Small habits co-founders can hang on to as they build the plane while flying it
Technique #1: Get explicit about decision rights. “In the early days, the co-founder who cared about something more was given the green light to own it. We’d have a very direct or frank conversation about ‘I care about this more’ or ‘I think this is a good fit for me.”
Technique #2: Bring in a shared executive coach. “The biggest impact of coaching for me has been understanding how each of us makes decisions and the context we are both operating under.”
Technique #3: Design an executive team with accountability in mind. “Because we’ve known each other so long and we’re very intense and passionate, we would get into very vigorous debates that look like serious arguments — but we also have a deep trust and alignment. But as the exec team grew, us furiously debating on things would be seen by others as ‘These guys are fighting.’”
Technique #4: Find your ritual. “We found that as the company scales, we spend less time looking at the same things or working on things adjacent to each other because it’s just a larger organization. So we intentionally spend many hours together on Friday every week.”
Technique #5: Consider your “spiritual alignment” in all decisions. “I see co-founding relationships no different than a musical band. High-functioning bands can anticipate what the next note you’re going to play is. You have to build a co-founding team that deeply resonates with the same set of values because in the toughest of times, it’s only those deep connections that will keep people waking up the next day and choosing to work together again.”