The Rules for Entrepreneurs

Avoiding Founderitis

What is Founderitis? It is been called “Founders Syndrome” and it is not some type of medical disease but rather a disease that can infect your business if you are not careful.

One definition of “Founderitis” is stated as follows:

“œThe term “œfounderitis” or “œfounder’s syndrome” refers to the unhealthy condition that afflicts many companies whose founders maintain a stranglehold on organizational leadership. While many companies owe their success “” and in fact their very existence “” to their founders, those same individuals can create chaos that ultimately leads to the organization’s collapse. The challenge to founding CEOs and boards of directors is to take steps to change conflict and chaos into opportunities for growth.”

Diagnosing Founderitis

I came across this funny diagnosis from Infoshackle.com and it comes complete with a 12 step program.

“When Founderitis strikes, the Founder’s drive, energy and vision, characteristics crucial to the startup’s initial success, become a hindrance to the company’s maturation into a self-sustaining entity. To assess yourself or a loved one for Founderitis, determine if any of the following symptoms are present:

• Inability to delegate
• Anger when not included in every decision
• Paranoia derived from a sense that the venture is “œslipping out of their control”
• Ignoring input from subject-matter experts
• Expressing prescient knowledge, even when lacking subject-matter expertise
• Lack of respect for formalized planning
• Subterfuge of efforts to institute procedures, processes and controls

Founderitis is akin to an active, engaged parent who is a wonderful caregiver until the child reaches adolescence.

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One of the most insidious aspects of Founderitis is that the more profound the case, the deeper the denial on the part of the carrier. The afflicted Founder will honestly believe that all of his actions are in the company’s best interest, though their definition of “˜best interest’ is actually whatever is in their own “˜self-interest’.

5 Ways to Avoid Founderitis

I have personally experience this running my own business. I have found some ways to avoid it:

1. Respect the need for planning activities, staff meetings, and administrative policies;
2. Realize that as the company grows circumstances may dictate new approaches;
3. Institute new systems with approval of your board;
4. Seek and accept input from others in making decisions;
5. Delegate, Delegate, Delegate

Don’t worry if you can’t over come this there is a simple solution. The route many take is to get your board to hire a professional CEO and take a long vacation.

Hire me! I am actively looking for full-time work. If you're interested in discussing opportunities, please email me at aaron@technosailor.com

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