— SEPTEMBER 20TH, 2026 —

ARE YOU CREATING OR REACTING?

There are things I learned in the early days of building companies that served me well, like the importance of staying close to the details, jumping in when something needs fixing, and doing whatever the moment required of me. When survival is on the line, those instincts can be incredibly useful.

The problem comes when you keep operating that way long after the company has changed. A founder who’s been let down before may keep checking work that no longer needs checking. Someone who’s had to save the company more than once may struggle to let other leaders make consequential decisions. But what once protected the company can eventually limit what it can become.

Now when I sense that an old experience may be shaping how I’m responding, I ask myself: Am I making this decision based on what the future needs, or am I reacting to something I learned in the past? That’s the difference between what I call Creator Mode and Reactor Mode.

Read more in Creators vs. Reactors: How Great Founders Build for the Future.

Reactor Mode looks backward. We make the next decision through an old fear, a need for control, or an experience we don’t want to repeat. Creator Mode starts with the future we’re trying to build and the agency we have to shape where we go from here.

We’re all going to react sometimes. But we can’t allow what happened in the past  make today’s decision.

PERSPECTIVES

“Pain + Reflection = Progress."

— Ray Dalio, Founder of Bridgewater Associates

MARK MY WORDS

One of the tricky things about Reactor Mode is that it can look and feel a lot like responsible leadership. But before jumping in, I’ve learned to ask myself: Does this work actually belong with me?

Agency is about seeing reality clearly enough to own the part that’s ours, without taking on work that belongs to someone else.

The bigger your company gets, the more important this becomes. If you continually step in when pressure rises, your leaders learn that ownership is conditional. They may have the Seat, but when things get uncomfortable, you still have the wheel.

Creator Mode asks you to do something harder: be clear about what’s actually yours to own, and trust the people around you to own what’s theirs. Then make the next decision based on the company you’re building, not the discomfort you’re trying to make disappear.

ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD

In case you missed it, here’s more from Founder’s Framework:

I’ve Had Months Where I Hated My Company — Here’s What It Taught Me

Building a company you love doesn’t mean loving every month of building it.

In this article, I share what the hardest stretches at Ninety taught me about growth, why I avoided certain conversations for so long, and what changed when I finally had them.

[Read Now]

The past has plenty to teach us, but it doesn’t have to define the future you’re building toward.