Drowning in Play Books

Founders need their own field book

The noise is deafening

Founders are living in a hyperconnected, always-on world where leadership advice feels louder than ever. Social media floods our feeds with perfectly polished posts and proclamations from self-proclaimed experts, each armed with the latest “essential play book” or transformative philosophy. They promise solutions that are one-size-fits-all, systems that guarantee success if only you subscribe fully.

But the truth is, most of this advice adds more noise than value. It’s easy to lose yourself in the whirlwind, paralyzed by conflicting advice, chasing what works for others, and doubting your ability to carve your own path. If you’re a founder, this relentless pressure can push you to abandon your intuition and stretch yourself too thin, trying to mold into what the “gurus” insist a leader should be.

Back to basics: leading from within

When did focusing on what’s practical, personal, and grounded go out of style? Probably somewhere between the introduction of “hustle culture” and “founder mode.” For us, coaching isn’t about turning you into someone else’s ideal or hammering out blind discipline or leaning too hard into any one philosophy of leadership. It’s about creating real habits and behaviors that reflect your unique strengths and align with your vision. Sure, these trends aren’t going away anytime soon, but two things can be true at the same time: you can gain inspiration from them and lead with clarity and confidence, without pretending there’s a one-size-fits-all play book.

Let’s help founders move away from imitating what’s already out there and focus on the most important skill: leading from within. By trusting your intuition and learning when to ignore the noise, you can build a style of leading that’s true to you. This isn’t about taking shortcuts or adopting the latest buzzwords. It’s about building habits that help you make clear decisions, act boldly, and stay connected to the values that matter most.

Being a founder has always been demanding, but today’s pressures require a different kind of leadership, one that balances clarity and confidence. That’s why we’re stripping away the unnecessary fluff and getting back to basics with coaching: empowering you to develop your own systems, trust your instincts, and focus your energy where it matters most.

Today, coaches have a tendency to promise overnight transformations or perpetuate dependence. The simple truth is it’s good for business. But at the risk of sounding old fashioned, you can’t beat a real partnership. Coaching is an art but its mission is far more simple: to help you show up consistently, master your habits, and lead your business with confidence.

Field guides and field books, oh my!

In the coming months, Hiddn will publish a series of field guides and ultimately a book, appropriately titled The Founder’s Field Guide and The Founder’s Field Book. The objective is simple: help founders build winning habits, not chase mastery or a mythical transformation.

We promise you no shortcuts or replacements for coaching but a foundation for sustainable habits that drive your business forward. No empty affirmations or philosophies of leadership; only the basics: aligning your actions to focus your energy where it’s needed most.

The best part? You make it your own. We’re not telling you what to do, only giving you a framework to work from. After all, the best founders have never been defined by someone else’s play book, but led with the courage to carve out a path in a field of their own.