Visionary Leaders Could Benefit by Looking Back to Their Founder
When was the last time you asked yourself: What would our founder do?
It's a question that might feel nostalgic or even outdated in today's fast-paced business environment. But here's the reality—visionary leaders who ignore their founder's principles often find themselves chasing trends instead of pursuing purpose. And that's a costly mistake.
One of the most successful organizations I’ve worked with had a founder that was still active in day-to-day operations. His leadership team would often comment that he could be found on the shop floor—sometimes helping, but often challenging the team to try new things outside their standard innovation process. What struck me wasn't just his hands-on approach. It was how his presence kept everyone connected to why the company existed in the first place.
That's the power of looking back to move forward.
Why Founders Matter More Than You Think
Founders didn't start their companies by accident. They saw a need—either a product or service that didn't exist or one that needed to be dramatically improved. They were willing to work hard, take risks, and bring that offering to market. If the company was successful then, those founding principles hold lessons that can drive the organization forward today.
This is especially true in family-owned or family-run organizations, where the founder's legacy isn't just business history—it's family history. Leaders in these organizations carry a responsibility to honor the founder by doing right by both the company and the family. The founder becomes a pillar of the organization, shaping decisions even when they're no longer in the building every day.
But here's what many leaders miss: Founder wisdom isn't just for family businesses. Any organization that's lost its focus, struggled with innovation, or found itself "spinning" on too many initiatives could benefit from rediscovering its roots.
Founders Set the Mission and Values That Actually Work
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, founders establish the DNA of a company—from culture to product quality. If those mission and values launched a successful business, they likely still hold power to guide strategic decisions today.
Consider Henry Ford's founding vision: "I will build a motor car for the great multitude... so low in price that no man making a good salary will be unable to own one." Today, Ford Motor Company's mission is to help build a better world, where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams. The language evolved, but the core thread remained—democratizing mobility and freedom.
Or take Sam Walton, who built Walmart on the principle that small-town Americans deserved access to the same products at the same low prices as city dwellers. That founder's mission still drives Walmart's strategy today, decades after his death.
Actionable Item: If your organization is losing focus on what you offer, circle back to the original offering. Extract the why behind your first product launch—then match that with your current mission. Host a leadership workshop where you literally map your founder's original problem-solution on a whiteboard, then draw lines to your current offerings. You'll likely discover a clearer filter for what's next, and your strategic planning will become more focused.
Founders Never Stop Seeking Opportunities
Founders have a unique ability to identify unfulfilled market opportunities. They're not complacent—they're restless. They're risk-takers who see how a new product or service will transform customers' lives. Better yet, they iterate relentlessly, improving their original offering again and again.
That organization I mentioned earlier? Their founder didn't just visit the shop floor to check boxes. He'd ask questions like, "What if we tried it this way?" or "Have we considered this approach?" He wasn't following a formal innovation process. He was modeling the behavior that built the company: constant curiosity and willingness to experiment.
Actionable Item: Never rest on the laurels of your existing offerings. Every product and service has a lifecycle, and complacency kills companies. Create a monthly "founder mindset" session where your leadership team explores one wild idea—no matter how unconventional. Ask yourselves: "If we were starting from scratch today, what would we do differently?" Then actually test one of those ideas on a small scale. That's what founders do.
Founders Push for Innovation When Others Want to Play It Safe
Here's an uncomfortable truth: Founders are often frustrated by slow innovation. They built something from nothing, so they know speed and experimentation matter. Meanwhile, established organizations build processes that, while important for consistency, can suffocate the very innovation that created success.
The founder I worked with understood this tension. He didn't bypass his team's processes out of disrespect—he did it because he knew that breakthrough innovations rarely come from committee meetings and stage-gate reviews alone.
Actionable Item: Create formal avenues for founder input that don't disrupt operations but do encourage experimentation. This might look like: a quarterly "founder's innovation day" where teams pitch unconventional ideas directly to the founder, or a small discretionary budget the founder controls for rapid prototyping. If your founder has passed or moved on, ask yourself and your team: "What would [founder's name] try right now that we're afraid to attempt?"
Founders Leave a Legacy That Inspires Action
Legacy isn't about plaques on the wall or names on buildings. It's about creating a blueprint that inspires current teams to do meaningful work. Every person on your team should know who the founder was, what drove them to fill a need in the marketplace, and how their daily work continues that mission.
When people understand they're part of a larger story—not just executing tasks—they work with purpose. What they do matters because it's connected to something bigger than a quarterly earnings report.
Actionable Item: Stop assuming everyone knows the founder's story. In some organizations, founders hold quarterly town halls where they share their journey and answer questions. If your founder isn't available, create a "founder story" onboarding module for every new employee. Better yet, record video interviews with the founder or early employees while you still can. Make the founding story a living part of your culture, not a dusty chapter in a company history book.
Here's what happens when organizations lose sight of their founder's vision: They chase every trend. They dilute their brand. They create products that make sense on a spreadsheet but don't solve real problems. They build cultures that prioritize process over people. Eventually, they wonder why employee engagement drops and customers drift to competitors who do remember their purpose.
The best strategic decisions don't come from ignoring where you've been—they come from understanding it deeply. Your founder already solved the hardest problem: creating something from nothing. The lessons from that journey are guideposts for every challenge you face today.
This isn't just theory—it's the foundation of how I work with organizations through Vision Master Planning. Together, we'll map your founder's original vision, identify how it applies to today's opportunities, and create a strategic plan that your leadership team actually believes in. If you're ready to bring this kind of clarity to your organization, reach out.