Why Speed Kills Cofounder Conflict Resolution |
High-performing founding teams handle conflict differently. They fight just as much as everyone else, they've just learned to make disagreements productive instead of destructive.
This isn't speculation. It's based on six years coaching hundreds of founding teams through communication breakdowns. I've worked with bootstrapped social media influencers, advertising agencies, and founders backed by Y Combinator and Andreessen Horowitz.
Successful founders move fast. You've built speed into everything: how you think, how you talk, how you decide. This velocity is your competitive advantage.
This velocity works for operations. But when conflict gets emotional, speed becomes your enemy. And conflict is inevitable—the pressure of building a company guarantees it.
Here's what I see repeatedly: Cofounders try to use their fast-paced business communication style to resolve interpersonal tensions. They focus on facts, logic, quick solutions. When emotions are involved, this approach backfires spectacularly.
This results in recurring arguments that never get resolved. Partners talking past each other. Mounting resentment that threatens the foundation of the business.
Research on startup failures shows that cofounder conflict ranks among the top reasons companies close, affecting roughly two-thirds of high-potential startups, according to Wasserman. I've seen the effects of internalized resentment and avoided difficult conversations while building rocket ships.
When you experience prolonged stress—a constant for most founders—your mind narrows attention and conserves energy. Psychologist Daniel Kahneman describes this as "System 1 thinking," which is fast,........