Evan, a quintessential entrepreneur of a high-growth SaaS business, excelled in creativity and innovation but struggled with operational scalability. His lack of focus led to his replacement by a seasoned operator, highlighting the mismatch between a founder's skills and the needs of a growing enterprise. As businesses scale, new leadership behaviors are essential—prioritizing process over creativity, and embracing stability over risk-taking. The importance of recognizing personal limitations and empowering a capable COO is crucial for sustained success in a rapidly expanding organization.
The skills that make founders successful often become liabilities as a business builds. As executive coach Marshall Goldsmith says, "What got you here won't get you there."
Highly entrepreneurial leaders often find it draining to limit their focus to only the one or two proven products.
The most successful ones recognize new skills are needed, have the humility to accept their own limitations, find a great COO, and get out of that person's way.
When starting out, it's important to take risks, try new things, learn from your mistakes, and try again. As companies scale, though, the focus should turn to building stability and predictability.
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