Leadership

Why Leaders Need to Be Their Own Good Boss

If the guilt of not working on your startup is stopping you from looking after yourself, it’s time to revise your assumptions.

One afternoon, I had a session with one of my Series B CEOs. After saying hello, he said, ‘I feel so guilty, Dave — I just spent the morning working from home. I got so much done though. It was awesome.’

Sometimes it’s my job to ask dumb questions. ‘If it was so productive,’ I said, ‘what makes you feel guilty?’

‘If I’m not in the office, I feel guilty,’ he said sheepishly. ‘I feel guilty on weekends too. And it’s probably why I haven’t taken a vacation in the last two years. Do you know what I mean?’

Of course, I did.

Every founder knows the feeling all too well.

Where does ‘Founder Guilt’ come from?

No-one gets to become the CEO of a company without taking on obligations. There are staff who depend on the business for their salary, investors that expect some sort of return, and, hopefully, customers who want a good experience.

For founders, this obligation is particularly personal because without them, no one would be…