He fired three COOs in four years. Each one arrived with a strong résumé and the founder's stated commitment to "step back from operations." None lasted. The fourth one is still there three years later, and the company has doubled. The difference was not the COO. The Founder Readiness Test™ is the diagnostic that distinguishes founders who are intellectually willing from founders who are behaviorally ready — before the search begins, not after the next failed hire.