Founder vs Builder
As the traditional marriage saying goes, “the wife is the neck that supports the husband's head”.
But what about in your organization?
You have two types of people in business as it is growing. You have the founder, and then you have the builder.
- Bill Gates & Paul Allen (Microsoft)
- Steve Jobs & Steve Wozniak (Apple)
- Larry Page & Sergey Brin (Google)
These are just a few examples and in no particular order. What sticks out is typically the visionary is front and center stage. The number two is in the background building and often unseen.
I lived under a visionary for years. My father. His ability to envision something from nothing was fascinating, but there was always this friction in my mind. “How the heck do you intend to pull that off?” My mind raced to look at potential threats, weaknesses, and liabilities in his assessments. Not that I wanted him to fail. But his blindspot sensors, at times, became faulty.
As the founder, there is ego attached to just about everything in the organization. YOU BUILT IT. The thinking is understandable. But for you to reach new heights, you need stabilization. You need a framework, systems, and processes. Maybe even fresh eyeballs.
I can only imagine how hard it is for you to jump from one level to the next in your organization. Some do not even make it that far. So if you have made at least a leap, and/or are trying, then congratulations!
Those like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs jump without hanging on to what is below them.
They Let Go.
Scientifically, multi-tasking has been disproven. Your brain can only focus on one thing at a time. Therefore, why would you try to do it all in your business? It’s like grocery shopping and talking on the phone. Does not work.
One way to sniff out a good builder in your organization is by looking for a curious individual. You know, the one who is always digging around. May seem like they are snooping, but they are genuinely looking at ways to do things more efficiently. You might also see this in them questioning everything.
Task them to find a way to do something better. Want to level up? Task them to work with a team and level up some areas of the business. You will then see their leadership skills and problem-solving abilities.
This is by far the hardest thing for founders to do. But without a strong neck, you can’t hold your head up and see things on a swivel. You end up with your head looking back down, in the weeds, and not going in the right direction.
In order to let go and focus on your sweet spot, you need a builder to support you.
You got this! I believe in you. There are many other entrepreneurs in the trenches with you and you are not alone.
Your employees need you to be looking out and around. So does your vision.
