"Successful founders move fast. You've built speed into everything: how you think, how you talk, how you decide. This velocity is your competitive advantage. This velocity works for operations. But when conflict gets emotional, speed becomes your enemy. And conflict is inevitable-the pressure of building a company guarantees it. Here's what I see repeatedly: Cofounders try to use their fast-paced business communication style to resolve interpersonal tensions. They focus on facts, logic, quick solutions. When emotions are involved, this approach backfires spectacularly."
"This results in recurring arguments that never get resolved. Partners talking past each other. Mounting resentment that threatens the foundation of the business. Research on startup failures shows that cofounder conflict ranks among the top reasons companies close, affecting roughly two-thirds of high-potential startups, according to Wasserman. I've seen the effects of internalized resentment and avoided difficult conversations while building rocket ships."
Founding teams often build speed into thinking, talking, and decision-making as a competitive advantage. That pace helps operations but undermines emotionally charged conflict, because fast, fact-focused communication ignores feelings. During prolonged stress, people default to fast, reactive thinking and seek evidence to confirm their views rather than listen. When both partners act this way, disagreements become recurring, unresolved, and produce mounting resentment that threatens the business. Research indicates cofounder conflict ranks among the top reasons companies fail, affecting roughly two-thirds of high-potential startups. Addressing emotional dynamics and slowing conversational tempo enables productive resolution and preserves team connection.
Read at Psychology Today
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