I think my problem doesn't have to do with how hard the job is or not, but with the quality and honesty of the communications.
A lot of the startup CEOs I have seen tend to have a "this is my company" sort of feeling. But by expressing that feeling to their employees, they crowd their employee's feelings in this regard. Everyone who works for a startup wants to feel like they OWN the company. That's why you join one. For that feeling of ownership.
But when a CEO talks with these "sole ownership" feelings, people GET it. Also if a CEO uses evasive or trivializing language or behavior about the state of the company, people's internal sense of dissonance causes a rift of trust AT THE WORST POSSIBLE TIME.
I have seen this pattern play out a few times as the "non CEO" position. Yeah it's a hard job, but if you didn't want the challenge of a lifetime, why take the job?
A lot of the startup CEOs I have seen tend to have a "this is my company" sort of feeling. But by expressing that feeling to their employees, they crowd their employee's feelings in this regard. Everyone who works for a startup wants to feel like they OWN the company. That's why you join one. For that feeling of ownership.
But when a CEO talks with these "sole ownership" feelings, people GET it. Also if a CEO uses evasive or trivializing language or behavior about the state of the company, people's internal sense of dissonance causes a rift of trust AT THE WORST POSSIBLE TIME.
I have seen this pattern play out a few times as the "non CEO" position. Yeah it's a hard job, but if you didn't want the challenge of a lifetime, why take the job?