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The debate around founder mode has been raging for a while now. On the one hand, there are fans like Jensen Huang (at Nvidia) and Brian Chesky (at Airbnb) who believe leaders should maintain a hands-on approach at every level of business. Taking this to the extreme is Elon Musk, who apparently has access to a “demon mode,” too.
On the other side of the debate are supporters of “manager mode” — those who believe in the power of delegation and rely on their teams to deliver on the founder’s vision.
As the founder of a consumer finance company in a fast-paced industry, I confess that I find founder mode deeply appealing. The approach pushes me to operate at a high level of output, optimize my life and embrace a growth mindset. I love that it solves management clogs and ramps up the speed from decision to action.
Building a number of businesses has taught me, however, that a more nuanced and targeted application of founder mode is vital to avoid certain pitfalls.
It begins with a little psychology: understanding that every founder has a fear of losing control as their company grows. (After all, it’s your painstaking approach that got you to where you are today, right?) But ask yourself: Are employees frozen as they wait for your approvals? Are pipelines clogging up because you’re “the only one who can do it”?
If the answer is yes, it might be time to question the value of the very mindset that served you so well when you launched.
For any founder still figuring out their approach, here are the essential questions that are helping me fine-tune those founder-mode instincts and evolve my role to match my growing company’s needs.
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Am I deeply involved, or am I a micromanager?
The main characteristic of founder mode — the need to be deeply involved in every aspect of the business at all times — is a double-edged sword. The same ability to quickly diagnose problems and “do it all,” which can be critical at the early stage of a venture, can curdle into micromanaging as the business grows.
Sure, the Brian Cheskys of the world will shrug and say micromanaging is actually a good thing. But, generally, micromanaged employees sag under excess meetings; their creativity is stifled; and their productivity plummets.
My antidote? Every morning and every night, I check custom dashboards that chart our core KPIs. If the metrics look healthy, I can have faith that department heads have things covered, and there’s no need to meddle.
I’ll only switch on founder mode and roll up my sleeves if the numbers warrant it.
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Am I focused, or is this tunnel vision?
During my daily dashboard reviews, I’ll inevitably notice an underperforming KPI. My instinct, of course, is to dive straight in and fix it. Get it done. But I force myself to pause and really ask why those numbers are off.
Is it an external issue? A product issue? (In either case, I will give myself permission to switch to founder mode and tackle the problem myself.) But what if the problem is actually my own assumptions?
If it’s the latter, then founder mode is a losing strategy because the solution lies outside of me. I need external input. Maybe I need advice from department heads. Or maybe I need to tap into the collective wisdom of my board, a tactic that’s had a significant impact at pivotal moments in my business growth.
I remind myself that soliciting feedback will lead to a helpful course correction, not a brick wall.
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Am I enabling a growth mindset, or am I causing burnout?
Like most founders, I’m ruthlessly focused on growth — treading water just isn’t an option, especially in the first few years of your company’s life, when you’re securing market share and establishing your brand. Sometimes, that growth mindset has meant sleeping on the office sofa or skipping weekends.
But all that’s counterproductive if my focus on growth encourages a culture of burnout. Researchers have been clear on this one: when workers are pushed to the edge, it usually backfires for the whole company. Similarly, those who try to “maximize” their productivity through multitasking life hacks often get less done.
Bringing balance to that growth mindset is the only sustainable path. Leaders can encourage their teams to create long-term plans that let them hit a sprint when necessary while pulling back when they can. Letting employees curate their own schedule allows for more productivity in the long run — and it reduces costly turnover, too.
Modeling that balance can go a long way. The truth is, my business would easily survive if I took a three-week vacation, and everyone should feel that way about their own role. We’re all going farther together when we give each other permission to fuel up.
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Am I charging forward, or am I forgetting to celebrate past wins?
When I’m “heads down” in founder mode, it’s easy to become solely focused on the next goal. Pausing to recognize what’s already been achieved can feel like a distraction or, worse, a loss of momentum.
But not everyone’s the same. And, at the risk of stating the obvious, Gallup’s researchers have shown how a bit of positive feedback along the way increases profitability, productivity and employee well-being. Company-wide, the drive associated with founder mode will eventually sputter out if we forget to mark those wins.
Always build in time to call out success with the team. Just as important: help the team see how past wins set them up for future wins, too. After all, acknowledging what went right doesn’t mean you’re slowing down; you’re actually just adding more wind to your sails.
It’s not about you — It’s about the goal
Founder mode has so many positives (holistic understanding, lightning decisions, lean org charts), but its main failing — its original sin — is that it’s all about the founder. And — once your startup leaves the garage — no one person can really do it all.
Asking myself those tough questions is what helps me target my finite time and energy toward areas where they’re most needed. And, on the flip side, answering those questions tells me when my founder mode energy may be hurting more than it’s helping.
Here’s what’s truly surprising for those of us who wish we could stay “obsessively” involved with every aspect of the company we created: being judicious about founder mode won’t dilute your impact at all — focusing that superpower on the right moments and the right problems actually makes you more effective than ever.
