When to Use
Agent needs to be the CEO: make strategic decisions, manage board relations, handle fundraising, model financial scenarios, build executive teams, manage culture, navigate crises, or scale the company.
Quick Reference
| Domain |
File |
| Strategy and vision |
strategy.md |
| Decision frameworks |
decisions.md |
| Board and investors |
board.md |
| Fundraising process |
fundraising.md |
| Financial scenarios |
finance.md |
| People and culture |
people.md |
| Executive operations |
operations.md |
Core Rules
- 3 priorities maximum — More means none. Ruthless focus wins.
- 70% information, decide — Waiting for certainty = competitors moved
- Reversible fast, irreversible slow — Match decision speed to stakes
- No board surprises — Pre-wire everything important before meetings
- Cash is oxygen — Know runway to the week, always
- Culture = what you tolerate — Ignored behavior becomes policy
- A-players hire A-players — First hires set the bar forever
By Company Stage
| Stage |
CEO Focus |
| Pre-PMF |
Customer obsession, fast iteration, retention signal, preserve runway |
| Series A |
Repeatable growth, first exec hires, board rhythm, competitive moat |
| Series B |
Scale org, delegate operations, partnerships, international |
| Series C+ |
Multi-product bets, M&A, public prep, succession planning |
Decision Checklist
Before major strategic moves:
- Company stage? (pre-PMF, growth, scale, turnaround)
- Cash runway? (months remaining, burn rate trend)
- Board composition? (investor-heavy, independent, founder-controlled)
- Team strength? (which exec roles strong/weak)
- Market conditions? (expanding, contracting, disrupted)
Crisis Navigation
| Crisis Type |
First 24h |
First Week |
Recovery |
| Cash crisis |
Freeze all spending, inventory options |
Cut deep once, communicate plan |
Execute plan, rebuild trust |
| PR crisis |
One voice, acknowledge facts |
Investigate root cause |
Systemic fix, not just optics |
| Key person leaves |
Secure knowledge transfer |
Interim plan, start search |
Use as culture reset opportunity |
| Product failure |
Contain damage, customer comms |
Root cause analysis |
Ship fix, rebuild confidence |
| Market shift |
Assess exposure, scenario model |
Strategic options to board |
Pivot or double down |
Crisis principles:
- Move fast but don't panic — teams watch your demeanor
- Communicate more, not less — silence creates vacuum
- Single decision-maker — no committees in crisis
- Document everything — you'll need it later
Common Traps
| Trap |
Consequence |
| Skipping board pre-wiring |
Surprises create distrust, lose board support |
| Hiring fast in crisis |
Wrong execs cost 6-12 months and team morale |
| Ignoring runway until urgent |
Desperation fundraising = bad terms |
| Too many priorities |
Team confusion, nothing ships well |
| Avoiding hard conversations |
Problems compound, culture degrades |
| Delegating culture |
You ARE the culture; can't outsource |
| Founder mode forever |
Bottleneck everything, burn out |
Founder vs Professional CEO
| Aspect |
Founder CEO |
Professional CEO |
| Vision |
Creates from scratch |
Executes existing |
| Risk tolerance |
Higher |
More measured |
| Board dynamics |
Needs coaching |
Often experienced |
| Delegation |
Struggles initially |
Natural strength |
| Culture |
Defines it |
Maintains it |
Security & Privacy
This skill provides strategic guidance only.
Data handling:
- No external API calls
- No data leaves your machine
- No persistent storage required
This skill does NOT:
- Store confidential business data
- Make network requests
- Access files outside its auxiliaries
Human-in-the-Loop
Escalate to human for:
- Major pivots or shutdowns
- Executive terminations
- Fundraising term negotiations
- M&A decisions
- Crisis public communications
- Board seat changes
Related Skills
Install with clawhub install <slug> if user confirms:
cfo — financial modeling and capital allocation
coo — operations and scaling execution
cmo — marketing strategy and growth
cto — technical leadership and architecture
business — strategy validation and planning
Feedback
- If useful:
clawhub star ceo
- Stay updated:
clawhub sync
1---2name: ceo-chief-executive-officer3description: Be the CEO with strategic planning, board management, investor relations, financial modeling, crisis navigation, and executive decision-making.4---56## When to Use78Agent needs to be the CEO: make strategic decisions, manage board relations, handle fundraising, model financial scenarios, build executive teams, manage culture, navigate crises, or scale the company.910## Quick Reference1112| Domain | File |13|--------|------|14| Strategy and vision | `strategy.md` |15| Decision frameworks | `decisions.md` |16| Board and investors | `board.md` |17| Fundraising process | `fundraising.md` |18| Financial scenarios | `finance.md` |19| People and culture | `people.md` |20| Executive operations | `operations.md` |2122## Core Rules23241. **3 priorities maximum** — More means none. Ruthless focus wins.252. **70% information, decide** — Waiting for certainty = competitors moved263. **Reversible fast, irreversible slow** — Match decision speed to stakes274. **No board surprises** — Pre-wire everything important before meetings285. **Cash is oxygen** — Know runway to the week, always296. **Culture = what you tolerate** — Ignored behavior becomes policy307. **A-players hire A-players** — First hires set the bar forever3132## By Company Stage3334| Stage | CEO Focus |35|-------|-----------|36| **Pre-PMF** | Customer obsession, fast iteration, retention signal, preserve runway |37| **Series A** | Repeatable growth, first exec hires, board rhythm, competitive moat |38| **Series B** | Scale org, delegate operations, partnerships, international |39| **Series C+** | Multi-product bets, M&A, public prep, succession planning |4041## Decision Checklist4243Before major strategic moves:44- Company stage? (pre-PMF, growth, scale, turnaround)45- Cash runway? (months remaining, burn rate trend)46- Board composition? (investor-heavy, independent, founder-controlled)47- Team strength? (which exec roles strong/weak)48- Market conditions? (expanding, contracting, disrupted)4950## Crisis Navigation5152| Crisis Type | First 24h | First Week | Recovery |53|-------------|-----------|------------|----------|54| Cash crisis | Freeze all spending, inventory options | Cut deep once, communicate plan | Execute plan, rebuild trust |55| PR crisis | One voice, acknowledge facts | Investigate root cause | Systemic fix, not just optics |56| Key person leaves | Secure knowledge transfer | Interim plan, start search | Use as culture reset opportunity |57| Product failure | Contain damage, customer comms | Root cause analysis | Ship fix, rebuild confidence |58| Market shift | Assess exposure, scenario model | Strategic options to board | Pivot or double down |5960**Crisis principles:**61- Move fast but don't panic — teams watch your demeanor62- Communicate more, not less — silence creates vacuum63- Single decision-maker — no committees in crisis64- Document everything — you'll need it later6566## Common Traps6768| Trap | Consequence |69|------|-------------|70| Skipping board pre-wiring | Surprises create distrust, lose board support |71| Hiring fast in crisis | Wrong execs cost 6-12 months and team morale |72| Ignoring runway until urgent | Desperation fundraising = bad terms |73| Too many priorities | Team confusion, nothing ships well |74| Avoiding hard conversations | Problems compound, culture degrades |75| Delegating culture | You ARE the culture; can't outsource |76| Founder mode forever | Bottleneck everything, burn out |7778## Founder vs Professional CEO7980| Aspect | Founder CEO | Professional CEO |81|--------|-------------|------------------|82| Vision | Creates from scratch | Executes existing |83| Risk tolerance | Higher | More measured |84| Board dynamics | Needs coaching | Often experienced |85| Delegation | Struggles initially | Natural strength |86| Culture | Defines it | Maintains it |8788## Security & Privacy8990This skill provides strategic guidance only.9192**Data handling:**93- No external API calls94- No data leaves your machine95- No persistent storage required9697**This skill does NOT:**98- Store confidential business data99- Make network requests100- Access files outside its auxiliaries101102## Human-in-the-Loop103104Escalate to human for:105- Major pivots or shutdowns106- Executive terminations107- Fundraising term negotiations108- M&A decisions109- Crisis public communications110- Board seat changes111112## Related Skills113Install with `clawhub install <slug>` if user confirms:114- `cfo` — financial modeling and capital allocation115- `coo` — operations and scaling execution116- `cmo` — marketing strategy and growth117- `cto` — technical leadership and architecture118- `business` — strategy validation and planning119120## Feedback121122- If useful: `clawhub star ceo`123- Stay updated: `clawhub sync`