Thus is something I've kind of had on my mind for years. I've noticed working at and with small companies that there is almost always a hero myth surrounding the owner. What do I mean ? Everyone celebrates the owner, sings songs about about their greatness and it comes up constantly. It'll be something you hear from the interview to meetings to the entire group. There comes a point where this hero worship becomes the normative behavior.
I'll be up front and say my experience in smaller companies so far has been better than my experience in corporate America and I've even met one or two of these hero owners where the praise is due.
But it becomes a God complex. It becomes an ego issue and it's creepy above all else. I'm not sure who else has been through a similar experience but it just keeps happening and I feel like it should be called out.