Don’t Believe Your Own B.S.
Read time: 3 min
Meeting an outstanding Founder is like coming face-to-face with a true force of nature.
They see what others do not.
How else can you sell a product to customers that doesn’t exist yet?
Steve Jobs is a testament to the “reality distortion” visionary leaders need to redefine industries.
The dude introduced the mouse.
Think about it for a moment… The mouse! 😂
But here’s the danger: visionary superpowers cut both ways.
Without enough self-awareness, it can just destroy a startup from within.
There are countless examples.
Weworkcrashed…
The 'King of Crypto' (FTX) orchestrated the largest financial fraud in American history.
Elizabeth Holmes, the "new Steve Jobs," deceived the world with Theranos' fake blood-testing technology.
You might have the ability to see the future, but if you don’t learn to see beyond your own bullshit, you can destroy the very company you’ve worked so hard to build.
How to Avoid the BS Trap?
Scale and Delegate:
As your company grows beyond the hands-on stage and cultural values are set, elevate decisions and delegate control.
Limit your control to two conditions:
When the decision is strategic (not tactical)
When the decision is mission-critical
Empower Teamwork:
Create a clear, consistent process to support empowered teamwork.
This helped leadership identify key strategic areas needing support.
Founder Press ≠ Company Press
Beware of the slippery slope of PR.
Good intentions can lead to PR hell.
Media loves a good “Founder/Genius” story, and once it becomes the narrative, it’s nearly impossible to change.
And it quickly becomes a massive distraction.
Conclusion
Seeing beyond the present is essential for building the future.
By all means, we desperately need visionary leaders who take even more risks!
However, the personality traits that drive startup creation can also hinder its success.
Founders who succeed often share humbling lessons taming their ego and cultivating stronger self-awareness.
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Keep building,