From: thepipeline_xyz
When dealing with early stage founders, the concept of leadership is often “completely out of question” initially [00:00:02].
The “Soldier” Mentality
A founder’s job is to do “literally everything” [00:00:11]. They must embody the role of “great great soldiers” [00:00:14]. This means engaging in all necessary tasks, such as:
- Coding [00:00:21]
- Selling [00:00:23]
- Even cleaning their own chairs [00:00:25]
- Dealing with lawyers [00:00:27]
- Dealing with accountants [00:00:30]
“Absolutely everything has to be done by the founders initially” [00:00:32].
The advice for early stage founders is to “be a great Soldier” [00:00:38]. Founders should strive to be such effective “soldiers” that they can “fight a lot of battles on ground” before they hire soldiers [00:00:44]. This hands-on experience teaches them “how to hire great soldiers” later [00:00:50].
Path to Leadership
Greatest Founders who became leaders eventually did so because they were first “great soldiers” [00:00:16]. There will be a transition period where a founder becomes or “grow[s] into the role of a leader” [00:00:53]. While support is available for becoming a leader, there is “hardly any support for people who want to become great soldiers” [00:00:59]. The objective is to foster “greatest of soldiers” [00:01:04], as a “great warrior” will naturally become a “great leader” [00:01:08]. Conversely, a leader who has “never been on the ground fighting those battles” may not be as effective [00:01:10].