Overheard from someone who worked at a startup incubated in a venture studio founded by a successful well-known figure (let’s call him Mike):
- Company is majority owned by Mike; he funded and hired team
- Mike is typically not around
- Mike randomly comes to a strategy meeting. Because Mike is such a strong alpha figure, the whole direction changes as per what Mike wants and says
- Team feels small and unsure; the same guesswork cycle repeats
It’s a cautionary tale for strong/famous but absent leaders. You should either live in the trenches together with your team from beginning to end, or trust the team completely and get the f out of the way.