The Burden
Many entrepreneurs complain about routine fatigue. The phrase “I want to get out of day-to-day operations” has already become a cliché. Hiring “star” top managers brings no relief, because the founder ends up carrying both the business and the star on his back. But the belief in getting rid of the shackles is strong. The founder is regularly seduced by novelties, fashionable in his circle, that promise, “Do X and paradise will come!”. From buying ERP systems to creating a board of directors, the founder seems to have tried everything. Each false start fills the heart with cynicism while the fatigue grows.
If some behavior is persistently repeated, it means the person needs it for something. The impossibility of letting go means the fear of losing some value. What value exactly, the founder may not know. For one founder, the solution is to neutralize what the real or imagined fear is based on. For another, questioning the value would be helpful — maybe it is someone else’s and not one’s own. And for the third, the breakthrough will occur after the vector of personal meaning is clarified. This is when the value in question, like a toy on a Christmas tree, is placed in the hierarchy of values where it should be.
Even a cursory glance reveals a variety of reasons for the “day-to-day operations” problem. Therefore, there is no single solution for everyone. You have to look carefully at the particular business and personality of the founder, not trying to squeeze uniqueness into a template. This is both a science and an art. Executive coaching, Gestalt therapy or MBA courses do not teach this. What matters is the synthesis of a variety of disciplines, modalities, and businesses, taking place in the catalytic reactor of reflection on the experience of life.
When I was a co-founder and CEO myself, I, unfortunately, did not know such an expert, though I desperately needed one. He would have helped me avoid unnecessary pitfalls and disasters. More importantly, he would have helped me reach my desired future 10 to 15 years earlier. The best startups grow out of the acute needs of the founders. Perhaps that is how my business therapy was born.
Sincerely yours,
-Alexander
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As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.
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