Rules of the Game — CEO Operating Manual v2

Section 1

The 3 Strategic Mandates

Everything the CoS, EA, and Coach do ladders up to these three mandates. When in doubt, ask: "Does this serve Mandate 1, 2, or 3?"

1

Fill My Time With Revenue

The #1 job is ensuring the CEO's calendar is dominated by revenue-generating activities — customer meetings, pipeline reviews, deal support, QBRs. This is not about protecting time. It's about proactively filling it with the right things.

≥4 customer meetings/week 2 QBR ride-alongs/month

Monday Revenue War Room: never skipped
Top 20 logos: CEO touchpoint every 30 days

2

Make Every Meeting Count

Every meeting the CEO attends must have a clear POA — Purpose, Outcome, Ask — defined before it starts. No meeting runs past its scheduled time. Meetings are for decisions, not presentations.

100% meetings have POA ≥80% end on time

45-minute default, hard stop enforced
Maximum 6 meetings per day

3

Run the Accountability Loop

The CEO's effectiveness depends on daily bookends (morning reload + evening debrief), mid-week check-ins, and weekly retros. This loop catches drift before it compounds.

Daily: Morning reload + Evening debrief
Wednesday: Top-3 priority check
Thursday: Weekly retro + Next week plan
Weekly: Scorecard with 6 tracked metrics

Section 2

Who Does What

Clear role boundaries. Each person owns a specific layer — no overlaps, no gaps.

📅 EA — Calendar Guardian

Owns the mechanics. First line of defense on the CEO's time.

Schedule and protect all calendar blocks per the rules below
Enforce 45-min default meeting length
Enforce 15-min buffers between meetings
Enforce 6 meetings/day cap — if someone requests a 7th, ask "Which one do you want to drop?"
Auto-cancel meetings without agenda 24h before. Send: "Archit requires a written agenda 24 hours before. Please reschedule with one."
Exception: customer/prospect meetings don't need our agenda template
Batch CEO interviews to Friday 2-4pm only, VP+ final round only, max 1/week
Protect Solo Blocks (9:15-10am daily) — no meetings, no calls, no "quick chats"
Protect Friday 4pm Hard Stop — nothing scheduled after this, ever
Protect Tue/Wed/Thu 10am-12:30pm for customer meetings ONLY
Morning: confirm all today's meetings have agendas, flag any without to CoS
Log every calendar override by the CEO (date, rule broken, what happened)

📊 CoS — Strategic Effectiveness

Owns the CEO's output quality. Makes sure time produces results, not just activity.

Review every meeting agenda for POA quality — reject vague agendas back with: "Please add: What's the purpose? What outcome do we need? What's the ask of Archit?"
Prep Monday Revenue War Room materials (collected from sales leaders by Friday EOD)
Prep daily 1-page Salesforce brief for CEO's morning solo block
Run the morning reload: if CEO hasn't replied to AI bot by 9am, ping directly
Run the evening debrief (physical preferred, async if needed)
Track explore hours weekly — flag if approaching 2hrs by Wednesday
Pre-fill the weekly scorecard with actuals every Thursday by 3pm
Run the Wednesday top-3 check
Co-run the Thursday retro with Coach
Maintain the override log — share with coach weekly
Own the "killed initiatives" list — decline meetings about killed topics

🎯 Coach — Behaviour Accountability

Owns the behaviour shift. Ensures lasting change, not just temporary compliance.

Thursday retro: review scorecard, identify patterns, push on root causes
Hold the CEO accountable on commitments made in prior weeks
Receive CoS escalations when 3+ overrides happen
Help the CEO process why he overrides (the brainstorming urge, the explore pull, the Twitter escape)
Validate or challenge the top-3 priorities each week
Track behaviour trends month-over-month — are the shifts sticking?
Be the "last resort" enforcement: if CoS can't hold the line, coach addresses it directly

Section 3

Daily & Weekly Drumbeats

The invisible operating system. These timed, repeatable actions make everything else work. Consistency here is non-negotiable.

EA — Daily Drumbeats

Night Before (by 7pm)

Pull tomorrow’s meeting list
Flag any meetings without agenda → send reminder: “Agenda needed by 9am or this gets cancelled”
Confirm tomorrow is within 6-meeting cap
Confirm solo block and customer slots are untouched

Morning (by 9:00am)

Final agenda check — auto-cancel anything still missing agenda
Send CEO clean day view: “Today: X meetings. All have agendas. Solo block 9:15-10.”
Confirm no one has snuck into protected blocks overnight

During Every Meeting

Slack/message at 40-min mark: “5 minutes”
Slack/message at 45 min: “Time’s up”
If overrun → interrupt and log it

End of Day

Log actuals: how many meetings, how many overruns, any overrides
Share log with CoS

CoS — Daily Drumbeats

Morning (by 9:15am)

Check: did CEO reply to morning bot? If no reply by 9am → ping directly
Prep 1-page Salesforce brief: top deal movements, at-risk deals, CEO customer meetings today
Review all today’s agendas for POA quality — send back vague ones with template
Prepare “top 3 fires” — max 3, prioritized, one line each. Not a brain dump.
Deliver morning packet to CEO (Salesforce brief + meeting quality check + fires)

During Day

Track explore vs exploit time
If someone schedules meeting about killed initiative → decline it
If CEO pulled into unplanned fire → note it for the log

Evening (5 min, physical preferred)

Ask 4 questions: (1) “Did you do your ONE thing?” (2) “How many meetings ran over?” (3) “Any fires for tomorrow?” (4) “Anything for the override log?”
Log answers
If debrief skipped → send async message with the 4 questions

EA — Weekly Drumbeats

Friday 4pm: Collect Revenue War Room materials request from Aditya/Anjan — they must deliver by Monday 9am
Friday 4pm: Audit next week’s calendar: 6/day cap, 15-min buffers, solo blocks intact, customer slots clear
Friday 4pm: Check: are next week’s customer meeting slots filled? If empty → ping sales team EAs to book prospects
Monday 9am: Revenue War Room logistics confirmed (room/link, attendees, materials received)
Wednesday: Check if anyone added meetings violating rules for Thu/Fri. Clean up.
Thursday 5:30pm: LOCK next week’s calendar with CoS. No changes after this.
Monthly: Audit 1:1 cadence — all 14 directs on biweekly rotation? Schedule QBR ride-alongs (2x/month)

CoS — Weekly Drumbeats

Monday 9am: Revenue War Room — materials prepped, co-run alongside CEO
Monday post-war room: Capture action items, distribute to Aditya/Anjan, follow up by Wednesday
Tuesday: Check One Sec data: Twitter attempts this week. Note for scorecard.
Wednesday: Top-3 priority check with CEO (30 min). Explore hours within budget?
Wednesday: Update top-20 logos tracker — any touchpoints going stale (>30 days)?
Thursday by 3pm: Pre-fill scorecard with actuals from EA’s daily logs
Thursday 3-5pm: Scorecard review + retro with EA + Coach
Thursday by 6pm: Send written retro summary. Top 3 priorities for next week, locked.
Thursday 5:30pm: Lock next week’s calendar with EA
Friday: Compile weekly override report. Share with coach.
Friday: Ensure war room materials request is out to sales leaders
Monthly: Prep deal retrospective with Aditya + Anjan. Month-over-month behaviour trend for coach.

Behind the Scenes — What Makes It All Work

Pipeline Filling (EA): Customer meeting slots don’t fill themselves. EA proactively works with Aditya and Anjan’s teams every Friday to fill Tue/Wed/Thu 10-12:30 for the following week. Empty customer slots = failed Mandate 1.
POA Enforcement (CoS): Daily grind. Every agenda reviewed. Vague ones sent back. The single most important and most annoying part of the job. It trains the org to come prepared.
The Daily Log (EA): 5 min at end of day. Meetings count, overruns, overrides. This raw data feeds the Thursday scorecard. Without it, the scorecard is guesswork.
Salesforce Brief (CoS): Daily. Even if nothing changed. The act of putting it on the CEO’s desk every morning trains him to look at pipeline before meetings, not Twitter.
Stale Logo Check (CoS): Weekly. Which top-20 logos haven’t had a CEO touchpoint in 30+ days? Flag it, get a meeting booked. This is how “CEO in sales” doesn’t slip.

Section 4

The POA Framework

Every meeting the CEO attends must have a POA. No exceptions.

P

Purpose

Why are we meeting? (1 sentence)

"We're meeting to decide the pricing for Saudi Arabia e-invoicing."

O

Outcome

What will be true when this meeting ends? (1 sentence)

"We'll have approved pricing tiers and a launch date."

A

Ask

What do you need from the CEO specifically? (1 sentence)

"We need your sign-off on the 3-tier pricing model and approval to launch May 1."

Meeting Template

Meeting: [Title] Duration: 45 min POA: Purpose: [Why are we meeting?] Outcome: [What's decided/delivered by end?] Ask: [What specifically do you need from Archit?] Pre-read: [Link — max 2 pages]

POA Enforcement Rules

Meeting owner sends POA + pre-read 24 hours before
EA checks: Is there a POA? If not → auto-cancel
CoS checks: Is the POA clear? If vague → send back with the template
If a meeting doesn't need a decision or ask from the CEO → he shouldn't be in it. Decline.
Pre-reads replace presentations. Meetings start with "I've read it. Here's my reaction." not "Let me walk you through..."

Section 5

Hard Rules

Non-negotiable. The EA and CoS have permission to enforce these without asking. Every violation is logged.

Calendar Hard Rules

Default meeting length: 45 minutes
Maximum meetings per day: 6
Buffer between meetings: 15 minutes
Solo block 9:15-10:00 AM daily: immovable
Customer slots Tue/Wed/Thu 10:00-12:30: customer meetings only
Friday 4:00 PM: HARD STOP. No exceptions.
Interviews: VP+ final round only, Friday 2-4pm, max 1/week

Meeting Enforcement Scripts

When Archit extends a meeting past time:

1At 40 min → message: "5 minutes remaining"

2At 45 min → "Time's up. Wrapping now."

3If he continues → physically interrupt or drop from call: "Archit, you're into your next block."

4Log it as an override

When Archit adds a 7th meeting:

1"You're at 6 today. Which one do you want to drop?"

2Do NOT squeeze it in. Force the trade-off.

3If he insists → log as override

When Archit moves a Solo Block:

1"Coach rule — this doesn't move. What do you need the time for?"

2Offer the sparring slot as alternative

3If he insists → log as override

When Archit schedules evening/weekend calls:

1"This is outside work hours. Logging it."

2Log for Thursday scorecard. Target: ZERO

When agenda is missing:

1EA auto-cancels: "Please reschedule with a written agenda and POA."

2Do not ask Archit — just enforce

Exploit vs Explore Guard

Maximum 2 hours per week on explore topics. CoS tracks and flags if approaching limit by Wednesday.

EXPLORE (budget: ≤2 hrs/week)

New country evaluation beyond current 4
New product ideation beyond roadmap
Partnerships / M&A
"What if" brainstorms about new markets

EXPLOIT (unlimited — this is the job)

Customer meetings, pipeline reviews, deal support, QBRs
Current product decisions
Sales enablement, GTM in current markets
Hiring for current roles

Currently KILLED — Do Not Schedule Meetings

US GTM — killed March 2026

Agentic AI beyond core e-invoicing — killed March 2026

If anyone requests a meeting on a killed initiative → CoS declines: "This initiative is currently paused."

Section 6

Daily Operating Rhythm

The daily bookends that keep the CEO grounded and accountable.

Morning Protocol (before 9:15 AM)

The CEO's Morning

Phone charges outside bedroom

Twitter blocker active

6:30 AM — AI bot texts

"What's your ONE thing today?"

CEO replies BEFORE touching any other app

The ONE thing must connect to one of the week's top 3 priorities

CoS Morning Prep (delivered by 9:15 AM)

1-page Salesforce brief

Top deal movements, at-risk flags, CEO customer meetings today

Today's meeting list with POA status

Received? Quality check?

Top 3 fires from overnight

Max 3, prioritized — not a brain dump

EA Morning Check

Confirm all meetings have agendas

Flag missing ones to CoS

Auto-cancel any meeting without agenda by 9:15

Confirm day is within 6-meeting cap

Evening Protocol (at day's end)

Physical debrief preferred (5 min with CoS). If skipped, async message.

CoS Asks 4 Questions:

1

"Did you do your ONE thing?"
Log yes/no

2

"How many meetings ran over?"
Log count

3

"Any fires for tomorrow?"
Capture, prioritize

4

"Anything for the override log?"
CEO self-reports

Escalation: If the CEO skipped the evening debrief 2 days in a row → CoS raises in Wednesday check-in.

Section 7

Weekly Operating Rhythm

The weekly cadence that drives accountability and planning.

Wednesday: Top-3 Priority Check

CoS + CEO, 30 min — Mid-week pulse. Are we on track?

Agenda:

Review the 3 priorities set on Thursday → status: on track / at risk / blocked
What needs to shift for Thu-Fri to get them done?
Explore hours so far this week — within budget?
Any fires that have pulled CEO off priorities?

Output: Updated priority status, any calendar changes for Thu-Fri

Thursday: Weekly Retro + Next Week Plan

EA + CoS + Coach, 60 min — The most important meeting of the week.

Part 1 — Scorecard Review

15 min — CoS leads

Present the 6 metrics: actuals vs targets
CEO self-assesses, CoS validates
Flag any discrepancies

Part 2 — Override Log Review

10 min — CoS leads

Walk through every rule break this week
Pattern recognition: is the same rule breaking every week?
Identify root cause — not just "he extended a meeting" but "why did he feel the need to?"

Part 3 — Behaviour Retro

15 min — Coach leads

What behaviour shifted this week? What didn't?
What triggered the override moments? (stress, specific person, topic?)
One behaviour commitment for next week — specific, observable, measurable
Check on last week's commitment — did it hold?

Part 4 — Next Week Plan

15 min — CoS leads, EA confirms logistics

Top 3 priorities for next week (concrete: verb + deliverable + deadline)
Customer meetings lined up? (target ≥4)
Any explore topics on the calendar? (within 2hr budget?)
EA confirms: calendar is within rules, all meetings have POA assigned
LOCK the calendar — no changes after Thursday 5:30pm without override logging

Part 5 — Wrap

5 min

One sentence from each person: what's the one thing that will make next week successful?
CoS sends written summary to all 3 within 1 hour

Section 8

Weekly Scorecard

6 metrics tracked every week. CoS pre-fills actuals by Thursday 3pm.

Scorecard — Week of: ___________

#	Metric	Target	CEO Self-Score	CoS Actual
1	Customer meetings attended	≥4/week	___	___
2	Meetings ended on time	≥80%	___	___
3	Solo blocks honored (of 5)	≥4/5	___	___
4	Hours on explore topics	≤2 hrs	___	___
5	Evening/weekend calls	0	___	___
6	Pipeline reviewed (Salesforce)	Yes	___	___

Weekly Score: ___/6 targets hit

Override Log

Date	Rule Broken	Context	CEO Justification	Pattern?

Escalation Tiers

1-2 overrides/week Log it, discuss in Thursday retro

3+ overrides/week CoS alerts coach BEFORE Thursday

Same metric missed 3 weeks running Coach escalates approach, considers structural change

Section 9

The First 30 Days

Implementation checklist. Check items off as you go — progress is saved automatically.

Overall Progress

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