Stop coding and trust your team
Why are they just sitting around and not helping? I’ve done most of the work, and now they’re overlooking critical bugs that need fixing.
The technical founder of a promising startup was venting their frustration about the team’s lack of initiative. A newly launched feature had flaws that needed attention, but the team was passively standing by, preoccupied with less urgent tasks. When asked who built the feature, the founder replied, “I took the initiative because I knew exactly what we needed and how to implement it. Taking the time to explain it to the team would have only slowed us down.”
The founders I’ve worked with share common traits: high energy, quick problem-solving, and effective delivery. These high-performing, intelligent individuals are essential, especially in the early stages of a startup. During this phase, achieving market fit is the primary goal. It demands rapid product development to gather feedback quickly.
However, many founders fall into a common trap. As the customer base grows and the workload becomes overwhelming, they expand their team. At this crucial juncture, technical founders must transition their focus from product development to team building.
Sure, in the short term, building features themselves saves time. By doing this, the founder is scratching their itch: building stuff and feeling productive. However, this is no longer their role. It has now shifted to empowering their team and enabling them to do their best work. You do this by providing context, getting the team's input on how to solve the customers' problems, and supporting them in their growth.
This period is often uncomfortable, as it’s typically their first leadership role and demands a different skill set. When challenges arise, they must resist the urge to dive back into programming. Instead, they need to show trust in their team, which will pay off in the long run.