The Tragic Echoes of Founder's Syndrome in Greek Drama

Businesses, corporations, and non-profit organizations constantly emerge and evolve. As they do, entrepreneurs, founders, CEOs, and boards would be well served to reflect on change through lenses that have existed since time immemorial.

The word "theatre" has Greek origins, loosely translated as "the seeing place." America's preeminent acting teacher, Stella Adler, once said, "It is the place people come to see the truth about life and the social situation."

As I prepare to teach a nonprofit management course in the fall, I offer you the beginning of a case study as an example using this perspective.

Founder's syndrome mirrors Greek tragedy's timeless themes. Both feature heroes; great, good men, undone by their own success. Ancient playwrights and modern business analysts alike explore how hubris leads to downfall.

In Greek drama, excessive pride drives heroes to overreach, sealing their fate. Similarly, founders often cling to power, convinced of their indispensability. This stubbornness, once key to their success, becomes their undoing.

As Oedipus blinded himself to truth, founders may ignore changing realities. They bully their way towards relevance, oblivious to how their grip strangles the very organization they birthed. The tragic hero of Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex” has an unwavering belief in his own intellect and leadership abilities that leads him to aggressively pursue the truth about Thebes' curse, despite warnings to desist.

Across millennia, the lesson remains: greatness without humility courts disaster.

The inability to adapt to changing circumstances, is yet another hallmark of founder's syndrome, and a recurring theme in Greek tragedy. Ajax, in Sophocles' play of the same name, is unable to accept a world where he is not the most honored warrior. His rigidity in the face of change leads to his downfall. Similarly, founders experiencing founder's syndrome often struggle to adapt their leadership style or relinquish control as their organization evolves, potentially stunting its growth or leading to its decline.

The concept of fate in Greek tragedy also finds a parallel in founder's syndrome. Tragic heroes often rail against their fate, much as founders might resist the natural evolution of their organization. Pentheus in Euripides' "The Bacchae" refuses to accept the new religious practices in Thebes, much like a founder might resist new methodologies or technologies, ultimately leading to disaster.

Furthermore, the Greek tragic hero's moment of anagnorisis, or recognition, where they finally understand their fatal flaw, mirrors the potential for self-realization in founders. Just as Creon in "Antigone" finally recognizes his error in judgment too late to prevent tragedy, founders may come to understand the damage their overly controlling behavior has caused only after significant harm to their organization.

The chorus in Greek tragedy, offering commentary and often unheeded advice, can be likened to the board members, employees, or advisors who may try to guide a founder away from destructive patterns of behavior. The tragic hero's dismissal of the chorus's warnings parallels a founder's potential disregard for stakeholder input.

Lastly, the concept of catharsis in Greek tragedy - the purging of emotions through witnessing the hero's fall - can be seen as a cautionary tale for modern organizations. By understanding the tragic potential of founder's syndrome through these ancient stories, modern leaders and organizations might hope to avoid similar fates.

In conclusion, while founder's syndrome is a contemporary concept, its psychological underpinnings are as old as storytelling itself. The Greek tragedians, in their explorations of power, pride, and human fallibility, laid the groundwork for understanding the complex dynamics that can lead a once-successful founder to become their organization's greatest liability.

Joanna has an spent the first half of her professional life as a Producing Artistic Director in regional theatre and as a Broadway Stage Manager. She has a Masters of Fine Arts in Directing from Penn State University.