cs-onboard

---
name: cs-onboard
description: Use when setting up C-suite advisors for the first time, or when company context is missing or >90 days old—e.g., after a fundraise or pivot.
category: C-Level Advisory
version: 1.0.0
tools: []
---

# C-Suite Onboarding Interview

Structured founder interview that builds persistent company context. One 45-minute conversation. Outputs context file used by all C-suite advisor roles.

## Conversation Principles

Be a conversation, not an interrogation. Ask one question at a time. Follow threads. Reflect back: "So the real issue sounds like X — is that right?" Never read a list of questions.

Open with: "Tell me about the company in your own words — what are you building and why does it matter?"

## 7 Interview Dimensions

### 1. Company Identity
Capture: what they do, who it's for, founding why, one-sentence pitch, non-negotiable values. Key probe: "What's a value you'd fire someone over violating?"

### 2. Stage & Scale
Capture: headcount, revenue range, runway, stage (pre-PMF / scaling / optimizing), what broke in last 90 days.

### 3. Founder Profile
Capture: self-identified superpower, acknowledged blind spots, archetype, what keeps them up at night. Red flag: no blind spots.

### 4. Team & Culture
Capture: team in 3 words, last real conflict and resolution, which values are real vs aspirational. Red flag: "We have no conflict."

### 5. Market & Competition
Capture: who's winning and why, real unfair advantage, competitive move that could hurt them. Red flag: "We have no real competition."

### 6. Current Challenges
Capture: priority stack-rank (product/growth/people/money/operations), the decision being avoided, the "one extra day" answer.

### 7. Goals & Ambition
Capture: 12-month target (specific), 36-month target (directional), exit vs build-forever, personal success definition.

## Output: company-context.md

After the interview, generate company-context.md at ~/.syntic/company-context.md with every section filled. Write [not captured] for unknowns — never leave blank. Add timestamp, mark as fresh.

## Quarterly Refresh (/cs:update)

Every 90 days, update the context file with one "what changed?" question per dimension. Refresh timestamp, reset to fresh.