The Trap of Being in Founder Mode
I've coached founders who've created over $100 billion in combined value.
And I don't believe in Founder Mode.
That tends to raise eyebrows, especially since Brian Chesky's talk at Y Combinator struck such a chord with founders everywhere. The story resonated: hire senior execs, delegate everything, stay out of the weeds, watch things fall apart. Then rediscover your founder instincts, get back into the details, and suddenly, magic.
But here's the thing: we just traded one dogma for another.
Now founders are using "Founder Mode" to stay stuck in patterns that don't serve them or the business.
Here's what's actually happening, and what works instead.
Blindly Following the Pendulum
For years, the startup gospel preached delegation. "Hire great people and get out of their way." "Focus on high-leverage activities." "Stay strategic, not tactical."
So founders did exactly that. They hired experienced executives. They backed off. They felt guilty every time they wanted to dive into product details or question a go-to-market decision.
Then Founder Mode gave them permission to care again. To get involved. To trust their instincts.
That permission was valuable. But it created a new trap.
Now the pendulum has swung the other direction. Founders use "Founder Mode" to justify micromanagement. To avoid delegation and the genuinely scary work of letting go. They stay in the weeds even when it doesn't serve the business or themselves.
The real insight? You don't want to get stuck in any mode.
Think about it like driving. Imagine your car stuck in fifth gear. Great on the highway. Disaster in traffic. You need different gears for different situations.
The best leadership isn't choosing a mode and sticking with it. It's developing the discernment to know what serves best in each moment.
The Art of Reading the Moment
Here's what actually matters:
What lights you up? If you're a product-minded founder who loves getting into the details, lean into that. Build your team around it. If you're more evangelical, energized by customers, speaking, vision-casting, design for that instead.
The question isn't "Should I be in Founder Mode or CEO Mode?" It's "What energizes me and what am I uniquely great at?"
What serves the business? Sometimes you're the best person to lead a critical product innovation. You have context nobody else has. Other times, your head of marketing would genuinely do better than you at go-to-market strategy.
Be honest about both.
What am I avoiding? This is the hard one. Are you getting into the details because it genuinely serves the business? Or because delegation feels scary?
I work with founders who are maxed out, stressed, and approaching burnout. When we dig in, they realize: "I keep stepping back in whenever something goes wrong. I try to handle it all. It's too much."
The issue isn't that they need to delegate more hours to become better CEOs. It's that they're protecting themselves from the fear of letting go.
Founder Mode gives that protection a name. Makes it seem strategic instead of scared.
The Hours Aren't the Point
Here's what I've learned coaching founders through this: the goal isn't to work fewer hours. It's not even about delegation versus involvement.
The goal is flow.
You can work 80 hours a week in a state of flow, doing work you love, fully engaged, energized. Or you can work 40 hours in a state of grinding, forcing, struggling.
The hours aren't the point. The quality of those hours is everything.
When founders think "Founder Mode" means hustle and grind and do-or-die intensity, they miss the actual opportunity: to spend their time doing what they're uniquely great at, in ways that feel alive.
Play to win. But make sure you're actually playing.
That means: let go of the dogma that you should always be in the details. And let go of the dogma that you should never be in the details.
Instead, build the muscle of discernment. Ask yourself:
- Does this energize me or drain me?
- Am I the best person for this, or am I protecting myself from letting go?
- What would serve the business most right now?
Sometimes the answer is: dive deep into product. Sometimes it's: trust your team and step back. Sometimes it's: get on a plane and talk to customers for a week.
There's no formula. Just honest discernment about what serves you and the business best.
The Permission You Actually Need
If Founder Mode gave you permission to care about the details again, great. Keep that permission.
But also give yourself permission to let go when letting go serves better.
Give yourself permission to design a role around what lights you up, not what some framework says you should do.
And most importantly: give yourself permission to spend your time in a state of flow rather than force, regardless of how many hours that is.
Because the real trap isn't Founder Mode or Manager Mode.
It's getting stuck in any fixed way of operating when what you actually need is the freedom to discern what serves best, moment by moment.
With love,
