The Post Co-Vid Founder

How to know who is worth working for.

Coming out of (and into) what promises to be the biggest period of change in our lifetime so far, for many this is shaping up to be a natural point of reflection around where, and more importantly, who, you want to spend the next phase of your career with.

Times of crisis have always brought change, evolution and the new — and the world of work will be no different. New businesses. Changing attitudes. And a drive to refocus, reboot and rise again.

But in the mix of deciding what we want to achieve, how we get there has never been so important. Which is why the pivotal role founders can play in shaping the future of business, has never been so relevant.

It’s not just about working for a founder — there are many, and there will be more in a post Co-Vid world. It’s about the right founders, who believe, share, and more importantly demonstrate some of these characteristics:

They give you a why.

Purpose and cultural magnetism have a real, almost physical existence.

Before working with founders myself, I was a sceptic, who only saw real purpose and magnetism in the Obamas of this world — an exceptional, unadulterated belief in a vision, matched with the ability to bring people with you; something you never think you’ll see up close.

To caveat, not all founders have both those characteristics. A purpose can live as an intangible undefined entity, that you feel more than say, especially at the early stages (the psychology on founder-led cultures is unequivocal). However, it’s most powerful when packaged up within people that emanate it from their very being.

What’s most astounding, is the response that it inspires.

Not only does it cultivate a level of unquestioning loyalty, belief and trust that surpasses any normal working relationship; it also gives you an unparalleled drive to work harder and be successful for the people you work for, not for what you can get.

Now, more than ever, we’re connected to the importance of that selflessness. And whilst it’s rare to find in business — the best founder-led companies have it in spades.

Seeing a form of super-power, uncompromised.

Great founders usually have a super-power.

Something they do better than anyone else, that eclipses their other strengths and draws the focus of their attention. Something they’re constantly aspiring to work on and master. It goes beyond succeeding in business — it’s more their reason for being.

That insatiable hunger to be better, the feeling of being on a journey but never quite reaching the destination, together with seeing the thought process around visualising ideas into being, is fascinating and energising.

It also means capturing and holding their attention is impossible. You can visually see their mind moving, jumping to the next and the new… so much so, that it’s hard to ground them in the now. But maybe that’s the joy: trying to capture genius for a second, wrestle what you need from it… and set it free again.

They’re human.

The flip side of genius, is fallibility. And this, is probably the biggest draw — and biggest deterrent — of founder-led culture.

The typical leader persona is of someone who has all the answers, or certainly gives the appearance of having them. But this isn’t true for founders.

Founder-led businesses can be very emotional. In part, because of the close proximity you work in. But mainly because these businesses are often a direction reflection of their human nature. As a result, you see and feel real failure in the same way you experience epic wins, and that can be incredibly draining.

However, if you go into it firm in the knowledge that everyone is human — especially the people you follow and respect — you’ll find it incredibly liberating.

You don’t have to seek perfection as a individual. Instead by focusing on your work as a team, as a sum of your parts, you can play to your own strengths — and allow them to play to theirs. Over time, it builds a respect and kinship that isn’t defined by job title. After all, there was no Phil Knight without Bowerman, Johnson and Woodell.

It’s also where, at a base level, you see humanity for what it is, and ultimately who you work with for who they really are.

There’s so much written about you being the culture you join, and it’s true — we judge people for the company they keep, which is difficult when you don’t always know who you work with, or what they stand for.

With founders on the other hand, you know immediately their style of leadership, the way they treat people and the way they do business. If it doesn’t feel right, then it’s not the business for you. It sounds brutal, but that level of candor is something you come to appreciate.

Building a legacy.

Lastly, legacy.

Whether it’s for a moment, a lifetime or beyond, every founder wants to make a difference. To leave a mark. To have started something that alters the now, and inspires the new.

It could be an answer to a bigger world issue, solving a consumer problem, or simply to advance their craft, but there always is an implicit message of advancement and change.

And in a post Co-Vid culture craving dramatic change and evolution, being in the front seat of what always feels like the frontier, to be part of shaping not just watching that future unfold, is a journey like no other.

But, how do you know when you’ve found a great founder?

Ultimately, you’ll feel as responsible for the success of the business as they do. To be part of something you believe in and to be so engaged in wanting it to succeed, implicitly means that you take responsibility for delivering on that promise. Make no mistake, that feels like a heavy burden. And it’s personal.

That responsibility keeps you up at night, a lot; the worry of making good choices and doing what’s right in the face of easier options.

However, you’ll never question giving that responsibility back, or having someone else shoulder it (if anything you’ll take more, which has its own issues!).

Why? Because underlying all of the responsibility is conviction, the knowledge you’re standing shoulder to shoulder with people doing, feeling and acting in the best interests of all. No questions asked, no doubt.

And in the current environment, translating that into your job — whether it’s just a 9–5, or your calling in life — is more important than ever. Because, you’ll know you’ve found a great founder when the going gets tough, because it doesn’t just bring out the best in them. It’ll bring out the best in you.