Building a strong idea is not just enough to start a new project. But, to assemble a good team of skilled professionals, provide a good infrastructure so that you can execute the plan is certainly more important.
Let’s discuss few of the important points that can help to build a winning startup team:
Reference check
While starting up a new venture, you hire new employee. He/she is just not an employee for your company but also sole responsible either for success or downfall. A perfect selection can let you rise high but a mis-hire can not only be a loss of time but also lead to loss of resources, revenue etc.
Therefore, while interviewing a candidate do not forget to ask for references of people related to the last organization and others mentioned by him/her. A feedback can definitely help you to know the person better and can make the judgement of hiring much easier. Listen to your instincts and hire the most suitable candidate to build up the best team.
Plan a team-meet before starting up
After building up the team, have a small casual dinner or a get together to know each individual better. Have an eye on how do they interact with each other or how do they treat the staff of the restaurant, etc. All these can give you a firm idea that how they are going to work with you.
In case, if your team is scattered throughout the country, plan a trip and meet them in person or else be ready to meet the results either positive or negative.
Be quick to show the door
Letting an individual go feels very personal. To keep a bad team member definitely jeopardizes the possibilities of success. It also affects other employees. Hence, if every morning you think to fire this employee then just do it and don’t take too much of time before it’s too late.
Provide incentives
Initially it is very obvious that you cannot pay your team a very high package. In such circumstances offer them incentives and plan to provide better salary hike when the company is in profit and attains financial success.
Maintain an excellent work culture
The startupcompanies who fail to offer a giant package provide an excellent work culture to keep the employeesintact.Have some fun in the organization and also do not forget to let your team make decisions that they definitely wouldn’t be able to make in a big company. This can not only boost their morale but can also benefit you as it can free your time and mind for other important decisions.
Do not impersonate anyone
Transparency with your team is very essential. Hence it is always good to be yourself. Never be a person with dual personality, like to a have different personalities at work and in person. Build a good relationship with your employees. Response to any issue quickly and productively.
Undeniably, startups are hard. They become even harder if you do not possess a good team of professionals. A good team can always help you to overcome all the challenges and hurdles and will let you grow.
Hire an HR person
There are many startups that think hiring a HR is just an added cost to company. However, the truth is that as a startup owner you do not want your time to be consumed by issues emerging due to people in the company. With so much going on in the initial years its easy to get overwhelmed and distracted by employee issues. After all, not everyone is very good at managing people and that too, if everyone belongs to a different trade and expertise.
Thus it is highly advisable to save yourself the trouble of having to waste your time dealing with all these issues and instead hire a HR professional.
When you hire a HR, make sure they are really good at what they do. Instead of going for a make stop arrangement, hire an experienced guy, may be someone who is looking for a position like VP HR. The compensation that such a person would ask will be on the higher side, but the experience and professionalism he or she will bring along would justify the pay. In fact, hire the best person you can find and afford. Your workforce will be the biggest investment and even if the HR person is asking a bit more in terms of salary, he is worth taking onboard. You will not believe how much headache he or she will save you and also prove to be money saver in the long run.
Thus, if you want to ensure that the company is run efficiently and effectively, it’s always beneficial to recruit a dedicated individual for doing all the administrative work such as payroll; the time you save will more than make up the cost.
More than academics, seek common sense
A team isn’t all about individuals with shining medals and top academic degrees. You do not want a professor or SAT topper who has problem gelling with people. Other basic attributes like team spirit, adaptability or willingness to learn are equally important and in some cases even more important for being productive at workplace. Thus, do not be scared of hiring anyone who has dropped out of college in sophomore year to pursue his dream project.
A person who works hard to fulfill his dream with no love for a fancy degree must have something special about him. On the other hand, a 4 year degree or an MBA doesn’t necessarily qualify a person to actually do the job.
Invest in your labor
Putting the best hiring practices at place isn’t enough. To keep your team on toes and competent you have to keep training them with the latest industry skills and technologies. Your employees should be able to put the plan into action and should have a clear understanding of the changing market dynamics. More importantly, they should clearly know what you expect. If you want a team which can work late night hours and put in extra efforts whenever needed, you must also be willing to invest in them through training programs and certifications.
