Dora Nagy

I have been working with Founders for years, and if I had to pinpoint the single most important trait that the successful ones share, it would be this: They are open to the possibility that they might be wrong. Yes, you need to have the utmost confidence that you will be able to solve a problem. That you will be able to persevere. Even when others tell you that you are crazy. But there is a difference between having healthy confidence vs being delusional: And that’s the

I’ve noticed a pattern over the last couple of years of coaching CEOs: the most all-over-the-place, always busy and the least effective people are the ones geeking out on the latest productivity tool / method / gadget. Productivity p*rn will get you nowhere. It’s simulating the real thing, making you believe you are becoming more productive. You are always hunting for the latest trick, the newest hack that will sort out your life for good, the quick fix that is one subscri

1. We all need a balance between mind / body / soul. Look at your calendar. Do you have things planned that make you healthier, happier and smarter? If not, what can you schedule? 2. The concept of “zone of genius” is great, but sometimes unrealistic (especially at early stage). If you don’t have anyone to delegate important responsibilities to, find a way to produce the 80/20 answer until you are able to bring in the right person. 3. Chasing the latest productivity hack

If you think like a CEO, you become brutally intentional with your time and energy. Pareto’s law says: 80% of outcomes (or outputs) result from 20% of all causes (or inputs) for any given event. Here is how you can apply that to your life: 80% of your stress is caused by 20% of the people in your life Become mindful who you spend time with 20% of all your habits and routines will contribute 80% of the improvement of your overall health Pick those habits wisely and stick

Do I have the right people in the right seat? Right people = they share your values Right seat = they perform at their best and deliver the results you need Do I have clarity on what is the One Thing that I need to nail this year? (and ask this every Jan) 1 BHAG (big hairy audacious goal) is better than 5 Same is true for your OKRs How am I complicit in creating the conditions I say I don't want? (credit to Tim Ferriss for this one) An underperforming employee => you man

Telling an overwhelmed CEO to ‘just delegate more’ is like telling someone with anxiety to ‘just chill out’. For any CEO (or leader) to be able to delegate more and so to scale themselves, some conditions need to exist: A clear set of priorities that are aligned with the overall strategy A strategy to begin with (which is not pretty slides with some big words and numbers on them) A competent exec team fit for the job at the current stage of the company (A-team rather than

As a CEO, when you pick your right-hand person (whether that’s your Chief of Staff, COO, or GM) there are really only 2 options: Pick someone to complement you: in order to balance out your skills, interests and leadership style in order to fill the gaps in the business. Pick someone to amplify you: in order to boost what you are already doing and the way you are doing it a.k.a. your leadership style (=> you hire a ‘mini me’). How do you know which one you need? It start

Chiefs of Staff can be one of the best catalysts behind driving better performance in an organization. But even the best ones cannot make up for the lack of: High-performing CEO High-performing leadership team (A-team vs a bunch of A-players) Thought-through strategy Clear execution plan incl product roadmap and GTM strategy Laser-focus on priorities both at the CEO and team/org level Accountability culture driven by the CEO Feedback culture that builds trust and trans

Having effective 1:1s is probably one of the most underrated things in a manager’s toolkit and as such, one of the first discussions I have with my coachees. There are lots of Do-s and Don’t-s, but if I had to get to the core of what makes a 1:1 great, I would say this: People (regardless of their age, title, experience or expectations) fundamentally want to be heard, understood and appreciated. Once you embrace this, you will make a conscious effort to listen, focus on the i