466aa13a7b
* feat: C-Suite expansion — 8 new executive advisory roles Add COO, CPO, CMO, CFO, CRO, CISO, CHRO advisors and Executive Mentor. Expands C-level advisory from 2 to 10 roles with 74 total files. Each role includes: - SKILL.md (lean, <5KB, ~1200 tokens for context efficiency) - Reference docs (loaded on demand, not at startup) - Python analysis scripts (stdlib only, runnable CLI) Executive Mentor features /em: slash commands (challenge, board-prep, hard-call, stress-test, postmortem) with devil's advocate agent. 21 Python tools, 24 reference frameworks, 28,379 total lines. All SKILL.md files combined: ~17K tokens (8.5% of 200K context window). Badge: 88 → 116 skills * feat: C-Suite orchestration layer + 18 complementary skills ORCHESTRATION (new): - cs-onboard: Founder interview → company-context.md - chief-of-staff: Routing, synthesis, inter-agent orchestration - board-meeting: 6-phase multi-agent deliberation protocol - decision-logger: Two-layer memory (raw transcripts + approved decisions) - agent-protocol: Inter-agent invocation with loop prevention - context-engine: Company context loading + anonymization CROSS-CUTTING CAPABILITIES (new): - board-deck-builder: Board/investor update assembly - scenario-war-room: Cascading multi-variable what-if modeling - competitive-intel: Systematic competitor tracking + battlecards - org-health-diagnostic: Cross-functional health scoring (8 dimensions) - ma-playbook: M&A strategy (acquiring + being acquired) - intl-expansion: International market entry frameworks CULTURE & COLLABORATION (new): - culture-architect: Values → behaviors, culture code, health assessment - company-os: EOS/Scaling Up operating system selection + implementation - founder-coach: Founder development, delegation, blind spots - strategic-alignment: Strategy cascade, silo detection, alignment scoring - change-management: ADKAR-based change rollout framework - internal-narrative: One story across employees/investors/customers UPGRADES TO EXISTING ROLES: - All 10 roles get reasoning technique directives - All 10 roles get company-context.md integration - All 10 roles get board meeting isolation rules - CEO gets stage-adaptive temporal horizons (seed→C) Key design decisions: - Two-layer memory prevents hallucinated consensus from rejected ideas - Phase 2 isolation: agents think independently before cross-examination - Executive Mentor (The Critic) sees all perspectives, others don't - 25 Python tools total (stdlib only, no dependencies) 52 new files, 10 modified, 10,862 new lines. Total C-suite ecosystem: 134 files, 39,131 lines. * fix: connect all dots — Chief of Staff routes to all 28 skills - Added complementary skills registry to routing-matrix.md - Chief of Staff SKILL.md now lists all 28 skills in ecosystem - Added integration tables to scenario-war-room and competitive-intel - Badge: 116 → 134 skills - README: C-Level Advisory count 10 → 28 Quality audit passed: ✅ All 10 roles: company-context, reasoning, isolation, invocation ✅ All 6 phases in board meeting ✅ Two-layer memory with DO_NOT_RESURFACE ✅ Loop prevention (no self-invoke, max depth 2, no circular) ✅ All /em: commands present ✅ All complementary skills cross-reference roles ✅ Chief of Staff routes to every skill in ecosystem * refactor: CEO + CTO advisors upgraded to C-suite parity Both roles now match the structural standard of all new roles: - CEO: 11.7KB → 6.8KB SKILL.md (heavy content stays in references) - CTO: 10KB → 7.2KB SKILL.md (heavy content stays in references) Added to both: - Integration table (who they work with and when) - Key diagnostic questions - Structured metrics dashboard table - Consistent section ordering (Keywords → Quick Start → Responsibilities → Questions → Metrics → Red Flags → Integration → Reasoning → Context) CEO additions: - Stage-adaptive temporal horizons (seed=3m/6m/12m → B+=1y/3y/5y) - Cross-references to culture-architect and board-deck-builder CTO additions: - Key Questions section (7 diagnostic questions) - Structured metrics table (DORA + debt + team + architecture + cost) - Cross-references to all peer roles All 10 roles now pass structural parity: ✅ Keywords ✅ QuickStart ✅ Questions ✅ Metrics ✅ RedFlags ✅ Integration * feat: add proactive triggers + output artifacts to all 10 roles Every C-suite role now specifies: - Proactive Triggers: 'surface these without being asked' — context-driven early warnings that make advisors proactive, not reactive - Output Artifacts: concrete deliverables per request type (what you ask → what you get) CEO: runway alerts, board prep triggers, strategy review nudges CTO: deploy frequency monitoring, tech debt thresholds, bus factor flags COO: blocker detection, scaling threshold warnings, cadence gaps CPO: retention curve monitoring, portfolio dog detection, research gaps CMO: CAC trend monitoring, positioning gaps, budget staleness CFO: runway forecasting, burn multiple alerts, scenario planning gaps CRO: NRR monitoring, pipeline coverage, pricing review triggers CISO: audit overdue alerts, compliance gaps, vendor risk CHRO: retention risk, comp band gaps, org scaling thresholds Executive Mentor: board prep triggers, groupthink detection, hard call surfacing This transforms the C-suite from reactive advisors into proactive partners. * feat: User Communication Standard — structured output for all roles Defines 3 output formats in agent-protocol/SKILL.md: 1. Standard Output: Bottom Line → What → Why → How to Act → Risks → Your Decision 2. Proactive Alert: What I Noticed → Why It Matters → Action → Urgency (🔴🟡⚪) 3. Board Meeting: Decision Required → Perspectives → Agree/Disagree → Critic → Action Items 10 non-negotiable rules: - Bottom line first, always - Results and decisions only (no process narration) - What + Why + How for every finding - Actions have owners and deadlines ('we should consider' is banned) - Decisions framed as options with trade-offs - Founder is the highest authority — roles recommend, founder decides - Risks are concrete (if X → Y, costs $Z) - Max 5 bullets per section - No jargon without explanation - Silence over fabricated updates All 10 roles reference this standard. Chief of Staff enforces it as a quality gate. Board meeting Phase 4 uses the Board Meeting Output format. * feat: Internal Quality Loop — verification before delivery No role presents to the founder without passing verification: Step 1: Self-Verification (every role, every time) - Source attribution: where did each data point come from? - Assumption audit: [VERIFIED] vs [ASSUMED] tags on every finding - Confidence scoring: 🟢 high / 🟡 medium / 🔴 low per finding - Contradiction check against company-context + decision log - 'So what?' test: every finding needs a business consequence Step 2: Peer Verification (cross-functional) - Financial claims → CFO validates math - Revenue projections → CRO validates pipeline backing - Technical feasibility → CTO validates - People/hiring impact → CHRO validates - Skip for single-domain, low-stakes questions Step 3: Critic Pre-Screen (high-stakes only) - Irreversible decisions, >20% runway impact, strategy changes - Executive Mentor finds weakest point before founder sees it - Suspicious consensus triggers mandatory pre-screen Step 4: Course Correction (after founder feedback) - Approve → log + assign actions - Modify → re-verify changed parts - Reject → DO_NOT_RESURFACE + learn why - 30/60/90 day post-decision review Board meeting contributions now require self-verified format with confidence tags and source attribution on every finding. * fix: resolve PR review issues 1, 4, and minor observation Issue 1: c-level-advisor/CLAUDE.md — completely rewritten - Was: 2 skills (CEO, CTO only), dated Nov 2025 - Now: full 28-skill ecosystem map with architecture diagram, all roles/orchestration/cross-cutting/culture skills listed, design decisions, integration with other domains Issue 4: Root CLAUDE.md — updated all stale counts - 87 → 134 skills across all 3 references - C-Level: 2 → 33 (10 roles + 5 mentor commands + 18 complementary) - Tool count: 160+ → 185+ - Reference count: 200+ → 250+ Minor observation: Documented plugin.json convention - Explained in c-level-advisor/CLAUDE.md that only executive-mentor has plugin.json because only it has slash commands (/em: namespace) - Other skills are invoked by name through Chief of Staff or directly Also fixed: README.md 88+ → 134 in two places (first line + skills section) * fix: update all plugin/index registrations for 28-skill C-suite 1. c-level-advisor/.claude-plugin/plugin.json — v2.0.0 - Was: 2 skills, generic description - Now: all 28 skills listed with descriptions, all 25 scripts, namespace 'cs', full ecosystem description 2. .codex/skills-index.json — added 18 complementary skills - Was: 10 roles only - Now: 28 total c-level entries (10 roles + 6 orchestration + 6 cross-cutting + 6 culture) - Each with full description for skill discovery 3. .claude-plugin/marketplace.json — updated c-level-skills entry - Was: generic 2-skill description - Now: v2.0.0, full 28-skill ecosystem description, skills_count: 28, scripts_count: 25 * feat: add root SKILL.md for c-level-advisor ClawHub package --------- Co-authored-by: Leo <leo@openclaw.ai>
8.5 KiB
Leadership Growth Reference
Frameworks for founder and executive leadership development.
1. The 5 Levels of Leadership (Maxwell)
John Maxwell's model describes leadership development as a ladder. Most founders start at Level 2–3 and need to reach Level 4–5 to scale effectively.
| Level | Name | People follow because... | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Position | They have to (title/authority) | "Do this because I'm the CEO" |
| 2 | Permission | They want to (relationship) | People choose to work with you beyond the job requirement |
| 3 | Production | You produce results | Team rallies because you deliver; your track record gives credibility |
| 4 | People Development | You develop others | You're multiplying leaders; your success is measured by others' growth |
| 5 | Pinnacle | Who you are (reputation) | People follow because of what you've built and who you've become |
Most founders are at Level 3. They got here by building and shipping. The path to scaling is Level 4: developing other leaders.
The Level 3 trap: Production-focused founders attract doers, not leaders. They value results over growth. Their teams are effective but dependent. Every decision still goes through the founder.
The Level 4 shift: Measure your success by how well your team succeeds without you. Your job is to make the people around you better.
2. Situational Leadership Model
Ken Blanchard's model says effective leadership style shifts based on the person and the task — not the leader's preference.
Four styles based on the follower's development level:
| Development Level | Competence | Commitment | Leadership Style | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D1 — Enthusiastic Beginner | Low | High | S1: Directing | High direction, low support. Tell them what to do. |
| D2 — Disillusioned Learner | Low/Med | Low | S2: Coaching | High direction + high support. Teach and encourage. |
| D3 — Capable but Cautious | Medium/High | Variable | S3: Supporting | Low direction, high support. Collaborate and encourage. |
| D4 — Self-Reliant Achiever | High | High | S4: Delegating | Low direction, low support. Get out of the way. |
Common founder error: Using the same leadership style with everyone. The founder who directs a D4 will frustrate them into leaving. The founder who delegates to a D1 will watch them fail.
Diagnosis before deciding: Before determining your style, ask for each person + task:
- How much do they know about this specific task? (Not in general — this task.)
- How much do they want to do this specific task?
These answers may surprise you. A senior engineer may be D4 on architecture and D1 on customer calls.
3. The Founder → CEO Transition
The hardest leadership change most founders face, and nobody prepares them for it.
What changes
As a founder, you were judged on:
- What you personally built
- How fast you moved
- Your own output
As a CEO, you're judged on:
- What your team produced
- How effectively you set direction
- The quality of the people around you
The skills that made you a great founder — doing, deciding, building — can actively work against you as a CEO.
The transition phases
Phase 1: Still doing (0–15 people) You're right to be deep in the work. Speed requires it. Your personal output matters. Risk: Staying here too long.
Phase 2: Building around you (15–50 people) You're hiring and starting to delegate. People do work you used to do. Challenge: Learning to trust output that doesn't look like yours. Failure mode: Hiring people and then redoing their work.
Phase 3: Leading through leaders (50–150 people) You no longer know everything happening in the company. That's correct. Challenge: Managing people who manage people — twice removed from the work. Failure mode: Bypassing your managers to go direct (undermines them, creates chaos).
Phase 4: Setting the container (150+ people) Your job is culture, strategy, and the senior leadership team. You're a CEO, not a senior contributor. Challenge: Staying relevant and strategic without getting lost in the weeds. Failure mode: Retreating to execution to feel productive.
The emotional reality
Most founders describe the transition as:
- A loss of identity ("I used to know everything that was happening")
- A loss of control ("Decisions happen without me")
- A loss of clarity ("Was I more effective before?")
These are real losses, not just discomfort. Acknowledge them. Find identity in what the CEO role is, not what the founder role was.
4. Building Your Executive Team
When to hire your first executive
Common question: "When do I need a VP/C-suite?"
Trigger signs:
- The function is failing and you can't fix it by working harder
- You can't attract or develop talent in that function because you lack the expertise
- The function is growing faster than you can lead it
- You're making bad decisions in that domain because you don't have deep knowledge
Order of first executives: Most companies hire in this order, but the right order depends on your archetype and what's breaking:
- First non-founder exec is usually Sales (VP Sales) or Engineering (VP Eng / CTO)
- Then COO/Operations when coordination becomes the bottleneck
- Then Finance (CFO) when fundraising or financial complexity demands it
- Then People/HR when hiring velocity and culture require dedicated ownership
How to onboard executives
The 30-60-90 plan:
- Day 1–30: Listen. Meet everyone. Learn the current state. No major decisions.
- Day 31–60: Diagnose. What's working, what isn't, what's missing. Share findings.
- Day 61–90: Act. Make changes. Start building systems. Establish their leadership presence.
The trust-building sequence: Start with small, visible wins. Let them prove themselves in low-stakes situations before handing over high-stakes decisions.
The founder's role during exec onboarding:
- Provide context generously
- Introduce them with genuine authority ("This is the decision-maker for X — go to them, not me")
- Don't override their decisions publicly
- Give feedback privately, not in front of their team
Failure mode: Hiring a great executive and then making them feel like a senior employee. If you override every major decision, you don't have an executive — you have an expensive advisor.
5. Managing Your Board
The fundamental tension
You work for the board. The board elected you. They can remove you. This is a governance reality, not a threat.
And: You lead the company. The board sets governance and approves major decisions, but they're not running the business day-to-day. You are.
Healthy dynamic: Board holds accountability; CEO holds authority. They're not adversarial — they're complementary.
The founder mistake
Most founders either:
- Over-inform: Share every detail, create noise, invite micro-management
- Under-inform: Share only wins, board is surprised by problems, trust erodes
Neither works. The goal is strategic partnership.
What the board actually needs
- Monthly written update: Financial performance vs plan, key metrics, top 3 issues + proposed solutions, forward-looking risks. 1–2 pages.
- Quarterly board meeting: Strategic discussion, not financial recap. They've read the update. Use the time for decisions and input.
- Real-time alerts: Big bad news before the meeting. Never let board members be surprised by negative news they should have known earlier.
Managing board members individually
Invest in 1:1 relationships with each board member between meetings. Understand what they care about. Use their expertise.
Board members who feel informed and useful are your allies. Board members who feel blindsided or sidelined become difficult.
The pre-meeting call: Before every board meeting, call each member individually. Preview the agenda, surface concerns, align on decisions. The meeting itself should have no surprises.
When the board challenges you
"The board doesn't trust my judgment" is often really: "I haven't given them enough information to trust my judgment."
Fix the transparency gap before assuming it's a political problem.
When the board is actually wrong: Make the case clearly, once, with data. If they override you on something important and you can't accept it, that's a signal about fit. Founders get removed. It happens. Build board relationships before you need them to trust you on a hard call.