Does Your Social Venture Have Founder's Syndrome?

At the start of any social enterprise, the drive and vision of the founder is key: when it comes to social problem-solving, the founder is often on a crusade that has become personal and passionate.

But what happens when the founder won't step out of the way of his own staff to help the organization scale?

Once more today, I heard about a social enterprise CEO who was able to score some promising buy-in from potential marketers and foundationsonly to end up dooming the organization after several months because he wouldn't let his newly hired staff execute on strategy. He ended up stifling innovation, staff development, and brand awareness with his inability to yield control. His lack of focus and unwillingness to abide by his staff's efforts to work with him (or around him) ended up threatening the venture's access to capital and the venture failed to make the transition from pet project to sustainable enterprise.

Do you have a similar story to share?

How can social ventures benefit from the vision and energy of their founders without sacrificing their ability to scale and attract/retain top talent and capital?

How might recruiting a board help reign in a CEO unwilling to be challenged?

What role can marketing play in resolving the problem?

How can outside pressure be brought to bear on helping social enterprises with Founder's Syndrome to address the problem?

What other methods can be used to help the founder help himself/herselfand his/her organization?

Please join us today in a conversation about how best to resolve some of these issues. What have you experienced in your social enterprises or nonprofit ventures? And, how were you able to resolve these issues?

Let us hear from you.