10 Reasons CEOs Need Morgo’s CEO Leadership Program
By Alex Black, CEO of AD Instruments
As the CEO of a New Zealand tech company, we face daily challenges that test our resilience, leadership, and decision-making. It is often new territory and as a CEO it can be difficult to identify what you don’t know - or be able to stand back and put a different lens on what we’re doing to improve on it.
In 2023 I embraced the opportunity to attend Morgo’s CEO Leadership Program and in 2024 I joined in the Alumni Program. I reflected at the end of this how everyone on the program is now better equipped to lead their organisations forward. There was real value in the teachings from Dr Jana Matthews, the insights from Jenny Morel (and other tech entrepreneurs) and huge value in the experiences we shared as a cohort of CEOs on this journey together.
I thought it would be helpful for others to understand some of what they would learn from the program and why it is an investment in you - and your business – that's worth making.
10 Key Learnings from the Morgo CEO Leadership Program
1. Getting Comfortable with Making Hard Decisions and Getting Things Wrong
As a CEO, the expectation to make the right decision all of the time is ever-present—but striving for perfection can be counterproductive. Roger Federer encapsulates this sentiment in his 2024 Dartmouth Commencement Speech when he states, "Perfection is often the enemy of progress." Reflecting on his career, Federer highlights that out of 1,526 singles matches, he won nearly 80% of them but only secured 54% of the points played. This insight reveals that even the best athletes barely win more than half of the points they play.
It’s also important to understand that there is no absolute truth in decision-making; instead, decisions are viewed through various lenses. Different stakeholders—whether customers, advisors, or team members—bring their unique perspectives, leading to diverse judgments of the same decision. As a CEO, you possess the comprehensive viewpoint necessary to navigate these differing opinions, synthesizing insights from all sides to make informed choices.
Ultimately, making tough decisions is an inherent part of the CEO role. As Ben Horowitz notes in The Hard Thing About Hard Things, "By far the most difficult skill I learned as a CEO was the ability to manage my own psychology." Similarly, Dr. Jana Matthews refers to it as "Managing Me." Leadership demands the courage to make decisions, even when they are unpopular, and the resilience to withstand and reflect on criticism. Embracing the inevitability of making hard choices and accepting that not every decision will be perfect is crucial for effective leadership.
2. Building Resilience Through Hardship and Sharing
Listening to the group’s stories of restructuring, acquisitions, and major disruptions to business reinforced the value of resilience. Despite the challenges, everyone in the cohort carried on without complaint. Everyone was able to share their stories in a matter-of-fact way, but I could tell how hard the year had been for many in the group. Sharing these challenges highlights the importance of peer support throughout the program - a problem shared is truly a problem halved.
3. Mastering Delegation (and Hiring)
Effective delegation is crucial for leadership, and Dr. Jana Matthews’ "Five Levels of Delegation" offers a valuable framework. These levels range from assigning simple tasks to granting full autonomy, allowing you to tailor your approach based on each team member’s strengths and experience. By focusing on the level of delegation in relation to a task or project rather than the individual, you can build trust and coach your team.
Mastering delegation is closely linked to hiring exceptional executives. Bringing on skilled leaders like a COO or CRO enables you to delegate confidently, knowing that key areas of your business are in capable hands. Exceptional hires not only take ownership of their roles but also enhance overall team performance and drive growth.
4. The Risk of Staying the Same
The status quo is not risk-free. While we often fixate on the risks of change, we must also weigh the hidden risks of not changing. Inaction can be more dangerous than bold, calculated moves.
5. The Fine Line Between Profit and Loss
This year (2024), many of us saw firsthand how small changes in revenue, margins, or costs can tip the scales. It highlighted the importance of sensitivity analysis, which helps you understand how small changes in key financial inputs impact outcomes. This led to a more in-depth look at understanding the operating leverage managing these small changes can have.
6. Communication is Critical
One of our cohort shared a great practice: after executive meetings, allocate time to decide what to communicate and ensure it’s shared within two hours. They also shared how well written communication can effectively replace traditional all-hands meetings. Clear and consistent communication drives alignment and trust.
7. Building Trust with the Trust Equation
We also shared the trust equation: Trust = (Credibility: how knowledgeable and trustworthy you are, + Reliability: how consistent and dependable your actions are, + Intimacy: the strength of the personal connection you share, / Self-Orientation: the degree to which you prioritize others over your own interests). It gave us a valuable framework for building trust within teams.
8. Problem-Solving with First Principles
Approaching problems from first principles was a key learning. Breaking them down to their fundamentals (the basic, unchanging truths that underpin a problem or your business) and testing assumptions by validating their accuracy and relevance.
Testing ensures your decisions are based on reality rather than outdated or incorrect beliefs, which you can do through experiments, data analysis, or expert consultations. This method drives better solutions. It’s how the most innovative companies solve challenges.
9. Timing is Crucial for Success
Sometimes it's important to remember there are forces outside of your control and timing is one of the most important factors for success. Bill Gross’ TED Talk underscored timing as the critical factor in startup success. While execution, team, and ideas are important, striking at the right moment can make or break an opportunity. Watch here >
It also highlighted that indecision is costly. Another CEO in our cohort shared a powerful rule: if you’ve deeply thought about something more than three times, you need to make a decision. Speed, even with imperfect information, often trumps delay.
10. Fewer Choices, Greater Clarity
Decision fatigue is real. We learnt how to develop clarity and focus through limiting choices. Writing down your options and quickly eliminating most of them really helps and so does using tools like decision trees for rapidly narrowing options.
So, there you have it. Just a small taste of the learnings we had as part of the CEO Leadership Program. No matter where your company is in its journey there are lessons there for us all to learn.
The Morgo CEO Leadership Program
This is a nine-month program involving in person sessions where the core content is taught, one-to-one online coaching, attendance at MORGO, and a trip to San Francisco to see what scale and speed look like.
For the people who have been through the program, there is an Alumni Program – several catch ups during the year and attendance at MORGO. A great way to keep the learning going.
