Building your team in the early stages of your startup is, of course, critical but what exactly should you keep in mind when looking for talent? Undoubtedly, a strong support team will mean one that supports evolution of your startup and the team as it continues to evolve.
The Environment
First, remember that the ideal team will continue the spirit of growth and innovation that’s already part of your vision as a startup leader. The environment you’re to create will foster a place where others are open to express their perspective and opinions about what’s going on with the startup based not only on their experience, but their passion. Sometimes, the best team members aren’t the ones simply with vast experience, but ones who are the most passionate about what the startup’s goals are in the long-term.
Another key point to keep in mind is that an outstanding team remembers that they are in it together. This means when things get rough, and undoubtedly things will get very rough as it’s the nature of the startup world, the team will motivate each other to stay focused. In addition, the ideal team will be there to add fuel to the fire to keep your startup building itself up and progressing up. Team members that are idling and sitting back comfortably too much and too often won’t foster innovation and they inspire the growth needed to make your startup the best it can be neither today or in the future.
Start With Commitment
Team members need to be open to learning and listening. This calls for a commitment to the schedule you set forth to discuss the most important tasks at hand. The importance of commitment also relates to communication. A lot of ideas, great and not so great, are going to be flying around during talks and meetings so a team committed to sharing ideas as well as criticisms is essential.
Also, one shouldn’t be worried about keeping some ideas secret based on internal politics or lack of trust. The chemistry of your group should be on where you are open and excited to share ideas with. Remember, if there’s someone on your team whose not open to this kind of exchange, it’s probably better you start thinking about finding a replacement.
Getting Connected
The idea of openness of ideas is also linked to an idea of connectedness between team members. As the founder or co-founder, you should be sending emails or texts to your team members to foster a connection. This way, they don’t see you as simply the person calling the shots and barking at them to get things done.
Remember to offer support to the other team members where you see fit also. Everyone on the team should be looking to grow and learn from each other and sometimes that does take an experienced member to offer that specific advice or suggestion. Take the task of building a team seriously because in the long run, it’s going to be the base from which your startup evolves and you don’t want to waste precious time, especially in the early stages, having to reform your team.
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