From Founder Ego to Team Power: How Messick’s Psychological Contracts Unlock True Performance

I want to deal with one of the biggest problems I see Startup and Scaleup founders face: spending thousands (or hundreds of thousands) on valuable, knowledgeable people, only to treat them like children and tell them what to do (if you want to do this, hire working students to just execute - you don't need the knowledge or experience).

In the startup world, it's common to see founders, CEO's and management stuck in "founder mode," where ego and control drive decision-making. And they have no idea how much they are holding back their teams. As a Growth Marketing Consultant, I can help you unlock the true power of your team, I genuinely see this as a key Growth Strategy and one that should not be ignored.

Founders often set rigid goals, lay out specific tactics, and expect their team to execute flawlessly, believing that their vision is the only path to success. But this approach often limits creativity and stifles innovation.

On the flip-side Messick's psychological contracts take a different approach—one that treats team members as grown-ups capable of thinking for themselves. This shift in mindset can unlock a team's true potential, fostering a culture where people are encouraged to take risks, make mistakes, and ultimately deliver more value.

The Ego-Driven Trap of "Founder Mode"

In founder mode, there’s often a tendency to micro-manage. Leaders set detailed goals with step-by-step instructions, expecting their team to simply follow the playbook. The idea is that if everyone sticks to the plan, success will naturally follow. But this approach can lead to frustration on both sides. Employees feel boxed in, unable to deviate from the outlined tactics, while leaders become disappointed when results fall short of their expectations.

Here's a personal example of where I fucked up:

I once set a team member the goal of "increasing the effectiveness of our social media campaigns." I outlined some very specific KPIs and gave clear examples of what I wanted to see and I told this person to just stick to organic posting. No creativity, no deviation—just follow the plan.

The result? It didn’t work. (I mean, DUH! - I can't even follow my own advice sometimes).

My employee was frustrated by the constraints, and honestly, so was I. We were both stuck in a loop of rigid thinking, driven by my need to control the outcome rather than trusting the process.

Breaking Free with Messick's Psychological Contracts

Messick's framework flips the script. Instead of treating people as tools to execute a founder's vision, it sees them as adults capable of contributing to that vision in their own way.

Let's face facts: one single person does not have all the answers, they can be blinded by confirmation-bias, historical bias or any number of the tens of biases that exist when you're looking at data on your own. There is no way around this. It is critical that founders set the overall, top level, vision (AKA the BHAG), communicate this with team members and then let them set their own path towards it.

The psychological contract is about balancing what employees "give" to the organization with what they "get" in return. It’s not just about the paycheck; it’s about emotional and psychological rewards that come from being trusted, valued, and allowed to take risks.

In my case, the breakthrough came when my team member challenged me. They proposed an innovative approach that would still hit our KPIs but didn’t rely on the tactics I had laid out. It took a lot of courage for this employee to do that, especially as an introvert who wasn’t naturally inclined to speak up. But that moment of pushing back led to a turning point for both of us.

I realized that my job as a leader wasn’t to dictate every move but to provide a clear direction, a sense of security, and the freedom for my team to find their own way. When people feel safe enough to challenge ideas and suggest new approaches, they are no longer afraid of making mistakes. They focus on finding the best solutions, and that’s when you really unlock performance from a team.

Why Messick's Approach Unlocks Team Performance

Messick's psychological contracts work because they focus on human needs that drive performance:

1. Direction & Vision → Focus & Self-Direction: Instead of micromanaging every step, leaders provide a vision, and team members bring their best selves to focus on achieving it.

2. Protection & Security → Gratitude & Loyalty: Providing a safety net where people can take risks without fear of backlash leads to loyalty and gratitude.

3. Achievement & Effectiveness → Commitment & Effort: Clear goals inspire commitment, but allowing the team to find their own path fosters true effort and dedication.

4. Inclusion & Belonging → Cooperation & Sacrifice: When people feel like they belong, they’re more willing to cooperate and make sacrifices for the team’s success.

   
   

The Real Measure of Leadership

The difference between ego-driven leadership and Messick’s approach is the willingness to let go of control. By treating team members as adults who can think, innovate, challenge the status quo, you create a high-performance culture that doesn’t rely on your answers but thrives on collective problem-solving.

Leadership isn’t about having all the answers.

It’s about setting the direction (BHAGs), creating an environment where people feel safe to innovate, and then getting out of their way. When you stop trying to control everything, you allow your team to reach its full potential, and that’s when extraordinary results happen.

Sidenote:

It's not just founders that can do #foundermode - I have seen many C's / Managers or other Senior Leaders do this... And I've talked before about how setting a direction not a strategy (especially in marketing) can help this.

Growth(by)Gardner - a Growth & Marketing Consultancy.

As a Marketing Consultant, Growth Marketing Consultant and Fractional CMO for your startup I focus on helping startups create scalable growth, leveraging lean marketing principles, lightweight microservices and 18 years experience in growing successful companies to help your startup grow.

Want to see what I can do for you? Book a Free Growth Discovery call.