Does Your CEO Avoid Talking About Succession Planning?
Maybe they have Founderitis
Let’s be honest: the hardest conversation in the C-suite isn’t about budgets, talent shortages, or even layoffs. It’s about succession planning.
Ever tried to raise the topic with your CEO and suddenly the room goes quiet? Eyes dart. Someone cracks a joke. And the conversation is moved along.
What’s really going on? It might be something called Founderitis.
What’s Founderitis?
Founderitis happens when a CEO (especially the founder) can’t imagine life outside the company. Their identity and the company’s identity are one and the same. Handing over the reins feels like losing themselves.
So instead of facing the reality of a future without them, they avoid the topic altogether.
Why It’s a Problem for HR
For HR, Founderitis makes succession planning feel like pushing a boulder uphill. 🪨
You know the risks:
Bottlenecked decisions. When everything flows through one person, the organization slows to a crawl.
Talent flight. High-potential employees get frustrated when they can’t see a path forward and take their ambitions elsewhere.
Continuity at risk. Illness, retirement, or a sudden exit can throw the company into chaos.
Watch out! If your CEO isn’t willing to talk about succession, the business is flying without a safety net—and HR is left managing the fallout.
The Red Flags
Founderitis shows up in telltale ways:
Avoiding retirement talk.
Reluctance to delegate meaningful responsibilities.
Over-identifying with the company (“I am the business”).
Pushing back on fresh ideas or up-and-coming leaders.
If you’re seeing these patterns, your instincts are right: succession planning is on shaky ground.
What HR Can Do
You can’t cure Founderitis overnight, but you can reframe the conversation:
Position succession as business continuity insurance. This isn’t about replacing the CEO—it’s about safeguarding the company.
Highlight employee development. Emphasize that succession planning is also career-pathing, mentoring, and leadership growth.
Start small. Encourage knowledge transfer, delegation, and exposure opportunities for rising talent.
Use data. Point to turnover costs, recruiting delays, and industry stats to show the real risks of “waiting until later.”
Your Role
If your CEO has Founderitis, you need to keep succession planning alive as a conversation, even if the CEO resists.
Lean into this: The most valuable legacy a founder can leave isn’t the company they built—it’s the company that continues to thrive when they’re no longer at the helm.
