Weeknote: From Founder to Flourish: Founder's Syndrome
*Starkeeper Morton is CEO aka Keeper of The Haven in Stonehaven amongst many other things
Lately I have been thinking a lot about succession planning (which might be another weeknote for another time). During the pandemic I did CEO Training with the Social Enterprise Academy and it was a pure lifeline that connected me with many amazing humans who still support each other today. But that is where I first heard the term "Founder's Syndrome" and I have been absolute paranoid about it ever since.
What is Founder's Syndrome?
Founder's Syndrome is a common challenge in many organisations, particularly non-profits and start-ups. It occurs when founders, whose passion and vision initially drive success, struggle to relinquish control as the organisation evolves.
Founder's Syndrome happens when the founder's influence remains disproportionately high, affecting decision-making processes and organisational development. Founders often resist change, holding onto past methods and strategies, which can stifle innovation and adaptation to new challenges.
The Impact on Organisations
Stagnation: The organisation struggles to evolve because the founder's reluctance to embrace new ideas prevents progress.
Decision Bottlenecks: Centralised decision-making slows down operations and reduces efficiency.
Leadership Gaps: Emerging leaders feel stifled, leading to a lack of succession planning and future leadership crises.
Cultural Challenges: A founder-centric culture can demotivate staff, leading to high turnover and low morale.
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What Actions The Haven has Taken
As soon as I discovered the concept of Founder's Syndrome the Haven Board agreed to put measures in place to prevent it happening as well
Increase Capacity: An organisation should not rely solely on one person and we made sure we put more measures in place. An organisation should run well without you, but better with you.
Don't Micro Manage: Empower team members to make decisions, nurturing a more inclusive leadership style.
Different Perspectives: Ensure board members have a safe space to provide and freely share unbiased insights and guidance.
Leadership Breaks - as a way to test the robustness of the organisation beyond the founder there is a 3 month sabbatical at 5 years and a 6 month sabbatical at 10 years.
Succession Planning - which is where I am now, 7 years in on this on this Founder Journey.
As always welcome all your thoughts!
Funding & Communications
4 个月An interesting read - especially the part about Founders Syndrome. The previous charity I worked for the CEO very much had/has FS. So much so, that's partly why I left. Glad to see you're thinking about it - but what a decision/thought process that must be. I don't envy you!!!