The Strategy Skills Podcast: Management Consulting | Strategy, Operations & Implementation | Critical Thinking

Rich Hagberg, often referred to as “Silicon Valley’s CEO Whisperer, psychologist and co-author of Founders Keepers, has advised over 1,000 executives and founders. In this conversation, he outlines why most startup leaders fail, and what the data reveals about those who succeed. Some key insights include: “Founders, overwhelmingly, are visionary evangelists… but they’re not particularly good at execution.” Hagberg’s research shows that unsuccessful founders often score low on execution and relationship-building. They resist structure, delay key hires, and react impulsively under stress. “You can change your behavior to some degree, but it’s very hard to change your fundamental personality.” Hagberg encourages founders to identify three to four behaviors they can realistically improve, such as delegation, feedback seeking, and stress management. “You need to go from being a doer to a facilitator of doing.” Scalable leadership requires building teams that complement the founder’s own gaps and letting go of task