This is a really interesting one because being a Founder and being a Leader are different skill sets. Yet sometimes people naturally assume one comes with the other.

You have to be honest about your strengths and weaknesses and choose the areas of the business you own. As part of this, you also need to decide the balance of leadership between you as Co-Founders.

First of all, what does that mean for you? Is that leading a team, leading client facing work, leading PR / business image etc. Then consider who’s skillset best matches the job and who wants to own what.

Have you ever had this conversation? If not, it’s an important one for your business success and your joy and confidence in your roles as Co-Founders.

Interesting that you say, ‘how can I motivate them’, as that in itself is assuming leadership by thinking this is up to you. To me this is more about asking and understanding your partners experience so things can evolve to work best for you both.

Have you voiced the fact that you feel like your owning the leadership responsibilities? If not, could this be brought up as part a conversation around reassessing roles, your personal development and reflecting on what you enjoy and want to own in the business?

Do you understand why your Co-Founder might rely on your assertiveness? Could they perhaps think you want to lead, or that it’s more effective that way? It’s important to ask, listen and understand their experience; without judgement.

You need to consider your role here too. Has it become habit for you to step up and lead, so you just automatically do it? How could you behave and communicate differently to create opportunities for your Co-Founder to lead?

It’s a really interesting topic and an important one to address as the longer it goes on, the harder it is to shift. Approach the conversation with the mindset of wanting the best for each other and the business, and know that you’ll both always be learning and evolving on this journey.