What exactly is founder mode? Is it just another form of micromanagement or a practical leadership approach for today’s fast-paced business environment? In this episode, TMG CEO Stephen Miles and COO Taylor Griffin dive into the debate sparked by Paul Graham and Brian Chesky, proposing a middle ground between founder and manager mode–micro-leadership. They explore how leaders can balance employee empowerment and direct managerial involvement, driving results while promoting creativity and keeping teams aligned with long-term goals.
Coach to top CEOs, boards, and C-suite executives around the world, Stephen Miles is the founder and CEO of The Miles Group (TMG). His 20+ years of working closely with some of the highest performing executives, leadership teams, and boards of directors in the global Fortune 500 has put him at the center of some of the most critical leadership challenges and decisions companies are facing today.
Speaking frequently to organizations on strategies for coaching C-level executives and developing high-potential talent, Stephen has been featured in the Harvard Business Review, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Fortune, Entrepreneur, and Chief Executive. He is co-author of Your Career Game: How Game Theory Can Help You Achieve Your Professional Goals; he collaborates frequently with the Stanford Graduate School of Business on research around CEOs and boards, including a recent exploration of the costs and benefits of CEO activism. Stephen and his CEO advisory services were profiled in the Bloomberg Businessweek article “The Rising Star of CEO Consulting.”
Taylor Griffin works with CEOs, senior executives, and boards of directors across a broad range of company size and stage – from the largest Fortune 50 global corporations to private-equity portfolio companies and emergent VC-backed firms. She works with leaders to continuously attain higher levels of performance, grow successfully into new roles or new organizations, and build their viability as succession candidates for the C-suite or the CEO role itself. With boards and management, she draws from her deep experience working on top talent development and succession projects to help fortify organizations in their talent needs for the future. As COO, she is responsible for the overall operations and management of the firm.
Prior to helping establish TMG, she was with Heidrick & Struggles’ Leadership Consulting Practice. Before joining Heidrick & Struggles, Taylor was an attorney specializing in commercial litigation and bankruptcy matters in state and federal court. Taylor holds a bachelor’s degree in political science, cum laude and with honors, from the University of Arizona, and a juris doctorate from Emory University School of Law. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona.
Podcasts
Dealing with Sudden Change
Managing Underperformance
Dealing with Difference: Adapting to a Diverse Global Workforce
The Importance of Asking Questions
Working For a Tough Boss – One of Bizwomen’s Favorite Podcasts in 2019
Publications
“When High Performers Behave Badly” – C-Suite magazine, co-authored with Courtney Hamilton
“How Boards Should Evaluate Their Own Performance” – Harvard Business Review, co-authored with Stanford Graduate School of Business professor David Larcker, researcher Brian Tayan, and Stephen Miles
“How Board Evaluations Fall Short” – Veritas Executive Compensation Consultants, co-authored with Professor David Larcker, Brian Tayan, and Stephen Miles
“Board Evaluations and Boardroom Dynamics” – Stanford Closer Look paper from the Corporate Governance Research Initiative (CGRI) at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, co-authored with Professor David Larcker, researcher Brian Tayan, and Stephen Miles
“Board Evaluations: Good Defense and Good Offense” – Ethical Boardroom, co-authored with William Stern