Agent skill

Founder Coach

Personal leadership development for founders and first-time CEOs.

MITAuto-check passed

Install Founder Coach

skills CLI

$ npx skills add borghei/Claude-Skills --skill founder-coach -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install borghei/Claude-Skills founder-coach --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/borghei/Claude-Skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/c-level-advisor/founder-coach .claude/skills/founder-coach && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Paste into Claude Code

Install the "founder-coach" agent skill from https://github.com/borghei/Claude-Skills/tree/main/c-level-advisor/founder-coach into .claude/skills/founder-coach/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "founder-coach", then confirm the skill loads.

Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

$skill-installer

$skill-installer install https://github.com/borghei/Claude-Skills/tree/main/c-level-advisor/founder-coach

Type this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add borghei/Claude-Skills --skill founder-coach -a codex

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install borghei/Claude-Skills founder-coach --agent codex

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/borghei/Claude-Skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/c-level-advisor/founder-coach .agents/skills/founder-coach && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.

Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/

Paste into Codex

Install the "founder-coach" agent skill from https://github.com/borghei/Claude-Skills/tree/main/c-level-advisor/founder-coach into .agents/skills/founder-coach/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "founder-coach", then confirm the skill loads.

Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add borghei/Claude-Skills --skill founder-coach -a cursor

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install borghei/Claude-Skills founder-coach --agent cursor

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/borghei/Claude-Skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/c-level-advisor/founder-coach .cursor/skills/founder-coach && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.

Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/

Paste into Cursor

Install the "founder-coach" agent skill from https://github.com/borghei/Claude-Skills/tree/main/c-level-advisor/founder-coach into .cursor/skills/founder-coach/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "founder-coach", then confirm the skill loads.

Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

gemini skills install

$ gemini skills install https://github.com/borghei/Claude-Skills.git --path c-level-advisor/founder-coach

--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add borghei/Claude-Skills --skill founder-coach -a gemini-cli

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install borghei/Claude-Skills founder-coach --agent gemini-cli

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/borghei/Claude-Skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/c-level-advisor/founder-coach .gemini/skills/founder-coach && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.

Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into Gemini CLI

Install the "founder-coach" agent skill from https://github.com/borghei/Claude-Skills/tree/main/c-level-advisor/founder-coach into .gemini/skills/founder-coach/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "founder-coach", then confirm the skill loads.

Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install borghei/Claude-Skills founder-coach

Installs for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

skills CLI

$ npx skills add borghei/Claude-Skills --skill founder-coach -a github-copilot

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/borghei/Claude-Skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/c-level-advisor/founder-coach .github/skills/founder-coach && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.

GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into GitHub Copilot

Install the "founder-coach" agent skill from https://github.com/borghei/Claude-Skills/tree/main/c-level-advisor/founder-coach into .github/skills/founder-coach/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "founder-coach", then confirm the skill loads.

GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add borghei/Claude-Skills --skill founder-coach -a opencode

OpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install borghei/Claude-Skills founder-coach --agent opencode

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/borghei/Claude-Skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/c-level-advisor/founder-coach .opencode/skills/founder-coach && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.

OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into OpenCode

Install the "founder-coach" agent skill from https://github.com/borghei/Claude-Skills/tree/main/c-level-advisor/founder-coach into .opencode/skills/founder-coach/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "founder-coach", then confirm the skill loads.

OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

Facts

Skill name: founder-coach
GitHub stars: 881
Token cost: ~5.6k tokens
SKILL.md length: 2,312 words
Files: 4 (incl. scripts)
Skills in repo: 349
Repo updated: Oct 7, 2026
First seen: Oct 7, 2026
Licence: MIT

At a glance

Personal leadership development for founders and first-time CEOs.

A founder feels like the bottleneck
SKILL.md covers Keywords, Founder Growth Ceiling Model, Framework 1: Founder Archetype and Framework 2: Delegation, plus 6 more sections
Runs Python scripts from its folder; calls python
Struggles to delegate

What it does

Founder Coach is an agent skill from borghei/Claude-Skills. Personal leadership development for founders and first-time CEOs. Use when a founder feels like the bottleneck, struggles to delegate, is burning out, or transitioning from IC to executive.

Its SKILL.md is about 5.6k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 4 other files, including scripts (for example `scripts/founder_wellness_checker.py`, `scripts/milestone_tracker.py` and `scripts/startup_stage_assessor.py`).

The repository describes itself as: 385 AI skills, 77 expert agents, and 900 stdlib Python tools for every team: engineering, PM, marketing, C-level, compliance, business ops, research, and a LinkedIn toolkit… The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

A founder feels like the bottleneck
Struggles to delegate
Transitioning from IC to executive

Example prompts

“/founder-coach”

Requirements

Python 3

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 4a698e8. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
Ships 3 files in scripts/ (Python), which the agent can run.
Shell commands in SKILL.md call:
- python
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Founder Coach loads about 5.6k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 51 tokens; SKILL.md has 2,312 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it: ~51
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches: ~5.6k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); the scripts in this folder are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from borghei/Claude-Skills at commit 4a698e8, republished under its MIT licence (© borghei). 2,312 words, ~5,566 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/founder-coach/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder). This skill also uses 3 other files; get the full folder from GitHub.

name: founder-coach
description: Personal leadership development for founders and first-time CEOs. Use when a founder feels like the bottleneck, struggles to delegate, is burning out, or transitioning from IC to executive.
license: MIT + Commons Clause
metadata.version: 2.0.0
metadata.author: borghei
metadata.category: c-level
metadata.domain: founder-development
metadata.updated: 2026-03-09
metadata.frameworks: founder-archetype, delegation-ladder, energy-management, calendar-audit, leadership-evolution, blind-spot-detection, succession-planning
metadata.triggers: founder, CEO development, founder mode, delegation, burnout, imposter syndrome, leadership growth, energy management, calendar audit, executive team…

Founder Coach

Your company can only grow as fast as you do. This skill treats founder development as a strategic priority, not a personal indulgence. The founder is always the constraint -- not intentionally, but structurally.

Keywords

founder, CEO, founder mode, delegation, burnout, imposter syndrome, leadership growth, energy management, calendar audit, executive team, board management, succession planning, IC to manager, leadership style, founder trap, blind spots, personal OKRs, CEO reflection, co-founder dynamics, founder mental health, executive transition

Founder Growth Ceiling Model

Every founder hits predictable ceilings. Identifying which ceiling you are at determines what to work on.

Ceiling 1: ~15 people
  Problem: Can't be in every meeting and still think
  Solution: Delegate operational decisions, hire first manager
  Skill to build: Letting go of execution details

Ceiling 2: ~50 people
  Problem: Your style creates culture problems at scale
  Solution: Hire executive team, evolve leadership style
  Skill to build: Leading through others, not doing yourself

Ceiling 3: ~150 people
  Problem: Need a real executive team or you become the blocker
  Solution: Build institutional leadership, not personal leadership
  Skill to build: System design, not personal contribution

Ceiling 4: ~500+ people
  Problem: You are a symbol, not a manager
  Solution: Focus on vision, board, culture, and external narrative
  Skill to build: Organizational architecture

Framework 1: Founder Archetype

Most founders are primarily one archetype. Knowing yours predicts what you will struggle with.

Archetype Matrix

Archetype	Strength	Blind Spot	Needs	Common at Stage
Builder	Product, engineering, technical depth	GTM, storytelling, people	A seller / GTM partner	Seed to Series A
Seller	Revenue, relationships, vision communication	Operations, follow-through, process	An operator / COO	Series A to B
Operator	Execution, process, reliability	Vision, product intuition, risk-taking	A visionary / strategic partner	Series B+
Visionary	Strategy, narrative, pattern recognition	Execution, details, grounding	An integrator / COO	All stages

Self-Assessment Questions

Question	Builder	Seller	Operator	Visionary
What do you do with a free hour?	Code/build	Call/meet someone	Organize/fix	Think/read/plan
What do you procrastinate on?	Sales, hiring	Admin, documentation	Ideation, risk	Follow-through
What does your team complain about?	Communication	Consistency	Flexibility	Details
What energizes you most?	Shipping	Winning deals	Solving problems	Connecting dots

Archetype Action Plan

IF Builder:
  - Hire GTM partner within next 90 days
  - Schedule 2 customer-facing meetings per week (force yourself)
  - Delegate code reviews to senior engineer by month 2

IF Seller:
  - Hire operations leader within next 90 days
  - Implement weekly review cadence (force process)
  - Document decisions instead of verbal commitments

IF Operator:
  - Partner with visionary co-founder or advisor
  - Schedule monthly "blue sky" thinking time
  - Practice saying yes to 1 risky bet per quarter

IF Visionary:
  - Hire COO or integrator immediately
  - Convert vision to 90-day rocks with measurable outcomes
  - Review execution weekly, not just strategy quarterly

Framework 2: Delegation

Why Founders Fail to Delegate

Reason	Reframe
"Nobody does it as well as I do"	True short-term, fatal long-term
"It takes longer to explain than to do"	True once, not true the 10th time
"I lose control"	Control is an illusion at scale
"If it fails, it's my fault"	It's your fault if you never let anyone try

The Delegation Ladder

Level	Description	Founder Involvement	When to Use
1	"Do exactly what I tell you"	Total (not delegation)	Never -- this is instruction
2	"Research and report back"	High (you decide)	New topics, unfamiliar domains
3	"Propose a solution, I'll decide"	Medium (you validate)	Building trust phase
4	"Decide and tell me what you decided"	Low (you review)	Established trust
5	"Handle it, update me if outside parameters"	Minimal (you monitor)	Full delegation

What to Delegate First (Priority Order)

Priority	Category	Examples	Risk if You Hold
1st	Recurring operational	Reports, scheduling, routine decisions	Your time is consumed by low-value work
2nd	Information gathering	Research, analysis, data synthesis	You become the bottleneck for knowledge
3rd	Relationship management	Customer interactions, partner management	Relationships depend on one person
4th	Budget management	Within defined parameters	Decisions wait for your approval
5th (last)	Strategic decisions	Major pivots, exec hires, large investments	These actually need you

Delegation Decision Tree

START: Task needs to be done
  |
  v
[Have you done this task 3+ times?]
  |
  +-- YES --> [Can you write the process in < 30 minutes?]
  |            |
  |            +-- YES --> Delegate immediately (Level 3-4)
  |            +-- NO  --> Document next time you do it, then delegate
  |
  +-- NO  --> [Is this strategic or operational?]
              |
              +-- OPERATIONAL --> Delegate at Level 2-3
              +-- STRATEGIC --> [Is it irreversible?]
                                |
                                +-- YES --> Keep for now. Delegate inputs.
                                +-- NO  --> Delegate at Level 3-4

Framework 3: Energy Management

Energy Audit Process

Map your last 2 weeks by energy impact, not just time:

Activity Category	Energy Impact	Time Spent	Action
Deep product work	Energizing	4 hrs/week	Protect and increase
1:1s with team	Neutral	6 hrs/week	Optimize format, reduce to 30 min
Admin/email/Slack	Draining	8 hrs/week	Batch to 2x daily, delegate
Investor updates	Draining	3 hrs/week	Template and delegate prep
Customer conversations	Energizing	2 hrs/week	Increase to 4 hrs/week
Strategy thinking	Energizing	1 hr/week	Block 4 hrs/week minimum

Energy Rules

Rule	Implementation
Protect deep work	2-4 hours uninterrupted, 3-5 days/week. Calendar-blocked.
Batch shallow work	Email/Slack twice daily maximum
Know your peak window	Schedule hardest work during your 4-6 peak hours
Match task to energy	Low energy? Do admin. High energy? Do strategy.
Recovery is productive	Exercise, thinking time, breaks are not "wasted time"

Framework 4: CEO Calendar Audit

Running the Audit

Pull the last 4 weeks. Categorize every block.

Category	Description	Target %	Red Flag
Strategy	Thinking, planning, direction-setting	20-25%	< 10% = running the company, not leading it
People	1:1s, coaching, recruiting, team development	20-25%	< 10% = team running on empty
External	Customers, investors, partners, industry	20%	< 10% = losing market connection
Execution	Direct work, decisions, problem-solving	15%	> 30% = still an IC
Admin	Email, scheduling, overhead, Slack	< 15%	> 20% = you're a coordinator
Recovery	Exercise, meals, breaks, thinking	10-15%	0% = burnout approaching

CEO Primary Job by Stage

Stage	CEO Should Spend Most Time On	If You're Not
Seed	Product and customers, directly	You're building in a vacuum
Series A	Hiring the executive team	You'll hit Ceiling 2 without leaders
Series B	Culture, strategy, external	Your company outgrows your direct management
Series C+	Vision, board, external narrative	Your job is organizational, not operational

Framework 5: Leadership Style Evolution

Evolution Matrix

Transition	From	To	Critical Skill	Common Failure
IC to Manager (0-10)	Doing	Teaching	Give context + set expectations	Doing everything yourself
Manager to Leader (10-50)	Managing	Hiring managers	Trust people you're still learning	Micromanaging managers
Leader to Executive (50-200)	Directing	Setting culture and direction	Communicate obsessively	Still managing individual work
Executive to CEO (200+)	Leading internally	Leading externally	Build systems without you	Refusing to let go of internal ops

Transition Readiness Checklist

Transition	Ready When	Not Ready When
IC to Manager	Can describe 3 team members' career goals	Still doing all the critical work yourself
Manager to Leader	2+ managers you trust to run their teams	Override every manager's decision
Leader to Executive	Leadership team can run company for 2 weeks	Every decision needs your approval
Executive to CEO	Board operates effectively, team is self-correcting	You are the only external face

Blind Spot	Symptom	Detection Method
Communication gap	"I said it once, they should know"	Ask team to repeat your priorities. Do they match?
Speed disease	Teams can't orient on your direction	Track how many initiatives change per quarter
Context hoarding	Bad decisions by teams who lack information	Ask "what info did you wish you had?"
Optimism bias	Consistently miss timelines and targets	Compare estimates to actuals over 6 months
Founder exceptionalism	Rules apply to everyone except you	Ask team: "Does the founder follow the same rules?"
Feedback avoidance	No honest feedback from anyone	Run anonymous 360 with one hard question

360 Feedback Protocol

Run annually. Include these questions:

Question	Purpose
"What does [founder] do that helps the company most?"	Identify strengths to leverage
"What does [founder] do that gets in the way?"	Surface blind spots
"What should [founder] stop doing?"	Identify delegation opportunities
"What should [founder] start doing?"	Identify gaps
"If you could change one thing about working with [founder], what?"	Single most impactful change

Framework 7: Imposter Syndrome Toolkit

The Reframe

Imposter syndrome is proportional to stretch. If you never feel it, you are not growing.

Stage	Imposter Trigger	Reframe
First hire	"I've never managed anyone"	Competence comes from doing, not feeling ready
First fundraise	"Real founders are more polished"	Investors bet on trajectory, not current state
First exec hire	"They have more experience than me"	You hired them because they're good. Let them be.
First board meeting	"They'll see through me"	Preparation is the antidote. Use board prep.
Growth stage	"Company has outgrown me"	Maybe. Or maybe you just need to grow. Investigate.

Practical Tools

Tool	How	When
Evidence file	Document wins, compliments, correct decisions	Read when doubt hits
Name it	Say "I'm feeling imposter syndrome about X" to someone	Removes 50% of its power
Do it anyway	Act despite feeling unready	Competence follows action
Separate feeling from fact	"I feel underprepared" is not "I am incapable"	Always

Framework 8: Founder Mental Health

Burnout Signal Progression

Stage	Signals	Action
Early	Irritability, poor sleep, decisions feel harder	Adjust calendar, protect recovery time
Mid	Physical symptoms, cynicism, priority paralysis	Reduce commitments, start therapy/coaching
Late	Can't function, decisions stopped, team notices	Full stop. Get professional support. Now.

Structural Prevention

Practice	Implementation
Protected recovery	Non-negotiable time during the week (not just weekends)
Therapy or coaching	Not optional. The job is isolating.
Peer group	Other founders at similar stage. Only people who truly understand.
Clear off-ramps	Define "enough for today." Don't let work be infinite.
Physical health	Exercise, sleep, nutrition. Non-negotiable foundations.

Framework 9: The Founder Mode Trap

When Founder Mode Helps vs. Hurts

Situation	Helps	Hurts
Crisis recovery	Yes -- direct leadership needed	--
PMF search	Yes -- speed matters more than org health	--
Irreversible decisions	Yes -- you should be in the room	--
Undermining hired managers	--	Yes -- they can't lead if you override
Driven by distrust	--	Yes -- trust is a prerequisite for scale
Preventing team development	--	Yes -- team never builds judgment

Show full SKILL.md (936 more words)Show less

The Test

"Am I going deep because the situation requires it, or because I am uncomfortable with loss of control?"

The first is leadership. The second is the trap.

Framework 10: Succession Planning

Succession Readiness Levels

Level	Description	Timeline
0	Founder is the only person who knows how things work	Most founders are here. Dangerous.
1	Key knowledge and processes are documented	30-day project
2	At least one person can cover each key function for 2 weeks	90-day project
3	Leadership team can run the company for a quarter	6-12 month development
4	Potential successor identified and being developed	12-24 months

Target: Level 2 is a reasonable near-term target. Level 3 is a strategic asset.

Red Flags

Making the same decisions you were making 12 months ago -- you haven't delegated
Calendar audit shows > 30% execution at Series B+ -- still an IC
No honest feedback received in 6+ months -- feedback vacuum
Working 70+ hours consistently -- burnout is a when, not an if
Team waits for your input on everything -- delegation failure
Can't name your top 3 blind spots -- self-awareness gap
No peer group of other founders -- isolation risk
Succession readiness at Level 0 -- company depends entirely on you
Co-founder tension unaddressed for 30+ days -- will get worse, never better

Integration with C-Suite

When...	Founder Coach Works With...	To...
Building exec team	CHRO (`chro-advisor`)	Hiring criteria, onboarding execs
Leadership evolution	CEO Advisor (`ceo-advisor`)	Strategic leadership development
Decision quality	Executive Mentor (`executive-mentor`)	Stress-testing founder decisions
Culture impact	Culture Architect (`culture-architect`)	Founder behavior's effect on culture
Board management	Board Deck Builder (`board-deck-builder`)	Preparing for board interactions
Org design	COO (`coo-advisor`)	Structure that reduces founder dependency

Output Artifacts

Request	Deliverable
"I feel like the bottleneck"	Archetype assessment + delegation plan with specific tasks
"Help me delegate"	Delegation ladder for current tasks + accountability structure
"I'm burning out"	Energy audit + calendar redesign + recovery plan
"Audit my calendar"	Calendar analysis with target vs. actual time allocation
"Am I growing as a leader?"	360 feedback design + leadership evolution roadmap
"What are my blind spots?"	Blind spot assessment with detection methods
"Plan for my succession"	Succession readiness assessment + development plan

Troubleshooting

Problem	Likely Cause	Resolution
Founder refuses to delegate despite knowing they should	Identity tied to execution; fear of irrelevance	Use the Co-Active coaching reframe: "Your value is multiplied through others, not diminished"; start with one low-risk delegation at Level 3
Calendar audit shows improvement but founder still feels overwhelmed	Energy management not addressed alongside time allocation	Run energy audit in parallel; reallocate based on energy impact, not just time categories
Archetype assessment feels inaccurate	Founder is a hybrid or in transition between archetypes	Score across all four archetypes; most founders are 60/40 blend; focus on the dominant blind spot
Delegation repeatedly fails (delegate drops the ball)	Delegating at wrong level; insufficient context provided	Move down one delegation ladder level; ensure context document exists; check if the right person was chosen
Founder reports burnout symptoms but won't reduce workload	Structural dependency on founder; no capable backup	Build succession readiness to Level 2 first; hire specific capability gaps before reducing hours
Co-founder conflict escalating despite awareness	Avoiding the direct conversation; hoping it resolves	Apply Hard Call framework from Executive Mentor; set 48-hour deadline for direct conversation with structured agenda
Leadership evolution stalls at IC-to-Manager transition	Founder keeps doing the work instead of coaching the team	Remove founder from execution entirely for 2 weeks as forced experiment; track what breaks vs. what thrives

Success Criteria

Founder correctly identifies their primary archetype and has an active plan addressing their top blind spot within 30 days
Delegation ladder shows measurable progression: at least 3 tasks moved up one level per quarter
Calendar audit shows time allocation within 5% of stage-appropriate targets after 90 days
Energy audit results in net-positive energy balance: more energizing activities than draining ones
360 feedback scores improve by at least 1 point on the identified blind spot dimension within 6 months
Succession readiness advances at least one level within 12 months
Burnout signal progression stays at Early stage or better; no founder reaches Late stage

Scope & Limitations

In scope: Founder personal development, archetype identification, delegation coaching, energy management, calendar optimization, leadership evolution, blind spot detection, imposter syndrome support, mental health awareness, succession planning
Out of scope: Clinical therapy (refer to licensed therapist for mental health treatment); couples counseling for co-founder relationships (refer to specialized mediator); executive recruiting (use CHRO Advisor); compensation design; legal aspects of founder transitions
Limitation: Self-assessment accuracy depends on founder honesty; 360 feedback provides external validation
Limitation: Growth ceiling model is stage-based approximation; actual ceilings vary by industry, culture, and individual
Limitation: Wellness indicators are screening tools, not clinical diagnostics; always refer to professionals for mental health concerns

Integration Points

Skill	Integration	Data Flow
`executive-mentor`	Stress-testing founder decisions reveals development needs	Mentor challenges → Coach development areas
`ceo-advisor`	Strategic leadership development aligns with CEO advisory	Coach leadership gaps → CEO strategic focus
`chro-advisor`	Executive team hiring criteria informed by founder blind spots	Coach archetype gaps → CHRO hiring profile
`culture-architect`	Founder behavior directly shapes culture	Coach behavior changes → Culture evolution
`chief-of-staff`	Chief of Staff can handle delegation overflow	Coach delegation plan → CoS task assignment
`org-health-diagnostic`	People health dimension reflects founder leadership quality	Health people score → Coach priority areas

Python Tools

Tool	Purpose	Usage
`scripts/startup_stage_assessor.py`	Assess current startup stage and identify the founder growth ceiling being approached	`python scripts/startup_stage_assessor.py --headcount 35 --arr 1200000 --stage series-a --json`
`scripts/founder_wellness_checker.py`	Screen for burnout signals across early/mid/late stages with actionable recommendations	`python scripts/founder_wellness_checker.py --hours-per-week 65 --sleep-hours 5.5 --exercise-days 1 --json`
`scripts/milestone_tracker.py`	Track founder development milestones across delegation, leadership evolution, and succession readiness	`python scripts/milestone_tracker.py add --category delegation --milestone "Hired first manager" --json`

Files

SKILL.md and 3 other files (scripts) in c-level-advisor/founder-coach of borghei/Claude-Skills.

SKILL.md
scripts/founder_wellness_checker.py
scripts/milestone_tracker.py
scripts/startup_stage_assessor.py

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 4a698e8

Compare with similar skills

Founder Coach next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Founder Coach compared with similar skills
Skill	Stars	Used in	Tokens	Auto-check	Licence	Repo updated
Founder Coach this skillborghei/Claude-Skills	881	—	~5.6k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	yesterday
Idea Refinementaddyosmani/agent-skills	103k	6 repos	~2k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	5 days ago
HTML PPT Studiolewislulu/html-ppt-skill	8.6k	4 repos	~4.7k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	24 days ago
Agent Browserquran/quran.com-frontend-next	1.9k	42 repos	~3.3k	Automated safety check: Pass	None	5 mo ago
Process Inboxtelegramdesktop/tdesktop	33k	2 repos	~4.5k	Automated safety check: Pass	GPL-3.0	yesterday
Brag Launch Videolatent-spaces/brag	14k	1 repos	~2.3k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	2 days ago

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Questions about Founder Coach

What does Founder Coach do?

Personal leadership development for founders and first-time CEOs. Founder Coach is an agent skill from borghei/Claude-Skills. Personal leadership development for founders and first-time CEOs.

When should I use Founder Coach?

Founder Coach fits situations like: A founder feels like the bottleneck; struggles to delegate; transitioning from IC to executive.

How do I install Founder Coach in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add borghei/Claude-Skills --skill founder-coach -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (c-level-advisor/founder-coach in borghei/Claude-Skills) into .claude/skills/founder-coach in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Founder Coach in Codex?

Run `npx skills add borghei/Claude-Skills --skill founder-coach -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (c-level-advisor/founder-coach in borghei/Claude-Skills) into .agents/skills/founder-coach in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Founder Coach in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add borghei/Claude-Skills --skill founder-coach -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/founder-coach, .gemini/skills/founder-coach, .github/skills/founder-coach and .opencode/skills/founder-coach in your project.

What does Founder Coach need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Founder Coach needs Python for the scripts in its folder and the command-line tools its instructions call (python). Our summary lists: Python 3.

Does Founder Coach access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Founder Coach safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. The check reads SKILL.md only: the scripts in the folder are not scanned, so read them before running anything.

What licence does Founder Coach use?

Founder Coach is published under the MIT licence (declared in SKILL.md). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Founder Coach use?

About 5.6k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 22k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Founder Coach?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Founder Coach: Idea Refinement (addyosmani/agent-skills, 103k stars), HTML PPT Studio (lewislulu/html-ppt-skill, 8.6k stars), Agent Browser (quran/quran.com-frontend-next, 1.9k stars) and Process Inbox (telegramdesktop/tdesktop, 33k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Founder Coach?

borghei (a GitHub user) maintains it in borghei/Claude-Skills, which has 881 GitHub stars. The repository holds 349 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 7, 2026.

Source: borghei/Claude-Skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.

Install Founder Coach

Facts

At a glance

What it does

When your agent uses it

Example prompts

Requirements

What it can do on your machine

Tool permissions

Runs code

Network

Credentials

Context cost

Safety

SKILL.md

Founder Coach

Keywords

Founder Growth Ceiling Model

Framework 1: Founder Archetype

Archetype Matrix

Self-Assessment Questions

Archetype Action Plan

Framework 2: Delegation

Why Founders Fail to Delegate

The Delegation Ladder

What to Delegate First (Priority Order)

Delegation Decision Tree

Framework 3: Energy Management

Energy Audit Process

Energy Rules

Framework 4: CEO Calendar Audit

Running the Audit

CEO Primary Job by Stage

Framework 5: Leadership Style Evolution

Evolution Matrix

Transition Readiness Checklist

Framework 6: Blind Spot Detection

Common Founder Blind Spots

360 Feedback Protocol

Framework 7: Imposter Syndrome Toolkit

The Reframe

Practical Tools

Framework 8: Founder Mental Health

Burnout Signal Progression

Structural Prevention

Framework 9: The Founder Mode Trap

When Founder Mode Helps vs. Hurts

The Test

Framework 10: Succession Planning

Succession Readiness Levels

Red Flags

Integration with C-Suite

Output Artifacts

Troubleshooting

Success Criteria

Scope & Limitations

Integration Points

Python Tools

Files

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Questions about Founder Coach