The Real Reason Co-Founders Can’t Agree on Anything |
The Real Reason Co-Founders Can’t Agree on Anything
If one partner thinks the company is navigating whitewater rapids and the other thinks they are weathering a drought, the problem is likely a metaphor war.
Illustration: Inc; Photo: Getty Images
Two blockchain co-founders were ready to strangle each other. I arranged a retreat to find out why. They thought they were deadlocked over timing. One wanted to launch the token, generate buzz, attract investors, and capitalize on momentum. The other wanted to build the developer ecosystem first, nurture early adopters, and let the apps prove real-world value before the token was launched.
As I listened to them vent, I realized the problem wasn’t the timeline. They were operating from completely different metaphors. One had a rocket “launch” metaphor and the other had a garden “grow” metaphor. This might seem inconsequential. It isn’t. Mismatched metaphors are usually at the heart of partnership and leadership failures.
Humans think in metaphors. We use them to orient ourselves through life by turning physical experiences into wisdom and memories. Metaphors organize abstractions, help us to understand complex things, and act as cognitive shortcuts that guide reasoning and decision-making.
Metaphors dictate how we perceive reality, make decisions, and execute plans. Think about how differently you’d operate if you believed life was a playground versus a rat race, a journey versus a circus, or a gift versus a curse.
How Anthropic's Claude AI Became a Co-Founder
When business partners operate from different metaphors, conflict is guaranteed. If one is launching a rocket and the other is tending a garden, they’re not just disagreeing about a business plan, they’re experiencing a fundamental disconnect that will seep into all aspects of the business.
Even if both partners have a “launch” mentality, one might be thinking about rockets and preparing for a high-thrust moonshot while the other has a shipping metaphor and wants to get everyone on board, run a tight ship and navigate toward a destination. The strategies are still likely to clash.
The rocket versus garden conflict is just one version of this problem. The combinations are endless. It’s even worse when the metaphors are fundamentally incompatible. A partner with a speed and racing metaphor will be hitting the gas pedal, shifting into high gear, and building velocity quickly. This will totally clash with a partner with a construction metaphor who is perfecting a blueprint, building a solid foundation, and laying one brick at a time and is frustrated with the racer’s “recklessness.”