Founder and Co-founder Coaching. Title image with a male and female in business attire smiling next to each other. Quotes that they are saying, "I'm struggling to manage competing priorities." "Sometimes I get frustrated with my board, cofounder, or employees." and "I want to make the business a success."

FOUNDER AND CO-FOUNDER COACHING FOR HIGH ACHIEVERS

Euphoria is a Memory; Now You are Just Tired

You had a great idea. Now, with some sweat, tears, and victories under your belt, you realize the horrible truth. Running an organization means that you have to deal with humans–yourself, maybe a co-founder, investors, a board, and employees.

You find yourself juggling not only the incessant demands of growth but the frustrations, conversations, and misunderstandings of navigating other humans.

Some founders love the human aspect of building businesses, but many don’t. One of my favorite memories is of a client who said, “Tricia, can I just run the business and outsource the people stuff to you?”

If you struggle, you are not alone. The good news is that you don’t have to be perfect at the psychology of business. What you do need, is to understand the degree to which threats can be mitigated and successes can be optimized by paying attention to the human angle of business development.

 

Founders with High Achieving Personalities

Most founders struggle with obtaining any semblance of work-life balance, but this challenge is especially difficult for those with high achieving personalities. When you want to do everything with excellence, there simply isn’t enough of you to go around. The pathway to maintaining sanity is relentless prioritization and energy management so that you don’t burn out.

 

Co-founding Teams with High Achiever Personalities

They are successful because of their drive and ambition. At the same time, their high expectations can create personal stress overload as well as conflict with their other co-founders. A solid co-founding team will have complementary strengths, yet these differences can be easily misinterpreted during periods of high stress.

The trick to maintaining a cohesive relationship during growth is to proactively identify the areas where misunderstandings are most likely to occur. This goes far beyond basic communication and into the realm of vulnerability and difficult conversations. It’s easy to lose sight of the relationship when you are stretched thin in multiple directions with competing priorities. Yet the relationship among co-founders yield the most protection (or the highest liability) for the viability of your baby.

Key Topics for High Achievers

Small pink circle showing outline of one person's head, representing personal or individual challenges for High Achievers

Founder Sanity

I feel overwhelmed.
I struggle to structure my time.
I wish I had an impartial sounding board.
Business relationships are exhausting.
I want to be happy and healthy.
Small green circle with outline of two people and arrows going back and forth between them to represent interpersonal challenges for High Achievers

Co-Founder Relationships

 

 Where do we miscommunicate?
Do we argue effectively?
♦ Where do our personal values differ?
Do differing work styles create conflict?
How do we make strategic decisions?
How do our personalities influence growth
Small blue circle showing three connected people to represent organizational challenges of High Achievers

Organizational Impact

Do our processes make sense?
What culture do we want to create?
What hurdles will occur as we expand?
Do we have the right people in the right roles?
♦ How are we financing growth?
What milestones will we celebrate?

Common Steps in the Founder Coaching Process

  1. Identify strengths and vulnerabilities in each founder.
  2. For co-founders, identify where personality and work-styles can clash.
  3. Ensure alignment on vision and organizational values.
  4. Discuss decisions regarding employees, investors, or other contributors.
  5. Discuss growth goals and pacing.
  6. Ensure alignment on the way time or finances are tracked and managed within the organization.
  7. Identify gaps in processes or business structure.
  8. Ensure proactive and preventive decision-making.
  9. Assist founders in transitioning from the start-up phase to company stabilization.
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