Over a long career, great leaders accumulate a "snowball of talent"—A-players who follow them from one venture to the next. This becomes a powerful litmus test when hiring executives: if they have no network of past colleagues eager to join them, it's a major red flag about their leadership ability or the quality of their past teams.

Building a social media audience is poor advice for SaaS founders. An audience offers passive reach (retweets), while a network of deep, two-way relationships provides true leverage (customer introductions, key hires, strategic advice). Time is better spent cultivating a network than chasing followers.

The difference between a true partner and an employee is whether you seek their counsel on complex problems. If you consistently go to them for advice when you're unsure, they're a partner. If you only give them direction, they are not a "thought partner," which is a red flag for a C-level executive role.

As leaders rise, direct reports are less likely to provide challenging feedback, creating an executive bubble. To get unfiltered information, leaders should schedule regular one-on-ones with employees several levels down the org chart with the express purpose of listening, not dictating.

In fast-growing, chaotic companies, leaders often feel pressured to have all the answers. This is a trap. Your real job is not to know everything, but to be skilled at finding answers by bringing the right people together. Saying 'I don't know, let's figure it out' is a sign of strength, not weakness.

Feedback often gets 'massaged' and politicized as it travels up the chain of command. Effective leaders must create direct, unfiltered channels to hear from customers and front-line employees, ensuring raw data isn't sanitized before it reaches them.

Contrary to the belief that success is measured by rapid email responses, the most important people for a founder to be responsive to are their own team. Prioritizing internal communication channels like Slack over an external email inbox ensures the team has the support it needs to execute effectively.

Building influence requires a strategic approach. Actively survey your professional relationships, identify where you lack connections with stakeholders, and methodically invest time in building alliances with leaders who can advocate for your ideas when you're not in the room.

The final stages of a major enterprise deal are often closed via text message, signifying a deep level of trust and personal relationship with the buyer. If your champion isn't comfortable texting you, the relationship may not be strong enough to get the deal across the finish line.