And it's application can lead to deeply problematic outcomes.

3/ At a tactical level, it can change a company for the worse. A wartime CEO, as @bhorowitz notes, is “completely intolerant, rarely speaks in normal tone, uses profanity purposefully, heightens contradictions, and neither indulges consensus building nor tolerates disagreements.”

4/ In practice, this aligns with the Steve Jobs trope: "To change the world like Jobs, I need to be a jerk."

Classic logical fallacy many Founders have learned the hard way - being tough like Jobs does not equate to changing the world like he did.

5/ Each company is driven by its own unique culture and values — in a crisis situation, while it is important to be adept and agile, it’s equally, if not more important, to triple down on the strongest elements of your culture established pre-crisis.

6/ Many of the strongest founders/CEOs are uniquely world-class in their patience and tolerance, their ability to make the abnormal normal and their commitment to inspire with clarity. It is the adherence to these principles that help carry their companies to new heights.

7/ We need a new framework. Being firm, decisive and staring down an existential crisis is not mutually exclusive with applying empathy, gratitude and generosity. You can be intense and laser-focused without losing yourself or fundamentally changing the culture of your company.

8/ We know dozens of leaders who are leading while staying committed to the foundation they have spent years building. They are leading with their values and will be remembered for how they carried themselves, treated employees and guided the company through its evolution.

9/ Now is the right time to retire the false dilemma of peacetime CEO or wartime CEO and empower the rise of the human-centric CEO.

So what is a human centric CEO?

Here are three starter categories of qualities we've seen in the best leaders in our portfolios:

10/ Focus on what you can control

- Balance needs of organization, employees, customers and stakeholders

- Orient around decisive and bold decisions rather than micro maneuvers that damage and erode trust

- Triple down on how you hire, coach, train, incentivize and retain

11/ Focus on Communication

- Repeatedly reiterate mission and vision

- Distill challenges, strategies and tactics to reduce noise and increase focus

- Articulate expectations with clarity to avoid uncertainty and achieve alignment

- Invest the time to go deep with employees

12/ Focus on Self

- Develop self-awareness and inner resilience to weather the emotional ups and downs

- Listen intensely and empathetically with full self - ears, eyes, intuition

- Take out time for self care to serve others and lead most effectively

13/ We just went through a year that has left many of us with emotional scar tissue that'll take a long time to recover from. As eternal optimists, we see opportunity in this crisis to propagate community, resourcefulness and generosity. Hopefully we can rise up to the challenge.

14/ Thanks to all the amazing Founders we know that carry these qualities - @rubenharris, @shaanh, @benspringwater, @mrsrobinson_a, @sm, @martyrdison, @jjeremycai are just a few that come top of mind. You're pushing the humanity in our industry / world forward.

Onwards for 2021!