Issue 161, Part Time CEO Newsletter

Hey, it's Dhiren 👋,

Inside Council last week, a founder looked at me and said something I hear from creative entrepreneurs all the time.

"I don't want to be this boss bitch. I just want to walk into the studio and say, 'What's up man,' and be normal."

Translation:
I want to lead. I just don't want to turn into someone I'm not.

Most founders think authority requires changing who they are.
It doesn't.

What breaks founders is not being too friendly.
It is never stating who decides.

Your team does not get confused because you are warm. They get confused because you never drew the line.

Authority is not a mood.
Authority is clarity.

The confusion starts with a false choice.

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🧠 The False Choice That Breaks Founders

Founders usually believe they only get two identities.

Option A: Be the friendly one
​Approachable. Casual. Blends in.
Accidentally becomes one of the team.
​Result: Ideas get debated endlessly. Decisions drift. Authority erodes.

Option B: Be the hard-ass boss
​Controlled tone. Stiff boundaries.
Feels fake. Feels forced. Feels heavy.
​Result: Team stops sharing. You starve yourself of information. Distance grows.

Both options come from the same internal conflict:

If I am warm, I lose authority.
If I am authoritative, I lose myself.

This was exactly what this founder felt.

Here is the truth I shared, the one I’ve learned over years of running teams and coaching CEOs:

Authority is not a personality shift. Authority is stating who decides.

Your team does not need you to be colder.
They need you to be clearer.

You can grab a matcha latte with them at 10:00 and make the executive decision at 10:02.

The problem is not that you are friendly.
The problem is you never said out loud: "I decide."
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Friendly is not weak.
Silence is.
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🧠 The Fix: The Friendly Authority

Here is the shift we made in that Council room.The shift every founder eventually has to make.

Start open. End decisive. ​
Ask for ideas.
Listen fully.
Include everyone.
Then close with one sentence:
“Thanks for the input. I will decide what direction we are taking.”
This resets the room instantly.

Set the rule upfront ​
Every meeting starts with: “Share your thoughts freely. I will make the final decision after this discussion.”
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No tension.
No power struggle.
No guessing.

Hold the line when tested
​Someone pushes back with “But I really think we should…”
You say: “I hear you. The decision stands.”
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Not defensive. Not apologetic. Matter of fact.

Repeat it. Every time.
Not because your team forgets.
Because you forget.

Founders drift into peer mode without realizing it.
This sentence pulls you back: “I have the final say.”
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You do not need a boss persona. You need a boss boundary. ​
You do not fix authority by acting tougher.
You fix authority by stating who decides.

And here is the real unlock.

When you state your authority clearly, the team settles.
People stop tiptoeing.
The guessing disappears.
The dynamic shifts from “Who decides?” to “Great, let’s execute.”

Not because you changed your personality.
Because you finally claimed your role.

Friendly leadership only works when the boundary is spoken out loud.

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Your Turn

A CEO is the one who decides.
Where in your business are you still behaving like a peer?

Pick one moment this week to claim the seat you already occupy.
State the boundary clearly.

No force. No drama. Just clarity.

Try it and tell me how the team responded

🧭 Know a founder who needs to hear this?
Forward this. It could be the push they need.
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📢 Dhiren’s Updates

Three weeks until the Part Time CEO Retreat.

One spot left, and I already know who it's for.

It's for the founder who keeps saying "next year" but never gets there. Who has revenue but no rhythm. Who's tired of making decisions in the gaps between fires.

We're planning 2026 with real goals and real KPIs. Not theory. Decisions.

If that's you, message me.

If you’re in Dubai and feel like you need space to reset and plan 2026 with clarity, message me.

📌 Dhiren’s Pick of the Week

📺 Somebody Feed Phil​

This week I’m recommending something that has nothing to do with business for a change.
​
Shweta and I have been obsessed with Somebody Feed Phil for years.

The new season is out on Netflix and Phil is as charming as ever.

There’s something about watching a grown man approach food and people with pure curiosity that reminds me what real presence looks like.

Perfect end-of-day or end-of-week reset.

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ps: did someone forward this to you?​
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Cheers,