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This is Scott Becker with the Becker Business and the Becker Private Equity Podcast. Today's discussion, great CEOs and founders evolve the three stages of a CEO and Founder so here's the deal. Today we see CEOs leaders evolve. And I sort of look at it like this. You know, the first stage of a CEO or a leader is he or she has not really grown into full delegation mode and leveraging talents mode. He or she ends up doing more than he or she should. The business is really in a box, is built entirely around the founder or CEOs energy and how for that could take you. That's sort of the first level. It's like the old adage, you know, of somebody who owns a restaurant, cook, bottle washer, server, does everything and so forth. And we see many CEOs, small companies, mid sized companies that are often too central to every single thing. The second type of CEO and the second level of growth is the CEO, founder starts to hire and starts to evolve, is no longer doing everything, but is still so tightly in control of every decision, every real process, every real accelerant, that the company's growth, even with the CEO leveraging themselves better, or the founder leveraging themselves better, is really limited by the CEOs bandwidth and capacity. And he or she really being the stop or the limiting step on almost everything. And this again, far better than the first place or can be, but certainly very limited in where you go. I think of this as 2x growth versus 10x growth. The third stage or evolution of a founder is a situation where you see essentially a CEO or founder starts to hire and fill out positions, leadership positions with multiple people that are far better at those specific leadership positions and roles than him or herself, and he or she starts to let go of some of the reins. This is where a company can really accelerate and grow. It's no longer got a one person limiting job, one person limiting step, where that person is the, is the be all and end all and everything stops and goes with that person. We see this in the evolution of so many businesses where you start to hire people and they start to create and grow and accelerate. They start to go on to the next customer, the next service line, the next area, without the CEO tightly controlling all of it. In the long run, we're a huge fan of this evolution. We think there's really no choice as you get to a certain size. We do see some CEOs that micromanage and stay so tightly in control of everything. We think at the end of the day it's great but somewhat limiting. I think when you get to that spot where you filled out teams and all your leaders are better than what you do at what you used to do and you are able to let go of the reins some and not feel like you have to control every bit of growth, that's when companies can really hit a flywheel, grow, evolve and develop into a whole different level company. This is where you start to see what we call 10x growth versus 2x growth. Thank you for listening to the Becker Business and the Becker Private Equity Podcast. Thank you to our wonderful producer Chanel Bunger. The best in the business. Thank you so much.
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Podcast: Becker Private Equity & Business Podcast
Host: Scott Becker
Episode Title: The 3 Stages of a CEO & Founder 6-10-26
Date: June 10, 2026
Scott Becker discusses the evolutionary journey of CEOs and founders, breaking down the three core stages leaders typically move through as their businesses grow. He explores how a leader’s personal growth and delegation style can dramatically impact a company's trajectory, scalability, and ultimate success. The episode serves as both a reflection and a guide for entrepreneurs and business leaders seeking to unlock greater levels of organizational growth.
[00:10–01:00]
Notable Quote:
“The first stage of a CEO or a leader is he or she has not really grown into full delegation mode and leveraging talents mode. He or she ends up doing more than he or she should. The business is really in a box, is built entirely around the founder or CEO’s energy and how far that could take you.”
— Scott Becker [00:12]
[01:00–01:50]
Notable Quote:
“Even with the CEO leveraging themselves better, or the founder leveraging themselves better, it is really limited by the CEO’s bandwidth and capacity. And he or she really being the stop or the limiting step on almost everything.”
— Scott Becker [01:32]
[01:50–03:10]
Notable Quote:
“When you get to that spot where you filled out teams and all your leaders are better than what you do at what you used to do and you are able to let go of the reins some and not feel like you have to control every bit of growth, that's when companies can really hit a flywheel, grow, evolve and develop into a whole different level company.”
— Scott Becker [02:40]
[03:00–03:18]
On the necessity of evolution:
“We think there’s really no choice as you get to a certain size.”
— Scott Becker [02:15]
On the difference between growth stages:
“I think of this as 2x growth versus 10x growth.”
— Scott Becker [01:47]
| Timestamp | Segment | |------------|----------------------------------------------------| | 00:10 | Introduction to 3 stages of CEOs/founders | | 00:30 | Stage 1: Founder-centric, hands-on leadership | | 01:00 | Stage 2: Delegation begins, but bottleneck remains | | 01:50 | Stage 3: Building strong leadership teams | | 02:40 | Unlocking “flywheel” growth at Stage 3 | | 03:10 | Scott’s reflections on leadership evolution |
Scott Becker’s delivery is reflective, insightful, and practical. He uses relatable analogies and candid observations to frame the CEO’s journey, speaking directly to entrepreneurs, founders, and business leaders aiming to scale effectively.
This concise episode provides a valuable framework for understanding how CEO and founder behavior shapes company growth. Scott’s three-stage model offers both a mirror for current leaders and a map for those ready to take their companies to the next level.