This post was originally featured on FounderCode.com
Fear is not necessarily a bad thing. Fear can prevent us from doing something really stupid. However, too much fear can also prevent us from doing something great.
Dave Selinger, CEO and Co-Founder of RichRelevance, recently opened up about his struggles with "founder fear" and the pressure to live up to the expectations of his co-workers, his investors, his customers, his family, and himself.
"Sometimes I’m afraid that I may not be the superhuman who can do all of these things for all these people all the time. In the moments alone in a dark hotel room, in the middle of a four-city week, sometimes I’m not only afraid of the answer, sometimes I’m afraid even to ask. What would these people think if they knew that sometimes I have doubts?"
Here are some of the lessons he learned about confronting "founder fear":
1. Transparency Rules
"...if you’ve built the right team, the right values in your firm, transparency cures many things."
2. Build Trust
"Deeply trustful relationships are unique and powerful. They are bi-directional and take time to build."
3. Ask for Help
"I push myself to ask for advice when I am facing a new or challenging situation. I benefit from the experience of others, build trust, and hopefully make better decisions."
4. Spouses and Partners Are Allies
"A spouse or partner who feels involved can be helpful in many ways -- from a deeper understanding of some small familial sacrifices to a shared sense of 'building something together.'"
5. Friend Are Friends
"...we are able to build off of the strength of our personal relationship while not allowing it to interfere with our professional relationship—or create distraction among other co-workers. Manage them thoughtfully, but don’t ignore the power of friendships."
Fear is natural. What is unnatural is believing you are alone in your struggles. Founders are human beings first, and humans beings are social by nature. If you're struggling as a founder, share, talk to someone. You're not alone. Most importantly, share what you've learned.
"I hope that by sharing a bit of my experience I can advance our all-too-critical dialog to create a healthier model of the startup CEO/founder."
This post was originally featured on FounderCode.com