You’re a founder. You’ve got urgency, vision, and a product to ship.
So why does it sometimes feel like your dev team is slow, resistant, or… just ignoring you?
Let’s be honest:
Most communication between non-technical founders and developers breaks down because you’re speaking different languages — but no one wants to admit it.
Here’s how to talk to developers in a way that builds trust, clarity, and actual results (without sounding like a jerk or getting tuned out).
1. 🧠 Don’t Just Say What You Want — Explain Why You Want It
Bad:
“We need a dark mode by Monday.”
Better:
“Some users are bouncing because the app’s too bright at night. Can we explore a way to reduce that friction?”
Developers are problem-solvers. If you share context, they’ll often come up with a better solution than what you were going to request.
2. 🔍 Avoid Vague Time Pressure
Saying “ASAP” or “just a small tweak” without any clarity is the fastest way to get eye rolls.
Try this instead:
- What’s the deadline, and why does it matter?
- Is this a must-have or a nice-to-have?
- What trade-offs are acceptable?
Example:
“We’re demoing to a big client Friday. If we can’t fix the broken signup flow, that’s a dealbreaker. Happy to postpone other tasks.”
That’s honest. That’s helpful. That gets prioritized.
3. 💬 Use Fewer Words, More Clarity
Founders often overexplain or underexplain.
Both are bad.
Try this format when making a request:
🎯 Goal: Make onboarding feel faster
📍 Problem: Users drop off at the “invite team” step
💡 Suggestion: Can we move that step to later, or make it optional?
📅 Urgency: Would love this by next week’s launch — is that realistic?
It gives direction without dictation. That’s how you get buy-in.
4. 🧑💻 Respect the Craft
Imagine someone saying to you:
“Hey, just throw together a pitch deck, shouldn’t take more than an hour.”
Annoying, right?
That’s how it feels when founders say:
“It’s just a button.”
“How hard can it be?”
“Can’t you just add that real quick?”
Even if you don’t understand why it’s complex, respect that it might be.
It builds trust — and avoids resentment.
5. 🙋 Ask Before You Assume
If something feels slow, wrong, or off — don’t jump to conclusions.
Bad:
“Why is this taking so long? It should’ve been done by now.”
Better:
“Hey, curious if anything’s blocking this. Is there anything I can do to help move it forward?”
One sounds accusatory. The other invites collaboration.
6. 🔁 Feedback is Not Micromanagement (If You Frame It Right)
Devs aren’t mind readers. Feedback is welcome — but only if it’s actionable, not personal.
❌ “This looks bad. I don’t like it.”
✅ “Users said the button was hard to find. Can we make it more prominent?”
Frame feedback as a shared goal, not a top-down command.
Final Thought: Communicate Like a Teammate, Not a Taskmaster
Your developers don’t need you to write code.
They need you to:
- Communicate priorities clearly
- Give real user context
- Trust their problem-solving
- Respect their time and thinking
Talk like a partner — not a boss.
That’s how you build better software, together.
✍️ I write about startup communication, product/dev collaboration, and building without burnout.
Follow me on Twitter for more real-world advice.
Top comments (0)