Issue 29 - on Founder's Syndrome

Do you, or anyone you know, suffer from 'Founder's syndrome'?
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Here are some extracts from the Wikipedia definition:

"The organization is strongly identified with the founder, and a result sometimes believed to be related to the founder's ego.".

"Obsessive leadership style".

"Founders tend to make all decisions without a formal process or feedback from others."
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"Decisions are made in crisis mode, with little forward planning."
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"Staff meetings are held generally to rally the troops, get status reports, and assign tasks, there is little meaningful strategic development, limited professional development. little organizational infrastructure in place"

"Higher levels of micromanagement"

"no succession plan."

"recruits find that they are not able to contribute in an effective and professional way.""

"The founder, who is usually the CEO or managing director, suffers HiPPO (Highest-paid-person's opinion), which means that often their ideas, decisions, etc. keep winning over the actual better ideas, decisions, etc."

"The founder becomes increasingly paranoid as delegation is required, or business management needs are greater than their training or experience."

To me, much of this looks like the classic painful transition from one-person-band, to few-person-band, to full-blown company.

Which in the view of the writer of this Wikipedia entry, clearly means the transition from a small, personal, human-scaled business to a large, impersonal capitalist corporation.

The founder wants to keep things personal and true to their original, brilliant vision. New owners, investors, or new management want to make things efficient, corporate, impersonal. Along the way it will also become a lot less brilliant.
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As far as the founder is concerned, they want to make it 'someone else's business'.
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Of course the founder resists.
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So would I!
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There is of course a preventive for 'Founder's syndrome':

Embed the founding vision and personality into the operating processes of your business before you try to scale. Write your unique business music down as a Customer Experience Score, so other people can play it as well as or better than you.
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That way, you'll be able to grow your brilliant business in line with your own vision. Without managers, even without investors other than the people you serve.
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The best of both worlds: personal, true to the original vision and magnifying your impact.
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This sounds hard to do.

It's actually not as hard as you might think. Especially if you have a proven process to follow. And people to support you along the way.

After all, for a long time, you aren't 'gone', you've just blended yourself in. Your disappearance is gradual. It starts with evenings and weekends, then holidays, longer holidays - a shorter working week.

Everyone has plenty of time to get used to it.

Including you.

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It's probably better to say it's hard to get started on Disappearing.

Why?

Because it's a step into the unknown.
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​What if it doesn't work? ​
​What if this is the wrong choice? ​
​What if there is something better out there?

To which in all honesty, the answers have to be: 'It might not work for you. It might be the wrong choice for you. There might well be something better out there for you.'

But if you know you want to change your relationship with your business, there's only one way to find out what the right solution for you is.

And that's to take a step into the unknown.

My job is to make taking that step as easy and as comfortable for you as possible. To show you as quickly as possible that what we do together will give you what you need. To make sure that even if you decide to stop, you still feel you've gained something worthwhile.

Take that step.

I'll hold your hand.

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