“So the format I've used in the past and what I recommend and what people I've seen now, I've seen at least 15 CEOs adopted and to good effect is Three sections. One is called top of mind. So this is product, business, and team. Like, what is top of mind on the product side, on the business side, on the team side? Doesn't need to be all three. What's top of mind for you? What's keeping you up at night? I think this is the thing that literally everyone is hanging on to. I mean, because I remember seeing it from Jack, from Mark, from Cheryl. I think just seeing it put in paper or put in an email is just so powerful. That's one. The second thing is performance update. I think everyone wants to truly understand how's the company doing. How's the company doing on the dimensions? I think, and this is where, especially being a startup, I think most people are one dimension removed from how the company is doing. They all want to know that they're doing well. And I think this is the way. And the third is miscellaneous is things like recognizing specific people. It's quotes from customers. It's maybe an offsite announcement, but the most important section where you should spend 60 or 70% of your time on is top of mind.”
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