The Founder’s Mentality: How to Overcome the Predictable Crises of Growth
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- Create Date：2021-07-13 06:55:24
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Chris Zook
- ISBN：1633691160
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Summary
A Washington Post Bestseller
Three Principles for Managing—and Avoiding—the Problems of Growth
Why is profitable growth so hard to achieve and sustain？ Most executives manage their companies as if the solution to that problem lies in the external environment: find an attractive market， formulate the right strategy， win new customers。
But when Bain & Company’s Chris Zook and James Allen， authors of the bestselling Profit from the Core， researched this question， they found that when companies fail to achieve their growth targets， 90 percent of the time the root causes are internal， not external—increasing distance from the front lines， loss of accountability， proliferating processes and bureaucracy， to name only a few。 What’s more， companies experience a set of predictable internal crises， at predictable stages， as they grow。 Even for healthy companies， these crises， if not managed properly， stifle the ability to grow further—and can actively lead to decline。
The key insight from Zook and Allen’s research is that managing these choke points requires a “founder’s mentality”—behaviors typically embodied by a bold， ambitious founder—to restore speed， focus， and connection to customers:
• An insurgent’s clear mission and purpose
• An unambiguous owner mindset
• A relentless obsession with the front line
Based on the authors’ decade-long study of companies in more than forty countries， The Founder’s Mentality demonstrates the strong relationship between these three traits in companies of all kinds—not just start-ups—and their ability to sustain performance。 Through rich analysis and inspiring examples， this book shows how any leader—not only a founder—can instill and leverage a founder’s mentality throughout their organization and find lasting， profitable growth。
Three Principles for Managing—and Avoiding—the Problems of Growth
Why is profitable growth so hard to achieve and sustain？ Most executives manage their companies as if the solution to that problem lies in the external environment: find an attractive market， formulate the right strategy， win new customers。
But when Bain & Company’s Chris Zook and James Allen， authors of the bestselling Profit from the Core， researched this question， they found that when companies fail to achieve their growth targets， 90 percent of the time the root causes are internal， not external—increasing distance from the front lines， loss of accountability， proliferating processes and bureaucracy， to name only a few。 What’s more， companies experience a set of predictable internal crises， at predictable stages， as they grow。 Even for healthy companies， these crises， if not managed properly， stifle the ability to grow further—and can actively lead to decline。
The key insight from Zook and Allen’s research is that managing these choke points requires a “founder’s mentality”—behaviors typically embodied by a bold， ambitious founder—to restore speed， focus， and connection to customers:
• An insurgent’s clear mission and purpose
• An unambiguous owner mindset
• A relentless obsession with the front line
Based on the authors’ decade-long study of companies in more than forty countries， The Founder’s Mentality demonstrates the strong relationship between these three traits in companies of all kinds—not just start-ups—and their ability to sustain performance。 Through rich analysis and inspiring examples， this book shows how any leader—not only a founder—can instill and leverage a founder’s mentality throughout their organization and find lasting， profitable growth。
Reviews
Nick van der Merwe
，
Although I largely agree that this is predominantly one of those unremarkable business books 。。。 I would say the concept of the founders mentality is a good one to be aware of - there is a strong case for why this is the case in this book。 In addition， there are some useful （one might argue common sense and nothing mind blowing） 'what' and 'how' ways to assess and change the mentality of staff to bring them back or closer to the original and successful founders approach and mentality。 There are Although I largely agree that this is predominantly one of those unremarkable business books 。。。 I would say the concept of the founders mentality is a good one to be aware of - there is a strong case for why this is the case in this book。 In addition， there are some useful （one might argue common sense and nothing mind blowing） 'what' and 'how' ways to assess and change the mentality of staff to bring them back or closer to the original and successful founders approach and mentality。 There are some good tips and questions to pose directly to the executive and managing team in the business。 The last chapter was most useful in this regard。 。。。more
Becca Ascoli
，
Good insights for a business-minded person。
Gaspar Olea
，
Necessary learning， clear and concise teaching。
Michelle
，
Quick read over the weekend。 The paradox is that as a company grows so does complexity and complexity kills growth。I loved the insurgent versus incumbent mentality-nobler mission， spikiness and limitless horizons。 Overall a cautionary tale of what happens when scale turns to incumbency-stall and free fall。
Amir Mohammadi
，
این کتاب به بررسی استراتژی های درونی شرکتها میپردازد، شرکتهایی که مراحل رشد اولیه را طی کرده اند و اکنون دچار پیچیدگی شده اند。 یکی از مزایای اصلی این کتاب استفاده از مطالعات موردی بسیار زیادی است که در تمام متن به آنها ارجاع شده است و متن را استوارتر کرده است。 نویسندگان این کتاب معتقدند شرکتها که متولد میشوند در مقام شورشی کار خود را شروع میکنند و علیه شرایط موجود در صنعت و رقبایشان شورش میکنند。پس از مدتی رشد، دچار پارادوکس رشد میشوند یعنی رشد باعث ایجاد پیچیدگی میشود و همین امر قاتل خاموش رشد ا این کتاب به بررسی استراتژی های درونی شرکتها میپردازد، شرکتهایی که مراحل رشد اولیه را طی کرده اند و اکنون دچار پیچیدگی شده اند。 یکی از مزایای اصلی این کتاب استفاده از مطالعات موردی بسیار زیادی است که در تمام متن به آنها ارجاع شده است و متن را استوارتر کرده است。 نویسندگان این کتاب معتقدند شرکتها که متولد میشوند در مقام شورشی کار خود را شروع میکنند و علیه شرایط موجود در صنعت و رقبایشان شورش میکنند。پس از مدتی رشد، دچار پارادوکس رشد میشوند یعنی رشد باعث ایجاد پیچیدگی میشود و همین امر قاتل خاموش رشد است。 این شرکتها ذهنیت موسس را از دست میدهند و رشدشان متوقف میشود。 این کتاب به این سوال پاسخ میدهد که در این مرحله از چرخه عمر شرکت دقیقا چه باید کرد。 。。。more
Hildo Maus
，
Livro sucinto， boa escrita e gostoso de ler。 Sobre o conteúdo， não sei dizer se da vontade de chorar ou de sorrir。 Com certeza é um livro MUITO ESCLARECEDOR， principalmente se você trabalha ou j trabalhou em um departamento e/ou projeto que não fazia parte do CORE/ foco estratégico da empresa。 Enfim， não concordo totalmente com autor （em alguns pontos inclusive discordo severamente）， mas vale muito a reflexão。
Bruno Gurgel
，
:） leaving in one of the companies used of example I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book。 Many examples are truly legible， but it worth to challenge that huge enterprise struggles a lot in their own founders mentality。
Suhas Desai
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Though the Book is not Highly Insightful but certainly brings forwards the Essential of Success in any field of Business。 Worth your time to quickly check whether you doing it Right
Jimmy
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Probably not completely trash but watch this chapter title:5 How to save a company from a dying business。Why didn't all the failing companies use your strategy to save themselves， because they didn't read your book and your little tips like "fight bureaucracy" and "fire a layer"？Below is a great review for many business books I read lately:https://www。goodreads。com/review/show。。。Similarly to "All models are wrong; some models are useful"， my view on business books is that some of them are indeed Probably not completely trash but watch this chapter title:5 How to save a company from a dying business。Why didn't all the failing companies use your strategy to save themselves， because they didn't read your book and your little tips like "fight bureaucracy" and "fire a layer"？Below is a great review for many business books I read lately:https://www。goodreads。com/review/show。。。Similarly to "All models are wrong; some models are useful"， my view on business books is that some of them are indeed useful。 Usefulness of business books comes either from direct applicability to one's current situation， or a general quality of being inspiring。 I didn't find this book either inspiring or applicable， but first let me mention positives。This is a stereotypical business book that meets almost all criteria for this category:1） A book that could be summarized as an HBR article - check2） A two-by-two matrix - check3） A questionnaire to determine one's company place on the matrix - check4） A supplemental website where one can find more information on authors' consultancy practice - check5） Numerous stories of CEOs saving companies from perils of insolvency or irrelevancy against all the odds - check6） New business jargon - check7） Absence of any data to account for "halo effect" - check and checkIn summary， the book is dry and it doesn't offer anything substantively new to stand out in this competitive and repetitive category of books。 。。。more
Fred Mcbreen
，
Well-researched and interesting analysis of the impact of applying the ‘founder’s mentality’ to recapture a business’s mojo。 Aimed more at larger enterprises but still learnings for smaller business owners as they scale up。
Camilo Angel
，
Great tips on how to strive for scale insurgency。 Particularly for me， the most interesting part was the one that explored fast growth。 Keep your eyes on your front line and always be client focused。
Chris Collier
，
One of those: should have been a lengthy article instead of a book type books。 Interesting to read while Redeemer was going through Reset。
مصطفا موسی پسندی
，
یک کتاب فوق العاده برای شرکت ها و موسسات که دوره تثبیت رو گذروندن و در مرحله رشد و توسعه هستن / با راهکارهای ملموس و کارا
Bryan Burkholder
，
Fantastic book， gets down to the details of how and why businesses fail。 It then goes on to suggest， in detail， on how to take corrective measures。
Bryan
，
Highly recommend to everyone。 （Except my competitors）A great summary of how growth creates complexity and complexity can kill growth。 Smart ideas， Bain is a top notice consultancy and very practical。
Debbie Chatley
，
A must read for all business professionals。 It is intended for everyone in the organization cause we are all leaders and influence ourselves and those around us。 Also I found it a very easy read。 Easy to follow and interesting。 This books highlights the fact that as companies grow in size to gain benefits of scale and scope， they lose the benefits of founders mentality and become mired in complexity。 This is known as the growth paradox。 In this book the authors share their findings from years of A must read for all business professionals。 It is intended for everyone in the organization cause we are all leaders and influence ourselves and those around us。 Also I found it a very easy read。 Easy to follow and interesting。 This books highlights the fact that as companies grow in size to gain benefits of scale and scope， they lose the benefits of founders mentality and become mired in complexity。 This is known as the growth paradox。 In this book the authors share their findings from years of research and how companies that keep their founders mentality outperform their competitors in spades。 Also the authors explain what exactly entails founders mentality and how to get it back if you have lost it。 Additionally they share warning signs for companies to watch out for as they grow。 。。。more
Emily
，
I'm not giving a rating because I did not finish - but the reason I did not finish is not because it's not an interesting book。 I started reading it related to work， but decided that it really does not pertain to me。 So I am not going to take the time to finish it。 I'm not giving a rating because I did not finish - but the reason I did not finish is not because it's not an interesting book。 I started reading it related to work， but decided that it really does not pertain to me。 So I am not going to take the time to finish it。 。。。more
Todd Mckeever
，
One of the first things I did enjoy about this book has been summarized by many with this common thread of a summary。 It will read something like this。 "Through this entire book， it gives inspiring examples of how any leader not only a founder can instill and leverage a founder’s mentality throughout their organization and find lasting， profitable growth"。 Completely agree！So this book takes on the question of "How might one respond to the crises of growth？" How might you reignite the passion an One of the first things I did enjoy about this book has been summarized by many with this common thread of a summary。 It will read something like this。 "Through this entire book， it gives inspiring examples of how any leader not only a founder can instill and leverage a founder’s mentality throughout their organization and find lasting， profitable growth"。 Completely agree！So this book takes on the question of "How might one respond to the crises of growth？" How might you reignite the passion and reenergize the organization that now suffers from overload， stall-out or free-fall？ Zook and Allen argue in their book The Founder’s Mentality: How to Overcome the Predictable Crises of Growth， that returning to one’s roots is critical。They identify the roots of the Founder’s Mentality as:1。 Insurgency2。 Frontline obsession3。 Owner’s mindsetZook and Allen （p。 35） provide a synopsis and more detail for each of these roots as well as specific ways to reestablish the critical elements of the Founder’s Mentality。In closing this review I will leave you with a question and Zook and Allen's answer （This could be considered a spoiler alert， so proceed with caution or click away at this time and go get the book to discover for yourself）。 Final question。 How can you as a leader of your organization guide and help your management team recognize the crises of growth and reestablish the Founder’s Mentality？ The potential answer of 9 actions you may take by Zook and Allen， pp 165-183）:1。 Pursue “opposites” simultaneously – It is not easy to do， but successful growing businesses must be able to increase their size （i。e。， grow） and continue to be agile （i。e。， responsive to changing market conditions and customer expectations）。2。 Say no to say yes – Carefully evaluate opportunities that are outside your core areas of focus and competencies/capabilities and reserve your resources for those opportunities that best fit what you are really good at。3。 Make 10X investments – Resist the tendency to spread your financial and human resources too broadly and thinly。 Be willing to make a “big bet” to renew and reenergize your core。4。 Pursue the root cause – We frequently tend to observe symptoms of unacceptable performance and not dig deep enough to identify the root cause of the stall out from growth。 Use the “five why’s” questioning process to drill down to the real cause of the problem。5。 Invest heavily in next-generation leadership – the “graying” of the management team in most agribusiness companies combined with historical underinvestment in mid-career managers have combined to result in a next-generation management vacuum in too many cases。6。 Invest preemptively in building new capabilities – at the same time as investing in next-generation leadership is required， investing more broadly in the capabilities and capacities of the current workforce is also critical。 Differentiation and competitive advantage will increasingly come from soft assets， not the hard assets， and leadership and talent management will be essential to build these assets。7。 Focus on long-term goals and horizons – we all struggle with the immediacy syndrome – short-term pay-off goals and financial performance metrics， wanting quick results， investing in short-term projects that may not create long-term value。 As growth slows down， the tendency is to double-down on projects/activities/investments that will give a quick pop to current earnings or market share。 The founder’s mentality mindset recognizes that short-term survival is essential， but the focus is always on long-term value creation。8。 Become guardians of speed and agility – now the dichotomy – maintain and enhance the ability to respond quickly to changing conditions and the capability to be agile rather than bureaucratic in the decision process。 All while focusing on long-term goals rather than short-term financial performance。9。 Share the burden of leadership across the organization – leadership can and should come from all levels of the organization; from the support staff， the sales force， the research lab， the manufacturing floor， the loading dock， the truck drivers- and not just from the C-suite。I did enjoy this book and hope that you may also。 。。。more
Phil
，
Could convince myself it was worth the read。 Multiple attempts at it。 Maybe I will keep it on the shelf for reference。
Marcel Tardif
，
Dans le ligné des ouvrages précédents de Zook。 Bref et complet à la fois。 Comprend des données utiles sur le comportement des personnes au autorité dans l'entreprise。 Dans le ligné des ouvrages précédents de Zook。 Bref et complet à la fois。 Comprend des données utiles sur le comportement des personnes au autorité dans l'entreprise。 。。。more
Jon Martin
，
It’s not the worst read; however， there are no major breakthroughs。 It’s clearly written by co-authors to bring published work around their career and work， and contributes to the field of leadership and management with common sense reminders and a framework for approaching their list of three。 I would recommend reading Good to Great if you only have time for one leadership/management book。
Todd Buegler
，
When I first heard about this book， I expected it to talk about how "The Founder's Mentality"can be a detriment to an organization as it matures。。。that organizations can have a difficult time transitioning from a "garage band" operation to something more substantial and sustainable。That wasn't what this is about。Instead， it talks about the value of the Founder's Mentality， and about how companies struggle when they lose that mentality。 And about how companies have "returned to their roots。" It's When I first heard about this book， I expected it to talk about how "The Founder's Mentality"can be a detriment to an organization as it matures。。。that organizations can have a difficult time transitioning from a "garage band" operation to something more substantial and sustainable。That wasn't what this is about。Instead， it talks about the value of the Founder's Mentality， and about how companies struggle when they lose that mentality。 And about how companies have "returned to their roots。" It's a good book。 As someone who works primarily in the church/non-profit world， I would have liked some wisdom about how this applies outside of a strictly business sense。 Of course I know it does。。。but some examples， or some thinking from more of a 'leadership' perspective rather than a 'management' perspective would have strengthened the book。 。。。more
Robert Reed
，
Keep your business hummingGood perspectives on management。 Not all the lessons are applicable to myself as a public sector employee but many of them have practical application。
Chad Saxton
，
This book I would lose interest in at times。 It was hard to stay engaged。 Loved the examples and when the used real life examples to teach。 I have lived through a lot of this book so it makes a lot of sense。
Sandra Park
，
There are some good things in this book but they can be difficult to ferret out。 It was interesting to read about the three predictable crises of growth that most companies will encounter。 I really loved the last part of the book where they presented ways to avoid these crises or to handle them if they occur。 I liked the examples of the companies which have used the various strategies to revitalize their organizations。 I wish there was more detail as I had trouble comparing what they said to my There are some good things in this book but they can be difficult to ferret out。 It was interesting to read about the three predictable crises of growth that most companies will encounter。 I really loved the last part of the book where they presented ways to avoid these crises or to handle them if they occur。 I liked the examples of the companies which have used the various strategies to revitalize their organizations。 I wish there was more detail as I had trouble comparing what they said to my own role as a lower level manager。 I kept feeling like I needed to be at the top of my company or even my department to be able to really apply what they were saying。 I think they could have talked more about how anyone at any level of the company can use the founder's mentality to do a better job。 I was also frustrated at the beginning because the way they organized the book was not helpful。 They talked about what each of the three crises were。 In the next chapter they described companies that had faced each of the three crises。 Then they used the next chapter to discuss how each company had overcome their crisis and now thrived。 I think it would have flowed better to have one chapter be about one crisis。 Then they could follow that one thing all the way through。 Breaking it up left me forgetting about earlier points while I read about something else。 。。。more
Jiri
，
Plenty of insights for leaders who are still insurgents deep in their heartI wouldn’t choose the book for myself， as someone commented on Goodreads， it’s a book for work （meaning boring）， read Chapter 6， and skip the rest。 But I have to thank for a recommendation。 Thinking about the practical application it shifted my focus to things long overlooked and forgotten but still hidden deep under layers of leadership experience clutter。 What I got out of reading Founder’s Mentality is — 1st: investing Plenty of insights for leaders who are still insurgents deep in their heartI wouldn’t choose the book for myself， as someone commented on Goodreads， it’s a book for work （meaning boring）， read Chapter 6， and skip the rest。 But I have to thank for a recommendation。 Thinking about the practical application it shifted my focus to things long overlooked and forgotten but still hidden deep under layers of leadership experience clutter。 What I got out of reading Founder’s Mentality is — 1st: investing in competence development and trimming at a time when it feels natural to focus on profit and 2nd: learning new skills when you’re under the most pressure by workload。 Thanks for the reminder of what it was like at the beginning before the original enthusiasm has somehow diminished and I’ve moved forward and shifted in my life。 Thanks also for reminding me that only 1 out of 10 insurgents will survive， and of that complexity kills growth。 I also liked the comparison of a Manager and a Leader， Speed and Agility， the D person problem on committees as well as the problem of balkanization （apparently not only in customers but also in teams）。 。。。more
Kevin
，
The "Founders Mentality" has three facets that when held onto can help fuel growth and prevent the three predictable crisis of growth。 The first is an"insurgent mission" which is a company that wages war on the incumbent companies on behalf of the underserved customer。 The founder's mentality breaks into the scene recognizing the underserved customer and goes after serving them better their most important priority and doing whatever it takes to do it。 The second is a "frontline obsession" an unm The "Founders Mentality" has three facets that when held onto can help fuel growth and prevent the three predictable crisis of growth。 The first is an"insurgent mission" which is a company that wages war on the incumbent companies on behalf of the underserved customer。 The founder's mentality breaks into the scene recognizing the underserved customer and goes after serving them better their most important priority and doing whatever it takes to do it。 The second is a "frontline obsession" an unmitigated focus on front-line employees and customers at all levels of an organization。 The third is an "owners mindset" where everyone at every level feels like owners of the company doing whatever it takes to accomplish its insurgent mission。As I read this book as a pastor and listened to the descriptions of various companies in the three crisis of growth: "overload，" "stall out，" and "free fall，" I could change the words used to apply to the church and I could picture real examples of churches facing each challenge。 With work， this book can be translated well to the church setting and lessons can be gleaned。 The one downside is that as interesting as the corporation stories were， they could get repetitive in the lessons that they pointed made。 Otherwise， it's a great book。 。。。more
Carlos Briones
，
Mentalidad del fundadorFácil de leer， práctico de comprender。 Olam ha sido el modelo que más me impresionó， la crisis hoy es una moda que pocos están dispuestos a vivirla。
Gemma Cortadellas
，
This is a great book for anyone who owns or runs a business。 It gives a very practical approach with lots of examples on different growth scenarios and how CEOs reacted in the face of crises of growth by making internal changes in the company -as most of these crises originate inside and not outside， which means there is a chance to get control back。
Evan
，