I went live with Cory Blumenfeld today to talk about founders, systems, leadership, ADHD, delegation, and the weird little ways growing companies create chaos without meaning to.
One thing kept coming up: founders often think they’re sharing an idea, while the team hears an instruction.
Cory talked about this from his own experience as a founder with ADHD. Things connect quickly in his head, but that does not mean the team knows which idea is a real priority, which one is brainstorming, or what just got bumped off the list.
That’s why I’m such a fan of simple systems like decision logs, parking lots, clear owners, and visible priorities. Nothing fancy. Just enough structure so the team can answer: What are we actually doing? Who owns it? What changed?
We also got into a topic I think about constantly: tasks vs. ownership.
You can tell someone they “own” onboarding, but if you still make every decision around timelines, client communication, exceptions, tools, and process changes, they do not actually own onboarding.
Real delegation means handing over some judgment, not just assigning work.
We also talked about mistakes, accountability, and why a bad outcome is rarely one person’s fault. Sometimes the process was broken long before the employee ever touched it. The point is to find where it broke, fix the system, and not keep stepping on the same rake.
Very Systems & Side Eyes. 😂
Cory and I covered a lot more in the live, including neurodivergence, yes-people, founder accountability, and how much process is actually enough.
Thanks again to Cory and team for a fun convo. I kind of think we agreed on far too much… so next time we may need to come prepared with some opposing opinions. 😈
KB
P.S. If your company has reached the “everyone is smart but everything still somehow routes through me” stage, that is very much my lane.
