Founder Mode
PGraham’s post was unavoidable last week. I have many complicated feelings about him. It’s difficult for me to fairly parse the article. He made good points, but his perspective is so deep in the silicon valley “we’re so smart and we improve everything” mentality. What he described is Good Management, overcomplicated by hype and reinvention from first principles.
I've been a “professional manager” working for founders for the last 15 years. My perspective from the other size of the org chart is a snippy "well, duh. we all knew this already!" Who is PG's advice for?
1) Don’t get hamstrung by the org chart.
Getting the “100 best” people together regardless of org chart is a good practice that lots of companies do. It’s not just a Steve Jobs thing. Understanding the vibe of your organization is essential. Any leader (founder or not) struggles to balance hands-off versus hands-on. Knowing when to delegate and trust is complicated. Most founders fail to operationalize interactions and fall into surprise inspections.
2) Apply leverage where leverage needs applying.
If something in the organization isn’t working then somebody needs to fix it. If something’s important to the business, it should get the appropriate level of time and attention. A good Founder or Professional Manager would dig into things that need their attention. Only a bad leader would sit back and let the organization fail because it’s not their job.
3) Most advice is bad and wrong.
LinkedIn Lunatics, scam artists, and frauds are everywhere in every business. PG makes a good point, but he leans heavily on the myth of the founder, as if they have an innate business magic. Trust no one! Only the heart of a founder can succeed!
The special thing about a founder is they CARE the most. In software and management we have academic research and best practices at our fingertips, but almost nobody looks at it. Most of us are reading blogs and buying self-help books at the airport bookstore. Most of our problems were solved already.