Do you have founder’s syndrome? How to see, understand and treat it
Founder’s syndrome occurs when a strong-minded founder, who battled against odds to build an organization, ends up becoming its biggest constraint to growth.
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I struggled with this for many years with the startup I cofounded. At the end of the day, my enjoyment in the business was inversely related to the size of the business (my cofounder used to give me shit along the lines of "why are you always depressed when things are going well"). It is really important to recognize when your alignment with the success of the business is off, but also that while it usually means you need to change, it will sometimes (if more rarely) indicate a problem with the direction of the business. In my case it was more the former, and I ended up leaving and going to back to my hacker roots (hence why I've just joined indiehackers :)
Love this! Thanks for sharing Alan. I totally feel you regarding that inverse relationship.
As a photographer, I've at times been at odds with selling my art in larger quantities (I sold to a hospital system that's using my photos in 10+ locations). While I was excited, I also struggled with feeling like I sold out or something.
Cheers to your hacker journey!
Oh my, yes. yes. yes.
I've seen it in the first two startups that I worked for, however, I've never seen it articulated as it was in this article.
The symptoms of founder's syndrome are very similar to what I and my teammates encountered — and it was infuriating at times:
Interesting... Does it apply to indie makers that do not want to accept that their project is not going to make money and they should change?
To some extent yes.
In general, though, founder's syndrome is experienced within the context of a team, which would indicate some form of success i.e. a company or product making enough money to have several employees.
That said, it could occur in an organization in which there's a founder that's leading a team of people (volunteers or interns, for example). Those examples however wouldn't necessarily be the same as an employer-employee relationship as they could more easily walk away.
I had founder's syndrome with the first marketing agency I started. Fortunately, my wife's candor gently opened my eyes
Not only were all (3) or my employees more experienced but also were making the right decisions without my guidance or strategy. I felt like I was often catching up to them and at times holding them back.
As the article notes: I felt as though I were a victim of my mental models and behaviors — lost and sincerely struggling to protect the interests of the organization.
When I saw how my team was able to thrive without me, I felt more at ease about selling it because I knew it was in good hands and would go on to great things.
I have a friend right now that's struggling with "founder's syndrome." He's become aware that his leadership style isn't allowing his team of 10+ people to thrive and is contemplating what's next.
It must be super tough to think of letting go of the reins of an organization that you built but I commend his awareness. More often than not, founders will hold on tightly and not let their companies go onto the next level if they are not the captain of the ship.
I believe that, regularly, founders should be checking in with themselves on whether they're still the right leader for their company.
People have to let go of ego in the process — as well as emotional attachments — but stepping out at the right time could ultimately let their company thrive and achieve the success that it couldn't have otherwise. It's an understandable challenge. Many people think it's a reflection of their "inability" rather than a demonstration of awareness and humility.
Curious if IHers here have ever worked for a founder with "founder's syndrome"? How'd you deal with it? Have you ever experienced it yourself and had to step aside?