Five Tips For Achieving Co-Founder AlignmentBeing proactive in making a regular commitment to review your strategic leadership of the business is the best way to avoid terminal blow-ups.

根据哈佛商学院(Harvard Business School)教授诺亚m Wasserman, 65% of high potential founder-led firms fail due to conflict among co-founders. In fact, co-founder bust-ups are up there with lack of market demand and cash flow issues as one of the top reasons for startup failures.

In the hustle to launch and grow a business, founder alignment is often neglected, and yet it is central torunning and scaling a businesssuccessfully. So, what exactly is alignment, and how do you achieve it?

Alignment is reaching a working understanding on all the topics that will be critical to the businesses' future success and exit. When I coachfounder-led businesses, I take them through an alignment audit that looks at three areas: business future, their leadership, and their personal future aspirations.

Business future encompasses goals, mission and strategy; vision and values; target audience, product and market; and success measures. Leadership looks at founder roles; leadership team and structure; and succession. And personal future covers equity and ownership, and personal red lines around exit.

After hosting many of these conversations, here are my five tips for achieving co-founder alignment:

1. Embrace conflictI like to apply the rules ofFight Club– one fight at a time, fights will go on as long as they have to, but you have to fight! Although lots of us are conflict-avoidant, it's better to face your disagreements, rather than having artificial harmony with festering undercurrents.

2. Data-backed vs emotional argumentsAs W. Edwards Deming said, "In God we trust, all others must bring data!" Using data gives a grounding in facts rather than emotions. It allows you to measure to manage better,identify patterns and new opportunities, and see the bigger picture.

3. Get clear on your red linesI call this the Spice Girls clause– tell me what you want, what youreally, reallywant. Founders may well have different personal ambitions, timelines, and exit goals, and it's helpful to get clear what these are early on.

4. Aim for a collaborative processWhen things get heated, I encourage founders to really listen andunderstand each other's viewpoints, to hear each other out. The fifth habit of Stephen Covey'sThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective Peopleapplies here- seek first to understand, then to be understood. You may find that my view, plus your view, equals a better view.

5. Be open to professional helpFounders have a tendency to try to do everything themselves, but having an external person hold space for the difficult conversations can really move things forward. Leave the office, have a facilitator, and don't leave the room until you have a resolution!

Being proactive in making a regular commitment to review yourstrategic leadership of the businessis the best way to avoid terminal blow-ups. Consistency and accountability in ensuring founder unity is thus the fastest way to release the energy you need to grow a business at pace.

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