How Founders Get in Their Own Way — And How to Fix It with Dr. Katie Powell-Hinitz (EP009)

Imagine your startup finally hits product market fit. But inside the company, it still feels messy. Decision stall. Roles blur. You're the bottleneck again. What if the real unlock is not another hire or tool, but learning how to design your team with intention? Dr. Katherine Ann Powell Hennetz. Katie holds a PhD and an MBA, but she's not just an academic. She was an early executive at a fintech startup that quickly scaled to over $10 billion in assets under management. A true unicorn. She knows what it means to lead through complexity, to build alignment under pressure, and to design organizations that actually work. Katie brings a rare blend of deep scholarship and real world execution. She guides founders from crisis mode to creative momentum by helping teams move with clarity, trust and purpose. And her perspective is personal as well as professional. Because she grew up inside a founder led household, she understands not just the mechanics, but the mindset behind building something that from scratch. And yes, she is also my daughter. That matters deeply to me. It is one of the great honors of my life to introduce her to you now. So let's dive in. Hello, Katie.

Hi. How's it going?

Good. It's so great to have you here. Let's, let's get started. You know, we just. I'm going to actually say this. Katie and I had just the most amazing conversation because we're doing this and we're going through and we get through a 30 minute PAL perspective and somebody forgot to hit the record button. So it's always awesome. It is so good to be humbled at all times by anything that's out there. So I just want to say thank you for doing this again. Here's here we go, round two. What do you want founders to walk away with? Tell me about that.

All right, well, you're getting. Yeah. The refined perspective here after our dry run. What I would say founders should walk away with today, if they stop the podcast after this next sentence, it's that organizational design is your superpower. It's so much more than culture, conversations or org charts or rigid processes. It's about clarity, alignment, and building a company that grows and adapts with you. So I'm going to ask you to picture something really quick because I think it actually makes that point really sink in, at least when I'm talking with my clients. So I'll ask you quickly picture the New York Philharmonic, okay. You see the incredible experts at their craft sitting in their rows, right? So you see the exceptional violinist, you see the astounding cellist. Everyone there who is truly the best at what they do and they are perfectly practiced at the piece they're going to play. But the real magic of the orchestra is the conductor. Because without the conductor, you just have talent. You don't have that orchestrated outcome that leads from individualized skill into collective excellence. And so organizational design is your conductor. It helps your organization be the foundation through which those individual people can do their best, but work together to achieve a better outcome than anyone can do alone.

You know, I love how you create that visualization and it does remind me, you know, many years ago, Jim Collins wrote the book Good to Great. And one of the things that we have used in our companies over the years is it's really important to hire the right people, get them in the right seat and then get out of the way. Because when you have great people, they will figure it out. But what you're actually saying is you can bring clarity to that, or at least I don't want to put words in your mouth, but what I'm hearing you say is you can bring clarity through that, through design that actually gets those top notch players moving in the same direction in, in the right seat. So you don't want that cellist playing a trumpet, right? You want the cellist playing the cello. And, but you're able to do that. So what, how does that work? I mean, how do you actually do that? And how do you get the founder out of the way from that doing so?

That is a complex, multifaceted question that requires a lot of help, I would say. But, but I just want to distill this into like a quick thought which is growth. Organizational growth isn't just about the product. It's not about the people, it's not about how much hustle you put in. It's about an organization that takes all of those pieces to unlock those people's full potential. So using Jim Collins example, I love that book, it's one of my all time favorite books. I, I feel that it is a step more to say it's not just the right people and get out of their way. Those right people need to know what they're doing. And so as a founder, you created something because you see a better world with the solution product service that, that you've created this company around. So it's, it's your job to find ways to not only attract the right talent, but trust that talent to do a better job than you ever could in that role. And you are, in the organization is your conductor. You're the music, you are the clarity of music that everyone is playing for and the Orchestra comes because of that organizational design that allows everybody to play that music at the same time in the same way to achieve the best outcome.

So the first part that you said, and again back to Jim Collins, but also like Ben Hardy and Dan Sullivan was strategic coach. So Ben Hardy and Dan have the book who, not how. It's not just good enough to have the who. Right. And we do know that it is possible to find a whole to do just about anything that you don't like to do and that they are probably way better at and passionate about. And so. But it is required to have an organization where you actually orchestrate that is that.

Absolutely. And here's why. I'll put it together with something that I hope really resonates with the founders listening right now. It's certainly the pattern that I see with my clients, which is you have the right people and you feel, okay, I'm delegating these roles, roles as we scale. But it's an intentional act of trust and clarity to equip those people with that amazing talent, those incredible who's, as they would say, Ben Hardy and Jim Collins, to actually go where you want them to go. And what I find founders really get tripped up on is they feel that they've delegated the work, but they are the bottleneck that prevents those people from actually being able to do their best. And it's not because of ego. It's not because founders think that they can do everything better. It's out of habit. When you found, you know this better than anybody, when you found a company, you're the everything person. You're, you're the CEO, the cpo, the cmo, you're the client success rep, you're the admin, you're the chief bottle washer. Yes, everything. And so it's an intentional act and a big foundational shift to create an organization that actually supports those roles for many people rather than relies on one person to try and figure it out all the time.

I, I love that. Okay, so you've got the founder, you've been working with lots of founders over your career so far, and, and you grew up with one. But so what's the, what's the primary consistent problem you've, you've come across with founders and how does your work guide them? Meaning this is about taking actual and getting actual results. What does that process look like? And, and is there something that you found prepared, pretty consistent with founders?

Yeah. So kind of a two part question. I think one of the bigger themes that I've realized is that many founders just simply wait too long to design a structure behind what they're creating, and often feel that there's a negative connotation to organizational design as something that slows down progress, but it's really the thing that will take your current results into exponential outcomes. And so in my work, what I do is help kind of shift that founder mentality to imbue their passion, their why, their vision into something that other people can hold and work toward. And so this is really systemized. It's about a four step process, process that I've started to create with founders to help them honestly get out of their own way and settle in a place of that visionary creative genius that got them to where they are, but will help them get them to a much richer place in the future. So at Kindred, what we do is we walk you through a system that helps you first diagnose what's going on. And this is at any organizational stage, if you've had a lot of success or you're just brand new, we want to understand the current state. Because every organization is unique, every founder is unique, so every solution needs to be unique. In turn. This is another book off the shelf, another checklist that you go implement. This is something that's unique to you. And so we diagnose the problem and we get really, really clear on what you're doing, why you're doing it, and how we're all going to work together to create those outcomes, to create that future that you want to do. I'll tell you what's different about Kindred is we're not just another consultant that kind of pops in, gives you a plan and leaves. We seek to partner with founders to give them that rich research backed organizational design approach that's customized to them to help them get out of their own way, delegate, refine roles and clarify desired outcomes. But then we partner with the founder to hold them accountable to that implementation of that long term view. And I feel that that not only sets us apart, but it actually helps founders see the outcomes that they so desperately want because they need that external advisor to help them.

So, and we were chatting through the last time and really what that means is something that I equate to having coaches. So one of the fun things that, you know, I've done for almost all my life is I, I surround myself with coaches. There's so many things that I want to learn and there's always someone that not only knows it better than I do, but part of being a coach is that I also coach coaches, and so that's a different skill set than learning how to do it myself. So in the skiing side and in this business that we're in is constantly doing that. So instead of being a weather person that tells you, hey, it's going to snow or it's not going to snow or whatever, what I'm hearing you say is you at Kendrick actually engage with those founders. You're not the consultant that says this is the way you do it and whether you do it or don't, we're not really part of your success. Right. Or failure. Right. So, so, so go there.

Yeah. I would say that I've had experience as a business consultant and it's magical to watch organizations find a sense of enthusiasm and clarity from hiring a consultant. They have the right thing, they get so energized and then the consultant leaves and bad habits return and no one's accountable. And then unfortunately, those organizations become disenchanted to external expertise.

Yep.

And so I took that experience and really, really said, there has to be a better way. And so at Kindred, we don't just parachute in with another best practice model and a checklist and a cookie cutter approach. No, no, no. We embed. We diagnose what's really happening that's unique to you and also what's special about you, what's special about this particular organization. And then we co create solutions tailored specific specifically to your goals, your culture, your resources. And then we're there to hold you accountable. And so we partner to ensure that not only are you feeling energized, feeling clear, but they're actually taking the steps to do it. And it's akin to what you had said earlier too, about a personal trainer. Okay. When you go to see a personal trainer, they create your little fitness plan, but they're not just going to let you go on your way. They're there adjusting your form, they're there making sure you do get out of bed and go to the gym. That's really the model that I sought to create with Kindred. Was that that team culture, that partnership to help a founder feel supported in doing things differently, so that way they can achieve lasting success.

So you're really, truly results driven. And that what, that's what makes your team the go to partner for these founders that are out there?

Yeah, absolutely. And so I think what's interesting here is I'm going to take you on kind of like a research role at the meta level. But I've seen these results in my practice, which Just makes it so exciting to do the work that I do. When founders invest in an intentionally designed organization through practices that we know work, but they have to be adjusted and molded to the unique circumstances of every organization, the results are real and long lasting, and it's just so exciting to watch solutions. Right? So organizations with mature organizational design approach far outpace their competition. I mean, I'm talking five times more employee retention of their best people. Right? So, like, think about getting more out of your team. Also twice as likely to exceed funding goals. I don't know any founder who would pass that up. And so it's, it's really changing a paradigm shift from organizational design being something that later, later on, or it's slowing innovation to something that's actually a core, core piece for you to get your footing to do so much more than you can right now.

So, Katie, you're talking about measurable, measurable and citable, provable results. And I think what it comes down to, or at least what I'm hearing, is something that a mentor of mine said just recently, which was clarity brings speed of execution. So one of the things that our founders are notoriously known for is lack of clarity with their team on the execution. They've got clarity on the end result. Right. They know where they're going. The team is the one who's going to get the organization there. And the founder oftentimes is actually muddying that direction. Am I getting that, what you found in there?

It's, it's the biggest theme that I see in my work. And it's not, I mean, no founder goes in intentionally doing that. Right. They think they're being helpful. They think that they're equipping their team or that they can't trust their team to do it the way that they need to do it. And so there's, it's a multifaceted problem that really is distilled into one theme, which is the founder's clarity helps the team execute.

I love that. Well, that's a tagline for team.

Or that they can't trust their team to do it the way that they need to do it. And so it's a multifaceted problem that really is distilled into one theme, which is the founder's clarity helps the team execute.

I love that. Well, that's a, that's a tagline for you. That's a toy. You gotta grab that tagline. And if you don't, we will. So we trademark everything. We trademark everything in this organization. So as, as this coin in There.

I love it.

All right, so one of the exciting things about this is you've got a new blog. Tell me about your new blog. I do, and it's. It's Growth by design. Is that right? Growth by Design. I love that.

Thank you. You know, it's something that, honestly, I feel like I was working toward for so long. But as you know, it's mostly just my husband who gets to hear all of this cool research that I'm reading.

Your dad, your dad once in a while when we get our.

You do get it too as well. But I'm like, why not just scale this? I talk about scale all the time and I talk about being in service and I just want to share all of those aha moments that I get that help me become a better leader, that help helps me teach my clients how to be more effective, how to get better results. And I just, I felt this need to, to not gate that to just the people that I work with. And so what I created Kindred Consulting to do was to work deeply with founders, but I created Growth by Design to just share. To share those aha moments that'll help you bring clarity, boost your culture, tackle tough team and interpersonal issues, all in bite sized, practical posts that you can use that day.

There's. There's so much noise out there. Why Growth by Design? Do I just feel good? Do I have a couple giggles? Are there cat pictures? Or do I actually take away, you know, something that if I take a little bit of my time and it's an exchange for my time for your space and I get into your head, am I walking away with some tangible takeaway?

Yeah, I, I take the privilege of folks time very seriously. And so my intention with creating this blog was to give people an organizational PhD in their pocket, ready whenever you need a spark of inspiration or a gentle nudge of hey, maybe let's do something different. And so every post is intentionally designed to ensure that there's a tactical takeaway you could implement that will help help you do better and get the results that you want in the future.

I love it. Another one for you to, to get there, if it's not already taken as PhD in your pocket. That is an awesome one. And it is, it is phenomenal. It's phenomenal to have you on my show, which is actually, as you said, pal, perspective squared, because it's got both of us on this, on this scenario. And we didn't even mention it. We mentioned it the last time we were doing our dry run, but you Know one of the fun things it was is your father in law is also PhD, right? And so we had this little skit where when you were getting your hood it was hello Dr. Hennett. Hello Dr. Powell. Hello Dr. Powell Hennetts.

And oh my gosh, something burned in my memory for better or worse.

But, but those, those, those moments are those call to actions, I mean type scenarios because it takes so much to get there. And I know even in today's world of you know, people are pro or con on education, but it's really, there's no one that's been successful without some level of edge OR Powell, hello Dr. Powell Henitz.

And oh my gosh, something burned in my memory for better or worse.

But, but those, those, those moments are those call to actions, I mean type scenarios because it takes so much to get there. And I know even in today's world of you know, people education or in most cases, I don't know anybody that's successful that didn't have a lot of education. And it can be from the greatest or pro or con on education but it's really, there's no one that's been successful without some level of gear to the greatest performer. You brought up the orchestra, they don't have to have a formal education. Gear to the greatest performer, you brought up the orchestra, they don't have to have a formal education. But in this case what you've been able to do is take that founder world and be able to bring actual academic standards that say this stuff works and we know it works and it's measurable and we can help you get through there well.

And what you're speaking to is I think a real magical moment. No founder. Actually I shouldn't say no founder. Few founders are taught how to build a business, they're not taught organizational design. And it's frustrating as somebody who's spent so many years researching, studying this to see that there are clear answers, there are clear ways that can help alleviate these headaches and get you faster, better, exponential progress. And it would be a waste for me to take the education that I have and not share it with others. And so you don't have to be a PhD in Organizational Design to have a quality designed organization that leads to those outcomes.

I Love it. A PhD in the pocket. There we go. Well, call to action. First is growth by design. Second is they can reach out to you on LinkedIn. Yes, absolutely, out on LinkedIn. And then where else do they reach out to you? I think you were talking about something where people can actually get a little bit of time with you and decide if it's a good fit. Is that right?

Absolutely. So I would love to offer just a 30 minute executive debrief with folks. And so we'll share my organization's website and it has an intake form there and we'll go ahead and just be able to sit down and talk, just understand where you're at, what you're feeling, where you feel that there's friction between where you want to go and where you're at. And then co create something that says, okay, here's your path for maybe doing things a little bit differently. So a 30 minute debrief will. We'll share the website link on this.

And I want to mention that because, you know, again, I think Dean Jackson said it really well through Joe Polish at Genius. But you know, the magic of marketing is not attracting everyone. It's about attracting the right type of people and repelling the wrong type of people. And so in the founder's world, this will kind of be our last call to action. But for you to give 30 minutes of your time, you really are going to want to work with the right type of founders. And that has got to be a special type of founder. Because if it's the founder that walks in is always we're talking about solving problems and getting results. If it's the founder that always has to be the smartest person in the room, they walk in and they're the ones that create the chaos, yet they're the ones that also put out the fires at the end of the day, or at least think they do. Is that the founder you're looking for or is it the founder that you're looking for that really is open to what it takes? Not just the who's, but how to align those who's into being an orchestra? Tell me how that fits.

Yeah, so the founders that I work with are the founders who are feedback driven. And so you talk about what I would distill that question into is like a humble founder, a founder who has a really amazing vision, something that they want to share and share exponentially with the world and they know they can't do it alone. And so those founders are the founders that are open to receiving the their team's inspiration, external inspiration, and then channeling that into their vision. Founders who come to me who feel that they are already amazing and they just want their team to get in line. I don't think you need me because I don't think that you're really understanding that there's a better way for founders to, to live which is to create an organization and not a founder led only dependent company.

I love that. And as you know, you know, in our research on my side at the founder's office we've, we've named this thing called the founders isolation paradox which is generally where the founders have started these companies oftentimes with their spouse, they've grown to the point and we focus generally on the companies that are at the 25 million up range. But so they've gotten a CFO, they've gotten a controller, they have an accountant, they have an attorney, they have, you know, a suite of C level executives or soon to be C level executives and, and bankers and all these things. And yet they're still in this isolation area and they can't even understand why. They don't know why at 2am they're filling out their journal and they're still having to make all these decisions themselves. And what, what I hear you say is that we're aligned on that, that it's, it's the founder that are there and they've built that success or the, maybe the pre founders before that, but it's probably the founders that are there see it and then they recognize that the problem is them in many cases.

Absolutely. And that they can. If a founder is willing to take a step back and just consider, am I a bottleneck? Am I stifling my team's ability to solve this problem without me? Am I being too rigid in my idea of perfect or my idea of good and success? And so that that deep reflection actually opens you to the connection necessary to combat that founder's isolation paradox. Isolation happens when you start to feel, feel that you are the only one who can navigate this problem. But you hire the best. So let's help you get the best out of those people.

Oh, I love that there's so many takeaways from this thing. So call to action, reach out to you. You're going to be able to do a 30 minute if you're the right kind of founder. And this is really where you are at this point in time. Dr. Katherine Ann Powell Hennetz. Katie, thank you so much for joining us here on the PAL Perspective. I got to tell you that it is such a pleasure and proud moment to be your dad. I have amazing kids, which is just the coolest thing in the world. It is really one of those most successful things to take away and it is amazing to have you here. So thank you. I love what you are doing. I love you, and this has been really exciting to have you on the show. Thanks for coming on.

Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. This was just a privilege. Privilege and just so fun.

Awesome. Well, we'll leave it up to your brother to edit out whatever he does and make sure that we've got the links on there and have a wonderful day. And thanks for joining us.