If the Shoe Fits: Founder Talk vs. Founder Walk
by Miki SaxonA Friday series exploring Startups and the people who make them go. Read all If the Shoe Fits posts here
Founders constantly talk about their need for ‘self-starters’ and ‘independent workers’.
They look for people who will ‘take the ball and run with it’.
They want high initiative and creative problem-solving.
What they really crave is a self-managing workforce or as close as they can get.
The disconnect results from the differences between what they say and their MAP.
If MAP fears any of the following then there is no way the walk can live up to the talk.
And while the answers to these questions require being brutally honest with yourself, they do not require being made public.
- Does letting go/delegating equal loss of control?
- Is your self esteem tied to methodology or accomplishments (AKA, your way or the highway)?
- Do you believe it’s more important that work is done well, than where or how it happens?
- Does your self-esteem equate control to power?
- Do you believe that people are intelligent, motivated and really care about their company’s success, OR that they are that you need to watch them every minute if anything is going to get done?
- How much of a micromanager are you?
Once you identify attitudes that need to change it’s up to you to modify your MAP as needed.
MAP can be changed, but those changes must originate internally—they can’t be forced by circumstances or other people, although either can be motivators.
Image credit: HikingArtist