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Really well put. Power changes your mindset in unpredictable ways. You can also find this phenomenon in people who've been CEOs who called all of their own shot

Really well put. Power changes your mindset in unpredictable ways. You can also find this phenomenon in people who've been CEOs who called all of their own shots for a long time. They can't go back to a more "normal" job. When I'm hiring I absolutely love to see founder experience as it teaches so many valuable lessons and is usually a sign of an independent, self-starter personality. I do try to watch out for this "founder damage" (great term!) – some founders get to the point where they simply can't work for someone else ever again. Once I'm over that hurdle I consider it a major positive sign. Congrats to the OP on their success so far as well!

toomuchtodo 6y ago
As a hiring manager, what signs do you look for to confirm someone with leadership experience doesn’t have “founder damage”?
- staysaasy 6y ago
  First, I always ask ex-founder candidates to tell me about the startup(s) that they ran. This is a chance for them to really shine. At the same time, I look for warning signs that they won't work well with others (random example: look for an extreme ratio between when they say "I" vs. "We"), or signals that being the boss of other people has become an entrenched part of their identity. Unless I expect that it'll be an extremely sore topic, I will typically also just ask them why they want to work with us. I think that some people are shy about the questions you can ask in all sorts of situations. If you ask people they'll often tell you.
  - em-bee 6y ago
    the kind of startup also makes a difference, someone from a b2b startup selling services has experience working with clients, and that's not that much different from working under a boss. if their attitude is to serve their clients then they can work with their new boss too.
    - staysaasy 6y ago
      Yep, there's nothing like getting bullied by one of your top 5 accounts to really deflate an overblown ego haha. From what I've seen, having investors that the founder is answerable to can also help to mitigate this effect, although investors will sometimes pump you up + stroke your ego which can have the opposite effect.

toomuchtodo 6y ago

As a hiring manager, what signs do you look for to confirm someone with leadership experience doesn’t have “founder damage”?

staysaasy 6y ago
First, I always ask ex-founder candidates to tell me about the startup(s) that they ran. This is a chance for them to really shine. At the same time, I look for warning signs that they won't work well with others (random example: look for an extreme ratio between when they say "I" vs. "We"), or signals that being the boss of other people has become an entrenched part of their identity. Unless I expect that it'll be an extremely sore topic, I will typically also just ask them why they want to work with us. I think that some people are shy about the questions you can ask in all sorts of situations. If you ask people they'll often tell you.
- em-bee 6y ago
  the kind of startup also makes a difference, someone from a b2b startup selling services has experience working with clients, and that's not that much different from working under a boss. if their attitude is to serve their clients then they can work with their new boss too.
  - staysaasy 6y ago
    Yep, there's nothing like getting bullied by one of your top 5 accounts to really deflate an overblown ego haha. From what I've seen, having investors that the founder is answerable to can also help to mitigate this effect, although investors will sometimes pump you up + stroke your ego which can have the opposite effect.