Recently I heard an entrepreneur interview and the question of the founder’s role came up. Normally, you hear the typical answers like set the vision, recruit the team, make sure there’s cash in the bank, etc. Only, here I heard one I hadn’t heard before: the founder acts as a shock absorber for the startup.
The more I think about this, the more I like it. A shock absorber is defined as “something that serves to reduce or mitigate the worst effects of an unwelcome occurrence or experience.” In startupland, high highs and low lows are a regular occurrence. While thoughtful transparency of the good and bad is often the right approach, it does need to be modulated and presented with the appropriate commentary.
Right now, things are especially choppy in the world of startups. With so many startups laying off people, it’s easy to just see the doom and gloom. In reality, many startups have strong businesses and will continue to do well, but they also got ahead of themselves raising too much money and burning too much capital. Founders, as shock absorbers, need to get out in front and work with team members and other constituents to help “mitigate the worst effects of an unwelcome experience.” Communication, beyond simply writing an email or blog post, is always the best approach. People naturally get worried and need to be reassured repeatedly. Communicate, communicate, communicate.
The next time you think of a founder’s roles and responsibilities, add shock absorber to the list.
Entrepreneur
via https://www.aiupnow.com
David Cummings, Khareem Sudlow
