<p>What would make a founder give up their role as CEO? My guest, James Routledge, is the founder of Sanctus—a company that offers coaching services to businesses to support employee mental health.</p> <p>In this episode, James walks us through his decision to step back from the CEO role, he explains why he decided not to hire a COO, and we discuss how ego can lead us to unhappiness.</p> <p>This is genuinely one of my favourite episodes, and a must-listen if you’re a CEO scaling your business.</p> <p><br></p> <p>Key links:</p> <p>Sanctus website:&nbsp;<a href="https://sanctus.io/"><strong>https://sanctus.io/</strong></a></p> <p>James Routledge profile: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdroutledge1/"><strong>https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdroutledge1/</strong></a></p> <p>Dave Bailey profile: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/davesuperman/"><strong>https://www.linkedin.com/in/davesuperman/</strong></a></p> <p><br></p> <p>Key timestamps:</p> <p>[02:29] How does it feel to see Sanctus scale?</p> <p>[06:21] What techniques helped you develop self-awareness?</p> <p>[09:24] What need does Sanctus address?</p> <p>[13:36] Why did you step down as CEO?</p> <p>[21:40] How to you separate the roles of CEO and founder?</p> <p>[26:45] Why are VC-backed founders less likely to consider their own fulfilment?</p> <p>[33:55] Why did you choose not to hire a COO?</p> <p>[36:41] The gap in strategy and leadership in tech</p> <p>[39:49] Quickfire questions</p> <p><br></p> <p>Thanks to Nabil and George for help researching the episode.&nbsp;</p> <p><br></p> <p>Strategy is a core role of&nbsp;a scale-up&nbsp;CEO and key&nbsp;to a company's success. Yet many&nbsp;CEOs don't dedicate enough time and resource to it. If you'd like my help in clarifying your vision and strategy, <a href="https://www.dave-bailey.com/clarity-coaching-program"><strong>apply for my Clarity Program</strong></a>.</p> <p><br></p> <p>Got feedback? Email us at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a>. And don't forget to hit follow/subscribe so you don't miss out on new episodes.</p>