Founder Values: What Makes Founders Different as Leaders?

Founders are often assumed to be more ambitious and driven than corporate leaders.

Data from our Leadership Values Assessment COA suggest something else: what really sets founders apart in their leadership approach is a different relationship with uncertainty.

Founders consistently place a higher value on change, curiosity, and courage than on ambition. For example, data from COA shows that founders tend to be motivated by exploring new possibilities and challenging established ways of thinking, placing far less emphasis on stability and predictability.

As a startup scales, this preference becomes critical because it requires psychological flexibility to be able to adapt to feedback and re-evaluate assumptions.

What does this mean for VCs?

When assessing founders, don't just screen for ambition and drive. Specifically look for traits like curiosity and creativity because that's what can determine whether founders have the needed psychological flexibility to thrive in uncertainty.

Founders prioritise Innovation values more than other senior leaders

Founders compared with other senior leaders, across 29 core values and 12 core drivers.

Figures are effect sizes (Cohen's d): 0.2 is a small difference, 0.5 moderate, 0.8 large. Scores are relative, so each person is measured against their own value profile. Pattern replicated on an independent sample.