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Example: Four Founders Air Differences
Client: Successful High Tech Startup
Business Problem
The four founders have very strong personalities and, once their company became successful, they took turns at threatening to split up, which would have ruined the company. As one founder said of another, “Can’t live with him, can’t live without him.” The very characteristics of stubborn independence that had made their company a success now threatened their future.
Solution
- I conducted confidential one-on-one interviews with each founder to fully define their individual concerns.
- I met with the group as a team so that each founder could explain what he/she valued in each of the others and what specific behaviors were frustrating or otherwise counterproductive.
- The team acknowledged their differences and agreed on new approaches to deal with the issues thus exposed
Results
- Difficult issues were addressed head on rather than behind closed doors.
- The team identified concrete action to reduce tensions and facilitate collaboration.
- Subsequent differences of opinion were discussed openly and in a timely manner
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