At FounderForward, we strongly suggest that all the clients we work with adopt a Gratitude Habit.  On more than one occasion our suggestion has been met with an eye-roll and a comment about it being a bit “woo woo.” That is until we explain that there are countless benefits to developing a Gratitude Habit — and that most are rooted in science.

Employee Experience is the newest HR buzzword, but how is it different from Employee Engagement? More importantly why does it matter? We sat down with best-selling author, futurist and employee experience expert Jacob Morgan to discuss the subject.

This week our founder Robyn Ward sits in on The Employee Experience Podcast with Stephan Vincent to talk about startup culture and the value of self-care, emotional intelligence and transparency in the workplace.

There’s a new position emerging within many successful high-growth companies - Head of Culture. Yes, because culture impacts growth. We reached out to CK Lin, Head of Culture, at Los Angeles-based startup VideoAmp to get some insights on the role of culture and the impact it has had on their growth.  

After reading our recent posts on EQ (EQ>IQ and Emotional Contagion is Real), you are hopefully asking yourself: What are some steps I can take today to improve my EQ? As noted, the good news is that you absolutely can improve your mental fitness. 

As the founder (and CEO) of a new company (talking to startup founders here, but this can also apply to seasoned CEOs) — your job is not just to focus on growing your business, you must also focus on growing yourself.

If you have ruthlessly prioritized, and time-blocked for, an important planning session, but come to the meeting depleted of energy and off your game - you are certainly not setting yourself, team or company up for success.

If you don’t control your calendar, it will control you. And you will spend the majority of your time on defense, reacting to whatever you get hit with when you check your phone or walk into work in the morning - meetings, fire drills, people issues, investor requests, etc.
 

A lot of people say they don’t have time to read. But as a founder, you are being asked not only to run a company, but to improve yourself and shape yourself into the best leader you can be. That inevitably comes with some learning.

You’ve likely heard of executive coaches or life coaches —but at FounderForward, we’re focused on coaching startups. Founders and founding teams at the beginning of their journey.

Our CEO did a 30-Day Self Work Challenge about a year ago and we thought we would share some highlights here for you to kick off your New Year.