unhappycto

This is a great response, thank you. Unfortunately for me, it's unrealistic as we simply don't have the budget to hire all these people.

I see a future over the next couple of years where I have someone great in each of those positions but it will be a long, hard journey to get there.

This whole thread has given me a lot to think about and I wish I could personally thank everyone. However HN is limiting my responses so it might take a while!

You are absolutely correct, I need to talk with the other senior folks and this question here was my way of hearing some thoughts before going through that process.

> Do you feel connected to the overall vision of the company?

If I answer honestly, then no, not really. I think it's an interesting idea that will end up making a lot of money but no, the central 'theme' of the business doesn't touch any interests or passions of mine. The role came about via my network and I was much more interested in moving into the role of CTO than the product. Writing that out like this makes me realize that was a big mistake.

You know, maybe it makes me sound bad but I do enjoy leadership on a smaller scale and where I am ultimately in control. I know one-man bands don't get very far (usually) and some people management is expected even in your own business. I guess my point here is that yes, you're right I have enjoyed leadership previously and thought the step up would be similar but it's not.

Thank you for this, it's the way my mind has been leaning but it's good to hear. I realize my original post makes it sound like I had no idea what being a senior manager might involve which is just not true. I understand a lot of fire fighting and dealing with problems is par for the course I just didn't know if I'd enjoy doing that or not. How are you supposed to know until you try? :)

I also felt like I'd have way more control than I currently do. Perhaps that is a problem with me and if I simply took control and treated it like my own business I could change things enough to suit me more. But is that a good decision for the business? I'm not so sure. What's the point in changing things so much that the business suffers?

Anyway, your points about your previous boss really resonate with me right now. I'm finding myself increasingly frustrated and dreading meetings because I feel that frustration is coming across to the rest of the team.

Thanks for the reply. I had thought of doing an MBA a couple of years ago, albeit fleetingly. I don't think that will solve things in this current situation though :)

I also agree that perhaps my issue is more of building things rather than strategic input. After all, when building things for my own business is when I'm most happy so it's good to hear a similar conclusion.

Good luck with your new venture!

Some amazing comments on this thread, thank you everyone. Reading through as fast as I can and will respond soon