I Samuel 18 · Startup voice, On-ramp

Hook

You’ve just hired the "David"—the high-performer who makes your current team look like they’re moving in slow motion. At first, you’re the mentor, the one who brought them in. You’re proud. But then, the market shifts. The metrics start screaming that your "star" is actually outshining the brand itself. You hear the whispers: “The founder has vision, but the Head of Growth is the one actually driving the ship.”

Suddenly, your internal narrative shifts from "I’m a talent scout" to "I’m a liability." You start looking for ways to "leverage" them—which is just corporate-speak for putting them in the line of fire, hoping they’ll burn out or fail on a high-stakes, "impossible" project. It’s the "Saul Syndrome." It turns a high-growth asset into a personal threat. Today, on Rosh Chodesh Elul—the month of teshuva (repentance) and introspection—we look at the architecture of professional jealousy. If you don't confront the "Saul" in your own boardroom, you will inevitably try to pin your best people to the wall with a metaphorical spear. Are you building a kingdom, or are you just protecting your own ego?