Within every organization, there are people who possess the same relentless drive, innovative thinking, and problem-solving skills that we typically associate with founders. They’re often the catalysts pushing progress forward, unafraid of change, and dedicated to aligning their Work with purpose. I call them the “founders-within,” and recognizing these people in your own organization could be the key to building something great.
In the last part of the Founder Mode Series, we talked about how Visionary and Legacy founders tend to thrive in various modes due to their distinct personality traits, which are revealed through frameworks like TypeCoach, the four temperaments, the Big Five (OCEAN), Enneagram, and Kolbe. These tools help us understand why certain founders are naturally adept at leading their companies, especially when shifting between the modes we’ve discussed so far, including Visionary, Manager, Warrior, Coach, Magician, and more.
The truth is, you don’t have to be a founder to have a Founder’s Mindset. I know this from personal experience: My own career began in a large organization, and even in that setting, having a Founder’s Mindset allowed me to see possibilities others didn’t (which ultimately helped to propel the companies I worked for forward). Whether in a startup or a hundred-year-old company, individuals with the Founder’s Mindset bring a unique lens to the world — a mix of purpose, vision, and conviction that drives them to create something meaningful. In this article, we’ll talk about where we can find founders with these traits. Hint: The answer isn’t what you might think.
Conviction and Vision in Action
Founders are characterized by their ability to see what others don’t and, more importantly, their willingness to act on those convictions. As I mentioned earlier, this doesn’t always mean leaving a company to start something new — many founders develop their skills and impact from within large organizations by challenging the status quo and pushing for change.
In my own journey, fresh out of a training program at 23, I was sent to Oklahoma City to manage bad oil and gas loans. Within six months, I had taken on my boss’s job, led a creditor’s committee, and convinced the bank to sell tens of millions of dollars in assets — all backed by my belief that oil prices would collapse from $28 to $8 per barrel. When my conviction proved to be extraordinarily correct, insightful, and valuable, I was given a new level of autonomy and the opportunity to help build a new division focused on lending to private equity-backed companies — at the young age of 25, no less (this was in 1986).
I wasn’t just operating in a corporate role — I was operating with a Founder’s Mindset within a large company. My ability to both see beyond the status quo and act decisively is a hallmark of founders, whether they’re in startups or working inside established organizations.
The Founder’s Mindset isn’t about starting a new company — it’s about solving meaningful problems and creating lasting value.
Within large organizations, those with a Founder’s Mindset are able to identify inefficiencies, recognize new opportunities, and find ways to improve existing systems and processes. They don’t wait for someone to tell them to make changes. Instead, they take ownership and drive initiatives forward, rallying people behind the company’s compelling vision.
Here’s another example: When I helped create a new lending group focused on private equity firms, I leveraged the Founder’s Mindset from within a large bank. I saw an opportunity where others saw risk, and by pushing for this new direction, we swiftly created a new division within a traditional bank as well as a team that eventually spawned several leaders within the middle-market private equity lending industry — teams that, decades later, are still among the industry’s leaders.
There are so many individuals with the Founder’s Mindset who exist inside established organizations and are capable of taking similar steps. These founders-within launch new divisions, spearhead innovative projects, or shift a company’s trajectory by recognizing emerging market trends. And what many don’t realize is that their impact can be just as profound as that of those who start a company from scratch.
The Value of the Founder’s Mindset in Established Companies
Established organizations benefit tremendously from having team members with the Founder’s Mindset. Founders-within bring a unique combination of vision, conviction, and the willingness to challenge deeply entrenched ways of doing things. In environments where bureaucracy or inertia can slow progress, those with a Founder’s Mindset are often the ones who break through barriers by providing new ideas, solutions, and perspectives to help the organization move forward.
This mindset can be even more powerful within larger organizations because founders-within have access to resources, established teams, and institutional knowledge that startups don’t. Their ideas and ability to enact change are magnified by the sheer scale of the organization.
If you’re leading a company, one of your most important tasks is to recognize and nurture those with a Founder’s Mindset who are already in your organization. These are the ones who don’t fit neatly into traditional corporate roles — they operate differently, challenge norms, and are driven by a vision that might not always align with the status quo. But this is exactly what makes them so valuable.
Founders-within are often your best bet for innovation and long-term success. They’ll help you pivot, adapt, and grow in ways that traditional leadership may not see. And as a leader, it’s your responsibility (and in your organization’s best interest) to give them the space, support, and autonomy they need to thrive.
Embracing the Founder’s Mindset
The Founder’s Mindset isn’t limited to those who start companies from scratch — it exists everywhere, including inside large organizations. If you’re someone with strong convictions, big ideas, and the drive to see them through, you may already find yourself in Founder Mode without even knowing it. The Founder’s Mindset is not defined by the size of the company you work for but by your ability to create meaningful change and deliver value through conviction and action.
Founders-within can have just as much impact as those who start their own businesses. And here’s the key: Whether you’re inside a large organization or launching a new venture, mastering Founder Mode is critical. It’s not about your role or job title — it’s about your unique ability to shift between modes, drive change, and keep your company aligned with its vision.
Up Next…
In the next blog, we’ll dive into the heart of Founder Mode. Founder Mode isn’t just another role — it’s the core operating system that enables those with a Founder’s Mindset to integrate their vision, leadership, and instincts to guide their businesses through uncertainty and growth. Mastering Founder Mode allows founders (whether inside established organizations or new ventures) to operate at their highest level, constantly sensing and course-correcting to ensure long-term success.
If you want to stay tuned, I encourage you to sign up to receive email updates with each new installment of the Founder Mode Series. I’d also love you to share this with others who are grappling with “Founder Mode,” whether they’re a founder or working with one. I want this series to spark discussions and debates — after all, that’s how we learn and grow. As someone who knows he’s “guilty” of Founder Mode, I’m genuinely excited to explore these ideas with any and everyone who's interested in this topic.
So… I’m adding this link to my Google Docs draft of this series. I’d love to get your feedback and read stories from those who have experienced the good, the bad, or the ugly of working with one or more founders in Founder Mode. Who knows — maybe this will turn into a book that includes lots of great stories about founders around the world.
Read the rest of the Founder Mode Series:
