Sounds like you are a great candidate to start something yourself, and implement all the things you remember about optimal management. Is there a reason you haven't tried to start something yourself (just to be clear, I'm assuming that as a developer, you have made enough money to pay off any unsecured debt, and have the option of freelancing for side income if necessary).
Yes, start something yourself, and then you'll understand why the startup management you've worked for thrashes around so much because they're learning the art of business management while on the job.
If you going to work for a startup then just expect that there will be a new business plan put forward every week, and the management tiers will want to latch onto whatever fads are trendy this week. Comes with the territory. On the other hand you can work for a super big corp where the business plans haven't changed in 5 years but project titles change every 3 weeks.
