6 Hacks to Handle Your Micromanaging Founder Without Losing Your Mind (or Your Product Plans)
Because sooner or later it's going to happen.
Product Leaders from across the board are struggling to manage over involved founders. It keeps coming up at breakfast so I know its happening everywhere. And even if it’s not happening right now…it’s bound to happen.
So, I’ve collated some of the best things I’ve heard from breakfast for the next time you experience derailment. I’ve crowdsourced from PM Leaders from multiple levels, industries and locations, so this list is rich with perspective and experience
1. Consider co-creation
Rather than seeing the founder’s involvement as a roadblock, view it as an opportunity for collaboration. Facilitate co-creation sessions. Use whiteboard sessions to brainstorm and develop solutions together. Have leaders draw out what they’re looking for rather than jumping right to no.
What do I mean by co-creation? Glad you asked. Often leaders will drop idea bombs on a team and walk away without any context. In lieu of scrambling to figure out what a leader means or dismissing it entirely as uninformed, ask the leader to whiteboard/talk through their vision. Within that "discovery" process you can learn more about the what and why of the request. As a Product Leader you can get to the root of their problem and offer better context, tradeoff points and ideas to their vision.
2. Identify the Disconnect
Understand where the founder's asks are coming from. Maybe founders are out of touch with the technical restraints. Perhaps they don’t understand the customer’s core problems. Either way, identifying these specifics might uncover why your founder is pushing you to pivot.
3. Use the PRFAQ Method
For founders obsessed with big launch moments, the PRFAQ from Amazon is a godsend (more on what that is here). Use this method as a win-win: get clear on the founder’s vision (not the how) without getting into the weeds of the how.
4. Make the Founder the Face of Change
If you do make a pivot, have the founder explain the rationale to the team. Use an Ask Me Anything session and bring the founder into a team meeting to create transparency.
5. Share Leadership Team Notes
Providing context through leadership team notes (with sensitive information redacted ofc) can build trust and clarity among the team. Ask for permission from leadership and lean into sharing.
6. Close the Loop
On the other side of making tradeoffs, close the loop and make sure you revisit the decisions and outcomes. This reinforces the rationale behind choices and maintains alignment. It’ll prepare you more for the future tradeoffs!
What have you done to honor your founder’s vision but also protect your team from constant pivots?
Hi - I’m Jori and I’m a Product Coach. Here’s how to work with me ↩️
I work with Product Leaders and their teams to unlock their biggest career moments. If you’re looking for support - drop me a note, I’d love to connect. 🤝
I co-host Product Leadership Breakfast NYC, a monthly product breakfast series to bring together curated groups of PM leaders to connect and share learnings and insights over casual breakfast. If you live in NYC or find yourself passing through, join us! ☕
I love this! For me, it all starts with acknowledgement. You have to first be convinced that there's something that isn't serving you. This is hard because usually, it's a pattern that's served you in the past, but just isn't serving you now. Letting go of that can also come with its own set of grief, which can also be difficult to process. Thank you for sharing your journey so openly!
Co-creation is the best way to go from I to we (assuming you have complementary collaboration styles). Thanks for sharing!