Founder of StrategyBreakdowns.com

TLDR: Worked in strategy consulting → Joined strategy team at Atlassian → Started writing strategy case studies → People liked them, so I left my job and went full-timeCheck it out → StrategyBreakdowns.comFor Partnerships Inquiries → passionfroot.me/strategybreakdowns

Tom Alder

This cheeky ad campaign is a masterclass in making people stop and laugh.

Airport billboards plastered with uncomfortably close faces and... features. 

Imagine touching down after 20hrs of international travel and seeing a 20ft nostril.

You'll probably chuckle, jump in an Uber, and remember that nose for weeks.

This is how you win the attention economy in 2026.

—

📌 P.S. I originally came across this campaign because it was going viral and came up on one of my ‘outlier trend’ dashboards. 

Lots of people asked me how I set this up, so I made a free tutorial teaching you exactly how I spot these trending topics / content / products in a few seconds (using free tools): https://lnkd.in/dnxsxJRm

In 2025 I went from $13k/mo to $24k/mo.

In 2026 I'm chasing $50k.

But honestly, my biggest wins were outside of work:

→ Packed up my cosy life in Australia
→ Donated/sold 90% of my physical possessions
→ One-way flight across the world

I've spent the last few months living in: Manhattan. Brooklyn. Barcelona. A tiny beach town called Torredembarra about an hour south of Barca. Valencia. Granada. Madrid. New York again. And now, East London.

2 years ago this was literally a dream I scribbled in a journal. 

Still feels totally surreal when I stop and think about it.

Thank you for reading this past year.

Let's win in 2026.

Anyone in London - hit me up!

—

👉 P.S. If you enjoyed this post, you'll love my newsletter - a 3-minute breakdown of the strategy playbooks and growth hacks behind the world’s greatest companies.

Join 110,000+ strategy nerds from companies like Google, Meta, Atlassian, and Netflix: https://lnkd.in/g2FWfXGR

The Xbox website in 2004.

Bring back the weird and wonderful web.

—

👉 P.S. If you enjoyed this post, you'll love my newsletter - a 3-minute breakdown of the strategy playbooks and growth hacks behind the world’s greatest companies.

Join 110,000+ strategy nerds from companies like Google, Meta, Atlassian, and Netflix: https://lnkd.in/g2FWfXGR

Summer 2009: Airbnb was stuck at $200 per week (!) in revenue… for 8 months straight.

Founders Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia were running out of money and hope.

When they looked at their worst-performing listings, they all had something in common: "The photos sucked."

People were using flip phone cameras or blurry unedited photos. 

Properties were being undervalued because potential guests couldn't properly assess what they were getting.

The solution: doing something that seemed "unscalable".

The founders:

→ Flew from Mountain View to New York
→ Borrowed professional cameras  
→ Personally photographed 24 hosts' apartments

Result: Revenue doubled to $400 in one week.

This wasn't just about prettier pictures. It solved Airbnb's fundamental marketplace trust problem:

• Guests buying an experience they can't return
• From strangers they've never met
• With no way to verify quality beforehand

Professional photos provided instant credibility, visual proof, and increased perceived value.

The strategy didn’t stop there.

It sparked Airbnb's global Photography Program:
→ Network of 2,000+ freelance photographers
→ 35,000 listings shot across 5,000 cities
→ Listings with pro photos earn 2.5x more bookings

The lesson: Sometimes winning means stop coding and start knocking on doors.

—

💡 If you enjoyed this, it originally appeared in my free 3-minute newsletter, 'Strategy Breakdowns'.

Join 110,000+ strategy nerds from companies like Google, Meta, Atlassian, and Netflix: https://lnkd.in/g2FWfXGR

The value of $1,000 invested 10 years ago:

Amazon (AMZN) → $4,430
Netflix (NFLX) → $5,110
Apple (AAPL) → $8,170
Tesla (TSLA) → $33,630
AMD (AMD) → $123,010
Bitcoin (BTC) → $138,460
Nvidia (NVDA) → $157,870
XRP (Ripple) → $263,160
Dogecoin (DOGE) → $367,590
Ethereum (ETH) → $2,013,020

—

👉 P.S. If you enjoyed this post, you'll love my newsletter - a 3-minute breakdown of the strategy playbooks and growth hacks behind the world’s greatest companies.

Join 110,000+ strategy nerds from companies like Google, Meta, Atlassian, and Netflix: https://lnkd.in/g2FWfXGR

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Founder of Strategy Breakdowns

I'm hiring a writer!

But not just a "writer."

A Superwriter.

Here's how to know if that's you:
→ You're subscribed to like 20+ newsletters
→ You compulsively screenshot great emails, ads, charts etc
→ You can write about complex business concepts in a simple and engaging way
→ You use Claude/Perplexity/Deep Research/Zapier/Notion better than anyone you know

The job: Produce the best strategy case studies on the internet.

Start with 1-2 breakdowns per week.

As a Superwriter, a core part of your role *from Day 1* is building systems, templates, automations, and agents for research, curation, creation, editing, visuals etc.

Note: This role is *not* for you if you don’t know how to (or don’t want to) work with AI/automation to improve your output (more engaging writing, more thorough research, faster graphics, etc)

What you'll get:
- Front-row seat to a fast-growing internet media business
- Work directly with me - I'll teach you everything I know about writing, audience building, sponsorships, and anything else you're interested in
- Freedom to follow your curiosity and shape the role over time
- Access to pro versions of best-in-class tools (Claude, ChatGPT, Notion, Canva, Wispr Flow etc)
- Write + build things that reach hundreds of thousands (sometimes millions) of people in tech
- Fully remote, work from anywhere in the world

If this sounds like you: Job Description + Application in the comments 👇
If this sounds like someone you know: Tag them!

110,803 people read my weekly strategy essays, but I have 2 HUGE problems:

1. They aren't good enough
2. Not enough people read them

So...
✏️ I'm hiring a writer to produce the best strategy case studies on the internet!

→ I don't care about your CV.
→ I care about your screenshots folder.
+ the newsletters / YouTubers / books in your content diet.
+ how many hours you've spent using Deep Research / Claude Code / Nano Banana.

Important note: this isn't an ordinary 'Writer' role.
I'm looking for a 'Superwriter'.

You won't just write. You'll build systems.
AI research workflows. Notion Templates. Infographics. Charts. Surveys.

Exceptionally high quality bar + thinks in leverage.

This starts at 1-2 articles per week. Will grow into much more.
Fully remote. Work from anywhere.
Reach millions of tech founders + leaders each month.

If this sounds like you: Job Description + Application in the comments 👇
If this sounds like someone you know: Tag them!

Steve Jobs tried his best to acquire Dropbox, but couldn’t (and ended up launching a competitor instead).

In 2009, he made them an offer most startups dream about:

9-figure acquisition.
Plug into Apple’s ecosystem.
Direct access to Apple’s users.
Validation from a Silicon Valley icon.

But Dropbox’s founders declined. 

Jobs doubled down, saying it was "a feature, not a product."
He threatened that if they didn’t agree to an acquisition, Apple would “kill” Dropbox by launching their own storage product:
→ iCloud

But he was wrong.

iCloud was a huge success, but wasn’t enough to stop Dropbox’s historic run:

In just 7 months, Dropbox had accumulated 100,000 users.
Within 18 months, 500,000.
By October 2009, they'd crossed 2 million users.

A single mechanism was driving over one-third of all new signups:
→ Their iconic referral program 
(”Invite your friend to receive an extra 10gb of free storage”)

It was so effective that within 6 months, it was generating 2.8 million referral invitations monthly.
1 invitation sent every single second (!)

The trajectory from there went exponential:
→ 50 million users by 2011
→ 100 million users by 2012
→ 500 million users by 2016

In 2017, Dropbox hit a milestone faster than any other software company in the past: $1 billion in ARR.
The referral architecture powering Dropbox's growth combined behavioural psychology, network effects, and incentive design.
There’s something every builder can learn from what is arguably the most successful customer acquisition program in SaaS history, so I've deconstructed the 3x underlying principles into a free guide. 

🎁 Here’s the guide → https://lnkd.in/gc9-ih8J

Happy Monday. I got in a heated debate over the weekend. Help me settle this:

I've been daydreaming about redesigning the Strategy Breakdowns website for at least a year. 

Picture this:
→ An infinite canvas. Every article as a card in a grid. 
→ A new interactive way for readers to explore the archive. 

But it’s always sat in the embarrassingly long “maybe one day” pile.

Recently I came across a tool that let me prototype it in an evening.

It only took about 2 minutes of "aha" moments and "oh damn that's cool" design decisions for me to realise i had to turn my rainy-night-in into a breakdown.

The tool is called Alloy - it captures your existing product and lets you vibe on top of it

Most tools are fighting over hobbyists and side projects, so Alloy carved out its own niche: professional product teams prototyping on existing apps

Lots of clever product-led-growth mechanics and smart user psychology baked into this tool. 

✏️ Check out the full breakdown on your new favourite vibe-coding tool: https://lnkd.in/dudG8b6G  and here’s the interactive prototype I made: https://lnkd.in/dVy8zaX3

i can't stop thinking about how all software looks the same now

in the early 2000s, winamp let users completely redesign the interface

→ alien heads
→ video game themes
→ animated creations

it sparked one of the internet's first user-generated design communities

there's actually a museum preserving 100,000+ skins from that era (link below)

somewhere along the way, we lost something special:
→ the ability to add personality into the tools we use every day

my secret wish is that AI brings back the 'customisation layer'

software that feels yours

—

👉 P.S. If you enjoyed this post, you'll love my newsletter - a 3-minute breakdown of the strategy playbooks and growth hacks behind the world’s greatest companies.

Join 110,000+ strategy nerds from companies like Google, Meta, Atlassian, and Netflix: https://lnkd.in/g2FWfXGR

Software looks the same 

40 years of enterprise software in one chart:

Ownership → subscription → consumption → autonomous 

We're entering an unrecognisable era.
The winners of the next decade will be defined by AI GTM, outcome-based pricing, and the merging of software and services.

We hear a lot about the ‘one-person unicorn’.
A single operator building a billion-dollar company with new business models unlocked by AI.

Im curious - what do you think that business actually *looks* like?
Whats the product? How is it marketed? How does the company operate?

Something I’ve been wondering a lot about lately. Keen to hear your thoughts 💭

—

👉 P.S. If you enjoyed this post, you'll love my newsletter - a 3-minute breakdown of the strategy playbooks and growth hacks behind the world’s greatest companies.

Join 110,000+ strategy nerds from companies like Google, Meta, Atlassian, and Netflix: https://lnkd.in/g2FWfXGR

Eric has been named "CEO of the Year" at the 2019 Business Excellence Forum, one of the "Top 30 Entrepreneurs in the UK", 35 and under, by Startups Magazine, and among "Britain's Most Disruptive Entrepreneurs" by The Telegraph. His work has featured on over 7 major TV stations, in the Wall Street Journal, and The Economist. He has also appeared as a guest judge on The Apprentice.

Over the last 20 years Eric has advised Fortune 50 CEOs while at McKinsey & Company, helped build Skype’s multi-billion dollar success story, founded several companies, and helped scale over 100.

Eric has completed a coaching certification and apprenticeship with Professor BJ Fogg, who leads Stanford University’s Behavior Design Lab. He also continues to research evidence-based studies in psychology, neuroscience, habit change, leadership, and peak performance.

Eric coaches and mentors CEOs and leaders throughout the world, helping them reach peak levels of performance, in both their businesses and lives. He draws from his world-class work experiences, cutting-edge research, and behavioral science from Stanford University - as well as the approaches and techniques used in the worlds of elite sports and the military - areas where peak performance is key.

Today Eric runs his own investment and advisory firm helping clients scale their companies, their leadership, and themselves. Over 100 companies have been advised and/or invested in to date, ranging from pre-revenue to multi-billion-dollar valuations, with 30 active portfolio companies. Sectors include AI, fintech, quantum computing, digital transformation, point-of-sale solutions, online home furnishings, hospitality tech, outsourced employment solutions, and cybersecurity to name a handful.

As a speaker, Eric is well-positioned to speak about peak performance, leadership, and company building. Over the years he has shared stages with Jesse Itzler, Lord Alan Sugar, Bear Grylls, Stedman Graham, Double Gold Olympic Champion Kelly Holmes, and Stephen M.R. Covey, to name a few.

Eric is also the author of the Amazon best-seller "The 3 Alarms" and is currently working on his next book with Dr. Christian Poensgen.

He also writes Peak Performance Insights - the newsletter that provides ultra-practical tips for business, leadership, and self-mastery.

Learn more at www.EricPartaker.com and join a growing community of over 235,000 people.

Eric Partaker

The CEO Coach | CEO of the Year '19 | McKinsey, Skype | Author | Follow for posts about business, leadership & self-mastery.

Founder & CEO

A private investment and advisory firm helping ambitious entrepreneurs scale their companies, their leadership, and themselves.

Some KPIs take years to reveal their true impact.

When we talk about leaving a legacy,
we often focus on the numbers.

But there’s something even more enduring:

How you make people feel.

6 ways to leave an impact that lasts beyond your title:

1. Show Up Authentically

When you genuinely care about your people,
they notice.

Small gestures of kindness add up,
leaving lasting impressions that shape careers.

2. Listen With Intent

Take the time to truly understand their challenges,
aspirations, and fears.

Sometimes, the most powerful thing you can do
is to simply be fully present.

3. Invest in Their Growth

Help people see opportunities they never
thought possible.

Guide them toward challenges that expand
their potential.

4. Have Their Back

Stand by your team when things get tough.

Long after the storm passes,
they’ll remember who was in their corner.

5. Lead with Empathy

Everyone is fighting battles you don’t see.

A single moment of compassion
can alter the course of someone’s journey.

6. Create Ripple Effects

Kind leadership inspires more kind leadership.

The way you lead today shapes how your team
will lead others in the future.

The truth is...

Metrics fade, but the impact you leave on people multiplies.

Years from now, your team won’t recall
quarterly targets or project deadlines.

They’ll remember how you made them feel valued, 
supported, and capable of more than they imagined.

Be the CEO they’ll still talk about a decade from now.

The one you wish you had.

♻️ Repost to inspire a CEO in your network.
💡 Follow Eric Partaker for more on inclusive leadership.

Want PDFs of 100+ leadership resources?
Get them free: https://lnkd.in/e8A_b7wi

Quote Credit: Jessica Luna

Culture isn't words on your website.
It's how your people feel on their way to work.

Every company says they value people.

But when your "top performer" is toxic, do you fire them?
When your favorite employee underperforms, do you hold them accountable?

That's where culture lives or dies.

Your team sees everything.

They see who gets promoted.
They see who gets away with bad behavior.
They see whether speaking up leads to change—or punishment.

You can't fake this.

Culture is the sum of your daily choices:

Who you protect.
Who you reward.
What you tolerate.

The moment you compromise your values for convenience or revenue?

You send a message louder than any motivational speech or company-wide email.

Your team doesn't need another culture deck.

They need leaders willing to make the hard calls.

Even when it hurts.

What’s the #1 culture killer you’ve seen?

♻ Repost to help your network.
And follow Eric Partaker for more.

📌 Want 100+ free cheat sheets + leadership resources?
Get them here: https://lnkd.in/eY_j4n5R

Replacing someone costs 2x their salary.

Still think retention isn't worth the investment?

Too many leaders learn this the hard way.

High turnover isn't bad luck.
It's a leadership problem.

And the cost of losing great people?

It's not just the recruitment fees.

It's the:

→ Broken trust
→ Lost momentum
→ Impact on team morale
→ Knowledge walking out the door

Ping pong tables won't fix this.

Neither will pizza Fridays.

But these 5 things will:

1. Pay what they’re worth, not what you can get away with
Be transparent. Be competitive.
Match compensation to value.

2. Give recognition often
A simple "thank you" costs nothing.
But it means everything.

3. Be flexible
Trust people to work how they work best.
Results matter more than hours logged.

4. Invest in your team
Help people learn and move forward.
Even if it means they outgrow you..

5. Give them a voice
Collecting feedback you ignore?
That's worse than not asking.

People don't leave companies.
They leave leaders who made them feel invisible.

Retention isn't about keeping people trapped.
It's about creating a place worth staying.

♻ Repost to help your network.
And follow Eric Partaker for more.

📌 Want my 100+ free leadership cheat sheets?
Get them here: https://lnkd.in/ex2kRmHJ

The #1 thing that separates the best CEOs from the rest:

It's not their vision.
It's not their strategy.
It's not even their intelligence.

It's 6 decisions they make every single day.

Most people think being a CEO is about the big moves.

The acquisitions.
The product launches.
The inspiring speeches.

I used to think that too.

But after years of leading teams, I've learned the truth:

Your company is shaped by the small decisions you make repeatedly.

Not the ones that make headlines.

The ones nobody sees.

Here are the 6 that matter most:

1️⃣ Who you hire

One wrong hire drains everyone around them. One right hire elevates the entire team. No decision compounds faster than this one.

2️⃣ Who you fire

Keeping the wrong person is a decision too. Every day you wait, your best people are watching. And wondering why.

3️⃣ What you tolerate

Low standards spread like wildfire. What you accept today becomes normal tomorrow. Culture isn't built by what you say. It's built by what you allow.

4️⃣ What you say no to

Every yes costs you something. Strategy isn't just what you choose to do. It's what you choose NOT to do. Protect your focus like your future depends on it.

5️⃣ Where you spend your time

Your calendar never lies. It reveals your real priorities. If it doesn't match your goals, nothing else will.

6️⃣ Who you are when things get tough

Pressure doesn't build character. It reveals it. Your team will forget the wins. They'll never forget how you made them feel in the hard times.

You're already making these decisions.

Whether you realize it or not.

Every person you keep is a decision.

Every meeting you attend is a decision.

Every behavior you tolerate is a decision.

The question isn't whether you're making them.

It's whether you're making them on purpose.

The best CEOs don't leave these to chance.

They treat them as sacred.

Because they know the truth:

Your company will never outgrow the standards you set at the top.

Which of these defines a CEO's legacy most?

♻ If this resonates, repost to inspire others.
And follow Eric Partaker for more on leadership.

—

📢 Want to Become a World-Class CEO?

Our next cohort of The Founder & CEO Accelerator
starts January 21st.

Join a powerful network of 50+ CEOs
who've already signed up.

LIMITED spaces available.
Learn more & apply now:
https://lnkd.in/exvGAfPy

Most leaders undermine themselves without realizing it.
It happens in every email they send.

I've coached 100s of CEOs who wonder why their emails get ignored.

The pattern is clear:

They write like they're asking for permission instead of leading.

And when this shows up consistently, 
it rarely causes issues with communication alone.

It’s reflective of a larger leadership and scale problem.

When a CEO’s language lacks clarity or conviction, 
the business slows down — decisions stall, priorities blur, 
and everything still funnels back to the founder.

I’ll be breaking this down in my upcoming FREE LIVE masterclass, where I’ll show you
how to scale your company by upgrading how you lead, communicate, and create clarity so the business can move forward without you.

Save your spot here: https://lnkd.in/ei-py_Yr

With that said, here’s how weak leaders communicate:

❌ "Let me know if this works for you..."
❌ "I think there might be an issue..."
❌ "Hope this email finds you well..."
❌ "I was just wondering if maybe..."
❌ "Whenever you get a chance..."
❌ "Just following up again..."
❌ "Does that make sense?"
❌ "Sorry to bother you..."
❌ "I'll try to get it done..."
❌ "I'm no expert, but..."
❌ "Sorry for the delay!"
❌ "I hate to ask, but..."

These phrases scream uncertainty.

They make recipients think your message isn't worth their time.

Great leaders write differently:

✅ "I need your help with this."
✅ "I'll have this to you by 3pm."
✅ "Can you confirm by Friday?"
✅ "Thank you for your patience."
✅ "I need your expertise on this."
✅ "Have you had time to review?"
✅ "What questions do you have?"
✅ "This needs attention by [date]."
✅ "I've identified a problem with..."
✅ "Hi Sarah, I'm reaching out about..."
✅ "Based on the data, I recommend..."
✅ "Please confirm you can meet this deadline."

Notice the difference?

Clear expectations. 
Direct language. 
Zero apologies.

This isn't about being harsh.
It's about being clear.

When you water down your language, people assume:

Your request isn't important.
You're not confident in your ask.
They can deprioritize your email.

But when you write with conviction:

People respond faster
Decisions happen quicker
Your ideas carry more weight

The most successful leaders I know don't write longer emails.
They write clearer ones.

They don't use more words.
They use better ones.

Your communication style is your leadership brand.
And every weak phrase dilutes it.

So starting today, lead with clarity.

Write like the leader you are.

Watch how quickly things change.

♻️ Repost to help a leader in your network.
Follow Eric Partaker for more communication insights.

—

📌 Want a PDF of my Email Cheat Sheet?

Get it free, plus 100+ tools & frameworks 
to help you lead confidently & scale faster: 

https://lnkd.in/gXhxGDJQ

Someone dumber than you is winning.

Because they started.
Because they jumped.

Let that sink in.

Every founder says they’re waiting to “get it right.”

But the ones who win?

They do this instead:

➟ Move before they feel ready
➟ Launch before it’s perfect
➟ Adjust after they’ve learned

Success loves speed.

Not because you rushed.

Because you:

↳ Tried
↳↳ Failed
↳↳↳ Learned
↳↳↳↳ Adapted

You don’t get clarity before you leap.
You get it because you did.

Every breakthrough starts the same way:
🧠 Less thinking
🚀 More doing

Here’s the truth no one tells you:

➟ That perfect plan you’re working on? It’s stalling you.
➟ That smarter competitor? Still whiteboarding.
 
Meanwhile...
Someone with 1/2 your talent is 10 steps ahead.

Because they acted.
And you waited.

So if you needed a sign?

This is it.
Jump.

Before the window closes.
Before someone else does it first.
Before you waste another quarter chasing certainty
instead of building momentum.

Action > Perfection.
Every time.

P.S. What’s one thing you’ve been overthinking
instead of doing?

♻️ Repost to help someone in your network.
💡 Follow Eric Partaker for more on business scaling.

—

📢 Want to Become a World-Class CEO?

Our next cohort of The Founder & CEO Accelerator
starts January 21st.

Join a powerful network of 50+ CEOs
who've already signed up.

LIMITED spaces available.
Learn more & apply now:
https://lnkd.in/edyDXEhz

—

Want a Preview First?

I’m hosting FREE workshops this week:

1. How to Successfully Scale Your Company
& Become a World-Class Leader

Wed, Jan 7th 10:00am Eastern / 15:00 UK
https://lnkd.in/eGKmRNyc

2. The SCALE Workshop™

Thu, Jan 8th 11:00am Eastern / 16:00 UK
https://lnkd.in/ew5cKDyJ

3. 7 Steps to Become a Super Productive CEO

Fri, Jan 9th 10:00am Eastern / 15:00 UK
https://lnkd.in/eN3hyQBU

I thought I was ready to be a CEO.

(I wasn't even close.)

The title felt like an arrival.

It was actually just the beginning.

Everything I thought I knew about leadership?

Too slow.
Too soft.
Too late.

I learned more in my 1st year than
the previous decade combined.

Most of it the hard way.

Here's what I wish someone told me earlier:

1️⃣ Your title buys you one chance.
After that, trust is earned in drops and lost in buckets. People follow trust, not titles.

2️⃣ You report to everyone now.
Your team. Your customers. Your board. Leadership is service, not power.

3️⃣ Your energy infects the entire company.
Bad mood? They feel it. Stressed? It spreads. Manage yourself before you manage anyone else.

4️⃣ The best people need the least managing.
If you're constantly hovering, you hired wrong. Give context, not control.

5️⃣ Clarity beats charisma every time.
People don't need inspiration. They need direction. What. Why. When.

6️⃣ Your weaknesses are public property.
Everyone already knows. Stop hiding them. Own them. Build around them.

7️⃣ When things go wrong, look in the mirror.
Not at your team. Not at the market. You. That's where solutions begin.

The hardest part of becoming a CEO?

Unlearning everything that got you there.

The skills that made you successful before
will fail you now.

You don't need to be the smartest
in the room anymore.

You need to build the room.

And that takes a different kind of strength.

One most of us learn too late.

Which of these hit home for you?

♻ Repost to help a CEO in your network.
Follow Eric Partaker for more on leadership.

—

📢 Want to Become a World-Class CEO?

Our next cohort of The Founder & CEO Accelerator
starts January 21st.

Join a powerful network of 50+ CEOs
who've already signed up.

LIMITED spaces available.
Learn more & apply now:
https://lnkd.in/ey_TnYDn

—

Want a Preview First?

I’m hosting FREE workshops this week:
(Register at link above)

1. How to Successfully Scale Your Company
& Become a World-Class Leader

Wed, Jan 7th 10:00am Eastern / 15:00 UK
https://lnkd.in/enFr-qUt

2. The SCALE Workshop™

Thu, Jan 8th 11:00am Eastern / 16:00 UK
https://lnkd.in/e4PnCHjh

3. 7 Steps to Become a Super Productive CEO

Fri, Jan 9th 10:00am Eastern / 15:00 UK
https://lnkd.in/e5bRHyEj

Choose carefully.

The ones closest to you…

Can either lift you up
or drag you down.

It’s not about:

How many people you know.
How long you’ve known them.

What you need to be asking is:

✅ Do they inspire me to aim higher?
✅ Do they celebrate my wins like their own?
✅ Do they challenge me to become my best self?

Because life is too short…

… And your time and energy, too precious.

So, say “no” to being:

In the wrong room.
With the wrong people.
Around the wrong kind of energy.

Build a circle that champions you, 
just as you would champion them.

Have you ever had to cut ties with someone?
Let me know in the comments.

♻ Repost to help your network.
And follow Eric Partaker for more.

📌 Want 100+ free leadership resources?
Get them here: https://lnkd.in/dF-VwKqi

90% of CEOs can't explain their strategy in 1 sentence.
The other 10% own their markets.
Which are you?

The distinction is simple:

Strategy asks "Why are we here?"
Plans ask "What's next on the list?"

Strategy defines your competitive edge.
Plans define Tuesday's meeting agenda.

Strategy stays stable for years.
Plans change every quarter (or week).

I've watched too many founders confuse motion with progress.

They've got Gantt charts.
Roadmaps.
90-day sprints.
KPIs tracking everything.

But ask them their strategy?

Silence.

Or worse: "Our strategy is to grow 50% this year."

That's not a strategy.
That's a hope with a number attached.

Remember Blockbuster? Perfect execution. Detailed plans. Dead company.
Netflix? Clear strategy. Market domination.

Real strategy example:
"Become the only CRM that connects directly to factory floors, targeting mid-size manufacturers who've been ignored by Salesforce."

That's direction. That's choice.
That's saying no to 99% of opportunities.

The plan supports it:
Q1: Interview 50 manufacturing CTOs
Q2: Build direct PLC integration
Q3: Launch with 3 pilot customers
Q4: Refine and scale to 20

See the difference?

Strategy is your theory of how to win.
Plans are your roadmap to get there.

When you nail strategy first:
✓ Every decision gets easier
✓ Your team moves faster
✓ Resources stop getting wasted
✓ You actually know what success looks like

When you skip strategy and jump to planning:
❌ Everything feels urgent
❌ Priorities shift weekly
❌ Teams work hard but drift apart
❌ You're busy but not building

The uncomfortable truth:
Your competitors with clear strategies are eating your lunch.

While you're perfecting plans, they're winning markets.
While you're tracking tasks, they're taking territory.

Stop planning your way to nowhere.
Start with strategy.
Then plan like hell to get there.

Strategy chooses your battles.
Plans win them.

Your future depends on knowing the difference.

(Post inspired by Jeroen Kraaijenbrink)

♻️ Repost to help a CEO in your network.
Follow Eric Partaker for more strategy insights.

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CEOs who do everything accomplish nothing.

I learned this after sending 117 emails before noon.

I felt like I was "crushing it".

Answering every question.
Approving every decision.
Solving every problem.

My team was happy. My business was stuck.

It took me years to see the truth:
Being indispensable isn't leadership.
It's a bottleneck with a fancy title.

The best CEOs I know share one trait:

They ruthlessly filter what gets their attention.

But most leaders struggle to do it.
It’s not always clear cut.

→ The "urgent" things rarely are
→ Saying no is a strategic decision
→ Your calendar reveals your true priorities

Most CEOs approach their day reactively.

They wake up.
Check their inbox.
And let others dictate their agenda.

The ones who scale flip the script.

They decide in advance what deserves their focus.
And protect it fiercely.

The methods in this cheat sheet changed how I lead:

1/ For your own work, the Eisenhower Matrix stops you confusing urgency with importance.

2/ For your team, the MoSCoW Method creates instant clarity on what actually needs to happen.

3/ For strategic thinking, Warren Buffett's 25/5 Rule forces an uncomfortable truth: your "top 25" priorities are really just 20 distractions in disguise.

Pick ONE method from this sheet.

Apply it for 30 days.

When you’ve mastered it, add another.

Watch your business grow while your hours shrink.

You don't need to work harder.

You need to work on the right things.

♻️ Repost to help a leader escape the busy trap.
=====

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You develop faster with ups and downs in life.

3 ways to skyrocket your growth & development:

1) Step outside the circle.

Draw a circle around yourself.
By design the space is finite.
Step outside the circle and it becomes infinite.

It's more comfortable to stay within the circle,
but your infinite growth potential lies outside of it.

2) Become a feedback magnet.

It's one thing to be "open to feedback."
It's entirely another to actively solicit it.

The former is passive, the latter is active.
Ask those around you how you can improve.
Take charge.

3) Play the "win or learn" game.

At the end of each day, note 3 wins and 3 things you learned.
Focus on progress, not perfection.

Because as Nelson Mandela once famously said,
"I never lose. I either win or learn."

♻ Repost to help your network!
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The best teams I've worked with had 1 thing in common.

(Hint: It's not what you think.) 

❌ It wasn't talent. 
❌ It wasn't funding. 
❌ It wasn't even product-market fit.

It was a culture that turned ordinary people into
extraordinary performers.

Most leaders treat culture like dessert.
Nice to have after the "real work."

But culture IS the real work.

Think of it as a flywheel:
Purpose creates direction →
Processes create clarity →
People create momentum.

Break one link and everything stops.

Quick diagnostic…. which zone is your team in?

🔴 Lost and exhausted (low energy, low clarity) 
🟠 Organized chaos (high energy, low clarity)
🟡 Perfect plans, zero action (high clarity, low energy)
🟢 Unstoppable force (high clarity, high energy)

Most teams are stuck in red or orange. Why?

Because of the #1 culture killer... 
Fear.

Teams become afraid when: 

Speaking up is dangerous.
Challenging ideas feels risky.
"Keeping the peace" kills progress.

To fix it, leaders go first.

✅ Own your mistakes publicly
✅ Make dissent normal
✅ Reward bad news

Values without behaviors are just expensive wall art.

"Innovation" while punishing failure? Empty.
"Move fast" with five approvals? Please.

Convert values into observable behaviors.
Then actually live them.

Hard truth: B-players don't just underperform.
They lower the bar for everyone.

A-players work with A-players or they leave.

You can't build excellence with mediocrity.

So, make feedback flow like water.

✅ Daily
✅ Specific
✅ Immediate

❌ Not annual
❌ Not vague
❌ Not later

Build rituals that compound:

✅ Daily standups that unblock
✅ Weekly wins that energize
✅ Recognition that connects
✅ Retrospectives that improve

Culture isn't soft stuff.

It's the only advantage that can't be copied.

♻️ Repost to help a leader in your network.

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P.S. Want a PDF of my How to Build a High-Performance Culture cheat sheet?
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Instead of hiring more people who'll eventually quit,
figure out why the current ones don't want to stay.

If your best employees are leaving,
it's not a coincidence.

It’s a culture issue.

And culture? That’s leadership’s responsibility.

Talented people don’t just leave for a better paycheck.

They leave when:

— They’re not trusted
— They're micromanaged
— They speak up and get shut down
— They're overworked and undervalued
— They watch bad behavior get rewarded

And here's the kicker:

They won’t tell you they’re unhappy.

They’ll just accept the next offer (and leave quietly).

So if your turnover is trending up, stop asking:
“Why are they leaving?”

Start asking, “What have we allowed to become normal?”

Culture isn't ping pong tables and kombucha on tap.

It’s how you treat people when no one’s watching.

Want to keep your top talent?

— Listen to them
— Invest in their growth
— Lead with transparency
— Give them real ownership
— Hold toxic people accountable

Your best employees want to stay.
Make it easy for them to say yes.

♻ Repost to inspire better leadership.
Follow Eric Partaker for more on healthy culture.

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The strongest teams I know barely talk about being a team.

They're too busy having each other's backs.

Watch them work and you'll notice something special.

No one keeps score. Everyone just shows up.

For each other. Every single day.

Most people think great teams happen because of:

— Shared goals
— Clear processes  
— Regular meetings
— Team activities

But that's just the surface.

Real teams are built on something deeper.

1. Trust that runs both ways:

When someone says "I need help," others don't ask why.

They ask "What do you need?"

2. Respect that shows up daily:

Everyone's voice matters.

From the newest hire to the CEO.

Ideas win. Not titles.

3. Care that goes beyond work:

They know each other's kids' names.

They celebrate personal wins.

They show up during life's hard moments.

💡 How do the best leaders build this?
✓ Model vulnerability first
Share your own struggles. It gives others permission.

✓ Celebrate trust moments
When someone admits a mistake, thank them publicly.

✓ Create psychological safety
Make it safe to disagree, question, and innovate.

✓ Protect the culture fiercely
Address toxic behavior immediately. No exceptions.

✓ Invest in relationships
Make time for real conversations, not just status updates.

The magic happens when your team stops thinking:

"What's in it for me?" and starts thinking:
 "How can I help?"

That shift changes everything.

Because when people truly care for each other, work stops feeling like work.

It feels like building something amazing with people who matter.

P.S. Think of the best team you've ever been part of. What made it special?

—

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90% of companies stall before they’re able to scale.

Not because the market changed.
Not because the team isn’t capable.
And certainly not because they lack vision.

They stall because their operations can’t keep up with their growth.

I’ve seen it over and over.

The CEO is still making too many decisions.
Processes live in people’s heads.
Everyone’s working hard, but execution is inconsistent.

So the team starts spinning.
Firefighting replaces focus.
And big goals turn into reactive checklists.

When that happens, the fix isn’t more hustle.
It’s operational discipline.

But here’s the part most people miss:
Operational excellence isn’t one big change.
It’s a layered process. Built step by step.

You start with standardization.
Create one clear way to do the work. No more “everyone has their own method.”

Then you move to automation.
Eliminate repetitive tasks. Free up time for deeper work.

Next comes measurement.
Track the right numbers. Make them visible. Let the data guide your decisions.

Then, layer in continuous improvement.
Small weekly fixes. Fast iterations. Constant learning.

Only then are you ready for real innovation.
Not chaos disguised as creativity. Bold ideas that stick, scale, and move the business forward.

This isn’t a theory.
It’s how strong, sustainable companies actually scale.
From startups to 8-figure teams, the pattern is the same.

Build the layers in order.
Tighten the engine before you step on the gas.

Save this for when growth gets messy.
Share it with your ops lead.
Use it to make your business run smoother than ever.

Curious... where do you think most teams stall?

♻️ Repost to help a leader in your network.
Follow Eric Partaker for more operating insights.

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Most companies are bleeding cash in 4 spots.

(And don't even know which wound to fix first.)

The brutal reality:

Every dollar leaving your business falls into one of these buckets:

OPERATIONS (OpEx) - The Daily Bleed
↳ Your rent, salaries, software subscriptions
↳ The money that vanishes every month
↳ Cut too deep? Your business stops tomorrow

ASSETS (CapEx) - The Big Bets
↳ That $50K machine, new warehouse, custom software
↳ Spend once, use for years
↳ Get it wrong? You're stuck with expensive mistakes

SALES (RevEx) - The Revenue Tax
↳ Every sale costs you something
↳ Materials, commissions, shipping, processing fees
↳ Ignore this? Profit margins turn into losses

MONEY (FinEx) - The Hidden Killer
↳ Interest on loans, bank fees, credit charges
↳ The cost of using other people's money
↳ Let it grow? It eats your profits alive

Let's look at 2 examples:

Coffee Shop Reality:
• OpEx: $15K/month (rent, barista wages, utilities)
• CapEx: $80K once (espresso machine, renovation)
• RevEx: $3 per cup sold (beans, cup, lid)
• FinEx: $500/month (equipment loan interest)

SaaS Startup Truth:
• OpEx: $50K/month (team, AWS, office)
• CapEx: $200K once (custom platform build)
• RevEx: $20 per customer (payment fees, onboarding)
• FinEx: $2K/month (venture debt interest)

Most founders lump all expenses together.
Then wonder why they can't scale.

But when you separate them?

OpEx → Find your true burn rate
CapEx → Time investments perfectly
RevEx → Price products profitably
FinEx → Optimize capital structure

Crucial insights:

✓ High OpEx? You're not scalable yet
✓ No CapEx? You're not building moats
✓ Rising RevEx? Your unit economics are broken
✓ Climbing FinEx? You're overleveraged

Common traps:

❌ Treating CapEx like OpEx (and vice versa)
❌ Ignoring RevEx when setting prices
❌ Letting FinEx compound silently
❌ Not tracking any of them separately

Watch what happens when you finally see where your money really goes.

Your future self will thank you.
Your investors will respect you.
Your business will actually scale.

Stop managing "expenses."
Start managing OpEx, CapEx, RevEx, and FinEx.

That's how you build something that lasts.

♻️ Repost to help a founder in your network.
Follow Eric Partaker for more financial insights.

====

📢 Want to Become a World-Class CEO?

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“Strategy” is doing too much heavy lifting.

It’s become a catch-all phrase for:

Goals
Vision
Tactics
Planning
Execution

That’s a problem.

Because when everything is strategy,
nothing gets executed with precision.

To lead with clarity (and scale without chaos),
you need to separate the layers:

🔵 Strategic planning
Sets the long-term direction.
Clarifies your competitive position.
Defines what you’ll say no to.

🟡 Tactical planning
Translates strategy into focused initiatives.
Aligns teams around shared milestones.
Bridges vision and execution.

🔴 Operational planning
Drives day-to-day execution.
Turns strategy into actions, habits, and output.
Keeps teams moving in sync.

Most companies blend all 3 into 1 bloated “strategy doc.”

The result?

– Teams are unclear on priorities
– Projects run in parallel but not in alignment
– Daily tasks don’t ladder up to big goals

When you separate these layers, everything changes.

✓ Strategy stops being theoretical
✓ Tactical plans gain real teeth
✓ Operations finally move the needle

This is how great companies scale:

They set direction at the top,
Build a bridge in the middle,
And execute relentlessly at the bottom.

Your leadership team doesn’t need more tasks.

They need clarity on what level they’re
operating at. And why it matters.

If you want faster decisions, tighter focus,
and better execution…

start by separating your planning layers.

Strategy sets the destination.
Tactics chart the course.
Operations drive the car.

Alignment lives here.

♻️ Repost to help a CEO in your network.
Follow Eric Partaker for more strategy insights.

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I’m hosting FREE workshops this week:

1. The SCALE Workshop™

TODAY, Jan 8th 11:00am Eastern / 16:00 UK
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2. 7 Steps to Become a Super Productive CEO

Fri, Jan 9th 10:00am Eastern / 15:00 UK
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95% of companies are stuck in Chaos.
4% make it to Optimization. 
1% ever reach true Innovation.

Why?
Because most mistake activity for progress.

I see it all the time.

CEOs spinning their wheels in perpetual crisis mode.

"We'll implement AI next quarter."
"We need better dashboards."
"Let's automate everything."

Wrong.

You can't automate chaos.

The brutal truth…
Most companies try to skip stages.

They want the sexy stuff:

➟ AI
➟ Automation
➟ Predictive analytics

But if your foundation is broken, none of that matters.

You can’t build a skyscraper on quicksand.

You have to build stage by stage:

Stage 1 - Chaos:
↳ You're firefighting daily.
↳ Every problem feels urgent.
↳ Your team is burned out from rework and constant pivots.

Stage 2 - Standardization:
↳ You create repeatable processes.
↳ Document everything.
↳ Train your people.
↳ Build the foundation.

Stage 3 - Optimization:
↳ Now you eliminate waste.
↳ Find bottlenecks.
↳ Perfect your systems through data and testing.

Stage 4 - Automation:
↳ Technology does the heavy lifting.
↳ But only because you've standardized first.

Stage 5 - Innovation:
↳ Operations become your competitive advantage.
↳ You're not just running a business.
↳ You're creating breakthroughs.

The companies that reach Stage 5?

They print money while their competitors drown in busywork.

Think:
✅ Toyota vs. failed car startups
✅ Amazon vs. traditional retail
✅ Netflix vs. Blockbuster

It’s not luck. It’s execution.

Skip a stage, and it all falls apart.

I’ve watched brilliant founders fail because they couldn’t execute.

I’ve seen average ideas dominate, because the operators were world-class.

Your next breakthrough isn’t a feature.
It’s mastering the stage you’re in.

Stop chasing shiny objects.
Start building operational excellence.

The companies that survive the next decade won't be the ones with the best ideas.

They'll be the ones that execute flawlessly.

♻ Repost to help a leader in your network.
Follow Eric Partaker for more operational insights.
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I used to feel stuck in life. Like I had hit a plateau.

3 strategies to accelerate your development:

Strategy 1: Step Outside the Circle

Close your eyes and draw a circle around yourself. Now, imagine that you can only move within the area of the circle. How do you feel? Limited? Restrained? Trapped?

The circle represents your comfort zone. It's a finite space. Step outside of it and the space becomes infinite.

It’s in this infinite space that you discover your true potential. It’s where your infinite growth lies.

Strategy 2: Become a Feedback Magnet

Being open to feedback is good. Actively seeking it is better.

By being proactive, you show your commitment to self-improvement. And excelling at anything starts with committing yourself to it.

Strategy 3: Play the "Win or Learn" Game Daily

At the end of each day, reflect on three wins and three lessons learned. This practice shifts your focus from perfection to progress.

Celebrating your wins keeps you going. Learning from your mistakes keeps you going on the right track.

As Nelson Mandela said: 
"I never lose. I either win or learn."

And if the place you’re at currently doesn’t 
give you the opportunity to do this….

Leave.

Because growth is hard.

Change is hard.

But there is nothing harder than staying
somewhere you don’t belong.

Agree? Disagree?
Let me know in the comments.

♻ Repost to help your network.
And follow Eric Partaker for more.

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Join a powerful network of 50+ CEOs
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Last few days to join.

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1. How to Successfully Scale Your Company
& Become a World-Class Leader

Today, Jan 15th at 11am ET / 4pm UK

2. How to Accelerate Sales Growth
For Your Business

Fri, Jan 16th at 10am ET / 3pm UK

Most teams aren’t misaligned.

They’re just working off 9 different strategies.

Every exec sees the business from a different angle.

And when everyone's rowing in their own direction,
the boat spins in circles.

Fix that with clarity.

Start here:

1. Purpose – Why do we exist?
  → One simple line. Focused on impact.

2. Vision – Where are we going?
  → Think 3–5 years out. Make it bold, measurable,
  and worth chasing.

3. Advantage – Why will we win?
  → Define your edge. Protect what others can’t copy.

4. Execution – How will we move?
  → Focus on 3 key moves. Assign owners.
  Check progress weekly.

5. Metrics – How will we know?
  → Pick 4 numbers that track money, growth,
  customer success, and love.

Alignment isn’t a 50-slide deck.

It’s a 1-page playbook your whole team can run with.

No fluff. Just clarity, focus, and speed.

That’s how real strategy gets done.

♻ Repost to help a CEO in your network.

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Join a powerful network of 50+ CEOs
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