The way of the founder is the latest trend making waves in the business world. While some have expressed their agreement, others claim it's just a word that excuses toxic leadership behavior. To summarize, Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham wrote a essay advocating for the “founder way,” which involves a founder-CEO being involved in all aspects of the business. The opposite approach, the manager's way, emphasizes delegation to an executive team and middle managers.

While Graham acknowledged that the founder's way has no clear definition, he described it in contrast to the manager's way, which inevitably leads to disastrous results.

“You tell your direct reports what to do, and it's up to them to figure out how. But you don't get involved in the details of what they do. That would be micromanaging them, which is bad.”

research suggests that led by the founder companies perform better than companies led by professional managers. In my opinion, this success does not depend on the CEO's involvement in every decision and touch on every project, but rather, the strategic micro-management of certain aspects of the business.

Related: What is the Founder's Way? Here's why the phrase is everywhere this week.

A hand in every hiring decision

Speaking in No brainer podcastMark Cuban shared one of his best pieces of advice for aspiring entrepreneurs: hire slowly. The serial entrepreneur explained that early in his career, he hired quickly, thinking he could make it work, even if the person wasn't the right fit. But this approach was wrong.

“I made a lot of hiring mistakes that cost me money,” Cuban said.

As I've learned in nearly two decades as a founder-CEO, every newcomer matters. Hiring is one area of ​​the business that I never fully delegate because it can make or break the company. Without complete faith in our employees, I couldn't do it delegate. If I couldn't delegate the execution of countless daily decisions, I wouldn't be able to do my job as a founder, a role I see as broader or higher than the title of CEO. Being a founder requires having a growth mindset. It requires constantly learning, discovering and understanding how to build your company's future path. Careful employment it gives me time and peace to devote myself to this role. This doesn't mean hiring good people and getting out of their way. I am deeply curious about what happens in every aspect of our business. But I couldn't do my job if I had to sign off on every decision.

Hiring supervision keeps me accountable as a leader. Reminds me of the late Anthony Bourdain said oncetalking about his days as executive chef of Les Halles restaurant:

“(I)f something goes wrong, whether I'm in the kitchen or not, I'll never blame anyone else. I've delegated a job to them. If they screw it up, it's my fault. I return the loyalty with absolute loyalty “.

Micromanaging culture

Based on them explorativeHarvard Business Review contributors concluded that companies that maintain a “founder's mentality” over time are four to five times more likely to be top performers. The founder's mentality is the attitudes and practices established from the beginning – for example, the purpose of a business. In my experience, micromanaging company culture is the only way to maintain a founder's mindset.

You may wonder: How can a founder closely direct the formation of corporate culture? For starters, be very, very clear about it. Communicate in public forums, such as company newsletters or all-hands meetings, employee expectations on topics such as attitudes and behaviors in the work environment, as well as the company's core values ​​and larger purpose. For example, a founder might take advantage of the weekly newsletter to highlight a recent employee achievement that illustrates how the company is delivering on its promise to customers. At our company, I strive to promote a culture of innovation and strategic risk-taking and remind employees how this serves our larger purpose of making users' lives easier. So I encourage employees to experiment and share my experiences with exploring new ideas – even when it doesn't turn out the way I hoped.

This brings me to another key aspect of shaping a company's culture – leaders must model the behavior and attitudes they hope to see. like Harvard Business Review Notes, culture is learned behavior, not a byproduct of operations or an overlay. For example, you can't expect employees to fully return to the office, pretending that this fosters more innovative thinking and doesn't show up on its own. Leaders must be prepared for it walk the walk.

Related: A True Leader doesn't just talk the talk – They walk the walk. Here's how to drive from the front.

Obsessed with the vision

If purpose is what your company does, your vision is where it's going. like Total alignment authors Riaz Khadem and Linda Khadem explain, the the value of a vision statement lies in its clarity and ability to motivate your people. Leaders must distill the company's long-term goals into a concise statement that clearly describes where they are going and inspires everyone. work towards that destination.

Founders have an inherent advantage when it comes to fixating on their company's vision. Having carefully formulated the company's original vision, the founders are uniquely invested in its future. The analogy of parents is apt. Just as I intuitively pick up on each of my three children, I understand all things my company like no one else because I've been there, nurturing it from day one. The success of my company is closely related to my success.

At Jotform, shaping our vision requires focusing on the most pressing demands of tomorrow. For me, that means advancing the areas of AI and enterprise growth while my executive team handles day-to-day operations.

My approach to founder mode is about designing our team and culture to ensure the continued success of our company. Your approach will depend on your company and its unique challenges. At its core, however, the founder's way is about staying deeply involved in what really matters.