How to use the Founder Development Coach agent skill

What is an agent skill, and what does founder-coach do?

An agent skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file and optional reference files. When the skill is installed, the AI agent can load these instructions when your request matches the skill's description, so it follows a defined method instead of answering from general knowledge alone.

The founder-coach skill (skill name founder-coach, MIT licence) covers founder archetype identification, delegation frameworks, energy management, CEO calendar audits, leadership style evolution, blind spot identification, imposter syndrome, founder mental health and succession planning. Its core premise is that the founder is usually the constraint on company growth, and that addressing this early is a strategic priority.

• Identifies your founder archetype (Builder, Seller, Operator or Visionary) and the blind spots that usually come with it
• Uses a skill-by-will matrix and a five-step delegation ladder to decide what to hand off first
• Walks through an energy audit that sorts your week into energizing, neutral and draining activities
• Reviews your calendar against target time shares for strategy, people, external, execution, admin and recovery
• Points to reference templates, such as a weekly CEO reflection template and a leadership levels model

How do you install the founder-coach skill?

Download the ZIP file from the skill's page on this site. Then choose one of the two installation routes below.

For Claude Code, unzip the download into ~/.claude/skills/ to make it available across your projects, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder to limit it to that project. For the Claude apps, upload the skill under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

• Personal install: unzip into ~/.claude/skills/
• Project install: unzip into the project's .claude/skills/ folder
• Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the skill

How do you trigger the skill with natural requests?

You do not need a special command. The skill is meant to be picked up when your request matches its description. The description names situations such as feeling like the bottleneck, struggling to delegate, burning out, moving from IC to executive, and managing a board. It also responds to phrases like founder mode, CEO growth, leadership development, delegation, burnout and imposter syndrome.

Describe your situation in your own words and include useful context, such as team size and what you spend your days doing. The more specific you are, the more targeted the coaching will be.

• "I'm the bottleneck on every decision. My team is 12 people. What should I hand off first?"
• "Help me run a calendar audit on my last four weeks."
• "I keep doing support tickets myself instead of delegating. Walk me through a delegation ladder."
• "I'm feeling burned out and drained by most of my week. Help me map my energy."
• "I think I'm in founder mode too often. What archetype am I likely to be?"

What can you expect the agent to produce?

Depending on your request, the agent may ask you self-assessment questions, sort tasks into delegation tiers, categorize calendar blocks against target percentages, or suggest a weekly reflection routine. Its outputs are coaching frameworks and questions to answer, so expect to supply your own data, such as calendar entries or task lists.

The skill's guidance includes red-flag thresholds in the calendar audit, such as admin time above 20 percent or no recovery blocks. Treat these as rules of thumb the skill uses, not universal standards.

What does the skill need, and what are the safety notes?

The skill lists no required dependencies. It does not run scripts and does not use the network. It is made of instructions and reference documents only.

It is general leadership guidance. It covers founder mental health and burnout at a coaching level, so serious distress should go to a qualified professional. It does not replace advice from lawyers, accountants or experienced board counsel on legal, financial or board governance decisions.

• Requires: nothing listed
• Runs scripts: no
• Uses network: no
• Not a substitute for clinical mental health care
• Not a substitute for legal, financial or board governance advice

Tips for getting useful coaching

Bring real data. The calendar audit works best with the last four weeks of actual meetings, and the energy audit works best when you rate your own week honestly. Ask for one framework at a time so the answer stays focused.

Use the reference templates. The weekly CEO reflection template in the toolkit is a 15-minute Friday exercise you can repeat. Review your answers over several weeks to see patterns.

• Start with a single concrete problem, such as one task you keep doing yourself
• Give your team size and stage so the stage-based guidance applies to you
• Answer the self-assessment questions honestly; the archetype result depends on them
• Revisit the calendar audit periodically rather than once