Advice needed from mid career individuals

Hey all, I'm two months into a new role as Head of Operations at a medical company, and I'm already feeling like I might have made a mistake.

A bit of context: I'm a remote consultant (in a different country than the one the company operates in), so I have no benefits, limited visibility into on-the-ground dynamics, and I’m technically not a full-time employee. The company itself is growing quickly, but there are some serious red flags I can’t ignore anymore.

The founder/CEO is very driven, which I respect—but they constantly change their mind about decisions, even just a few days after making them. That might be normal in a startup-ish environment, but the volatility is affecting everything. I’m someone who prefers to do things methodically—build the right systems, fix the root problems, avoid rework. But it feels like that approach doesn’t fly here.

To make things worse, my team is operating under constant fear. Several of them have expressed (privately) that they’re worried they could be fired at any moment with no warning. The instability from leadership has clearly trickled down, and I can’t tell if it’s my job to try to stabilize things—or if it’s unrealistic to even try.

So now I’m asking myself: is this what "rising in your career" looks like? You take on more chaos, more responsibility, and learn to live with instability? Or is this a bad fit and I should seriously consider looking for something healthier and more aligned with how I work?

Would love to hear from anyone who’s been in leadership or consulting roles—especially in healthcare or startups. How do you know when it’s just part of the learning curve, and when it’s a sign to move on?