Management Practice Insights
DOI: 10.59571/mpi.v3i2.1
Year: 2025, Volume: 3, Issue: 2, Pages: 44-50
Original Article
Ashneet Kauri*
i S.P. Jain Institute of Management & Research
* Corresponding author: [email protected]
Received Date:11 May 2025, Accepted Date:10 October 2025, Published Date:15 October 2025
Research shows that a founder's personality can significantly affect a firm's success.1 Many startup founders are often celebrated for being visionary, driven and relentless.2 But what happens when the same traits start to erode team trust, stunt collaboration or push the venture into chaos? This is especially relevant in high-stakes, fast-growth environments where agility is prized, but internal dissent is quietly suppressed. Founders with bold visions may override uncomfortable feedback, build echo chambers or stretch resources without restraint. Industry analyses highlight that strong leadership traits often correlate with increased profitability and innovation, suggesting that founder personality is not just a leadership style, but a business driver.3 So, how can founders walk this tightrope and how can investors or early team members spot the tipping points before it's too late? Research by Katrina M. Brownell, Audra Quinn and Mark T. Bolinger shows that traits like Machiavellianism (strategic manipulation), narcissism (excessive self-belief) and psychopathy (emotional detachment) don't always doom a startup.4 These traits often catalyze growth when channelled well. The trick lies in balancing ambition with humility, decisiveness with transparency, and control with collaboration to transform potential liabilities into lasting strengths5
1 Paul X. McCarthy et al., “The Impact of Founder Personalities on Startup Success,” Scientific Reports 13, no. 1 (2023): 17200, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-41980-y.
2 Richard Hagberg PhD, “The Importance of Leadership Coaching for Startup Founders,” Founders Research, January 13, 2025, https://medium.com/founders-research/the-importance-ofleadership-coaching-for-startup-founders-c46ae391bc75.
3 Alessandro Marianantoni, Mastering the Art of Leadership: Balancing Control and Empowerment in Your Startup - M ACCELERATOR by M Studio, Entrepreneurship, May 28, 2025, https://maccelerator.la/en/blog/entrepreneurship/masteringthe-art-of-leadership-balancing-control-and-empowerment-inyour-startup/.
4 Katrina M. Brownell https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2855-1982 [email protected], Audra Quinn https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0863-8207, and Mark T. Bolinger, The Triad Divided: A Curvilinear Mediation Model Linking Founder Machiavellianism, Narcissism, and Psychopathy to New Venture Performance - Katrina M. Brownell, Audra Quinn, Mark T. Bolinger, 2024, n.d., https://doi.org/10.1177/10422587231173684.
5 Vishnu Mundhra et al., THE CHARISMA TRAP: WHEN FOUNDER PERSONALITY FUELS AND FAILS - STARTUP PERFORMANCE, ARI report (S. P. Jain Institute of Management & Research, n.d.), SPJIMR Learning Management System.
6 Richard Hagberg PhD, “The Narcissistic Founder Syndrome: How Overconfidence, Self-Centeredness, and Unilateral Decisions…,” Founders Research, October 11, 2024, https://medium.com/founders-research/the-narcissisticfounder-syndrome-how-overconfidence-self-centeredness-andunilateral-decisions-71707f240d0c.
7 Andrea S. Gubik and Zsófia Vörös, “Why Narcissists May Be Successful Entrepreneurs: The Role of Entrepreneurial Social Identity and Overwork,” Journal of Business Venturing Insights 19 (June 2023): e00364, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbvi.2022.e00364.
8 Sheng Wang and Raymond A. Noe, “Knowledge Sharing: A Review and Directions for Future Research,” Human Resource Management Review 20, no. 2 (2010): 115–31, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2009.10.001.
9 www.ETCFO.com, “Byju's Owner Raveendran's Journey: From School Teacher to India's Newest Billionaire,” News, ETCFO.Com, n.d., accessed September 18, 2025, https://cfo.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/byjus-ownerraveendrans-journey-from-school-teacher-to-indias-newestbillionaire/85507347.
10 I. M. E. Research, Byju's Rise & Fall: Lessons from India's EdTech Giant, April 16, 2024, https://indiamarketentry.com/the-riseand-fall-of-byjus/.
11 Express Web Desk, “Byju's List of Aquisitions: Great Learning, Epic, Aakash Educational Services, WhiteHat Jr and More,” The Indian Express, July 27, 2021, https://indianexpress.com/article/business/startups/byjus-listof-aquisitions-great-learning-epic-aakash-educational-servicestoppr-whitehat-jr-and-more-7424898/.
12 HT News Desk, “Top 5 Reasons for the Downfall of Byju's: From $22 Billion to Less than $3 Billion in Just One Year,” Hindustan Times, October 19, 2024, https://www.hindustantimes.com/business/top-5-reasons-thatled-to-the-downfall-of-byju-s-from-22-billion-to-less-than-3-billion-in-just-one-year-101729322551559.html.
13 Palak Agarwal, “How Did Deepinder Goyal Turn Zomato from a Falling Knife into a Market Marvel? - BusinessToday,” Business Today, December 16, 2024, https://www.businesstoday.in/magazine/deep-dive/story/howdid-deepinder-goyal-turn-zomato-from-a-falling-knife-into-amarket-marvel-457501-2024-12-16.
14 Sarika, “Acqusition of Zomato and Uber Eats | PDF,” Scribd, n.d., accessed September 18, 2025, https://www.scribd.com/presentation/478630356/ACQUSITION -OF-ZOMATO-AND-UBER-EATS.
15 Rachit Garg, “All about the Zomato and Blinkit Deal,” iPleaders, October 14, 2022, https://blog.ipleaders.in/all-about-thezomato-and-blinkit-deal/.
16 Archana Chettiar, Zomato's Rebrand: Key Insights &; Market Implications, News, February 7, 2025, https://www.equentis.com/blog/eternal-horizons-zomatosrebrand-and-its-implications-to-know/.
17 Livemint, “Zomato CEO's Letter to Shareholders on Day of Listing. Full Text Here,” Companies, Mint, July 23, 2021, https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/zomato-ceodeepinder-goyal-letter-to-shareholders-on-day-of-listing-fulltext-here-11627011090403.html.
18 Buildd, “Zoho's 25-Year Journey to Become a Bootstrapped, Profitable, Billion Dollar Startup!,” Buildd, n.d., accessed September 18, 2025, https://buildd.co/product/zoho-success-story.
19 Craig Durr, “Embracing the Long Game: Zoho's Vision for Sustainable IT Innovation,” Futurum, n.d., accessed September 18, 2025, https://futurumgroup.com/insights/embracing-the-longgame-zohos-vision-for-sustainable-it-innovation/.
20 ET Online Desk, Money Can't Buy Everything: Zoho's Sridhar Vembu Says Financialism Is Creating a Generation without Real Skills - The Economic Times, n.d., accessed September 18, 2025, https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/newupdates/money-cant-buy-everything-zohos-sridhar-vembusays-financialism-is-creating-a-generation-without-realskills/articleshow/120198332.cms?from=mdr.
21 Julian Hayes II, “Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky Challenges Conventional Team-Building Advice,” CEO Network, Forbes, n.d., accessed September 18, 2025, https://www.forbes.com/sites/julianhayesii/2024/11/17/airbnbceo-brian-chesky-challenges-conventional-team-buildingadvice/.
22 People Matters Pte Ltd, “Visionary Leadership in Action: Canva Cofounder Melanie Perkins,” People Matters, July 11, 2025, https://anz.peoplemattersglobal.com/article/leadership/visiona ry-leadership-in-action-canva-cofounder-melanie-perkins-46310.
23 EQS Editorial Team, “Elizabeth Holmes and the Theranos Case: History of a Fraud Scandal,” EQS Integrity Line, n.d., accessed January 30, 2025, https://www.integrityline.com/expertise/blog/elizabethholmes-theranos/.
24 Samuel Reed, “LIC’s Leadership Transition and Strategic Shifts: A New Frontier for India's Insurance Sector,” Ainvest, n.d., accessed September 18, 2025, https://www.ainvest.com/news/licleadership-transition-strategic-shifts-frontier-india-insurancesector-2506/.
25 lima, “Elon Musk's Leadership Style: Pros and Cons,” Exeed College, July 5, 2024, https://exeedcollege.com/blog/pros-andcons-of-elon-musk-leadership-style/.
26 Culture Amp, “The Market-Leading Employee Experience Platform,” Culture Amp, accessed September 22, 2025, https://www.cultureamp.com/.
27 Glint, “Glint Inc.,” The Digital Transformation People, n.d., accessed September 22, 2025, https://www.thedigitaltransformationpeople.com/supplier_dire ctory/glint-inc/.
28 “Lattice | The HR Platform That People Love,” accessed September 22, 2025, https://lattice.com/.
29 leapsome, “Leapsome | The People-First HRIS with AI Enablement,” accessed September 22, 2025, https://www.leapsome.com/.
© 2025 Published by SPJIMR. This is an open-access article under the CC BY license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Subscribe now for latest articles and news.
