Category: culture

Supporting

FabrizioLeave a comment

If you are going to interview for a startup, between 30 and 100 employees, spend your focus probing one thing: what is the role of the founders?

That’s a critical phase for a founder to change their role: from guiding force to supporting resource. All the energy, the motivation, the knowledge, the urge that has led the founders to start the company needs to be passed over for it to scale, and the only way to do that is if the founders are capable to take a supporting role and let go of things, responsibilities, decisions.

It’s not really a matter of roles or of titles, but a matter of attitude. Look at three things.

  1. The tenure of the people who have joined the startup in the second phase, from 15 to 40 employees. If they leave soon, particularly if they have previous experience and success, that’s a sign the founders are still very much in control.
  2. The way the company spends money to train and promote (promising) employees. If there’s little to no money invested in personal development, salary adjustments, perks and benefits, that’s a sign the founders are still very much in control.
  3. The dynamic of the leadership team, the people who manage people. If there’s separation, factions, silos instead of unity, togetherness, mutual projects, that’s a sign the founders are still very much in control.

It’s important, because when founders act as a support to a growing company, it can be a beautiful opportunity. When they aim at retaining control, instead, well that’s not for everybody.

Any outcome

FabrizioLeave a comment

What if, instead of preparing for an outcome, we would prepare for any outcome?

The input, after all, is the only thing we control.

So, why do we condition our work to the achievement of a specific reward? Why is the reward not the work itself, which undoubtedly is getting us ready for whatever comes next?

Claim

FabrizioLeave a comment

Many restaurants claim the serve Italian food. Few actually do.

Many managers claim they give freedom to their employees. Few actually do.

Many start-up claim they are out to change the world. Few actually do.

Many people claim they are the best in their field. Few actually are.

Many influencers claim they have influence over their audience. Few actually do.

As it turns out, the more you claim, the less you do.

Contagious

FabrizioLeave a comment

The surest way to get ahead is to be kind.

Not because it is easy, it is incredibly difficult most of the time. Not because it is immediate, in fact it is mainly long term. Not because it is tangible, it’s mostly about practice and belief. Not because it is popular, there are not many business books who praise kindness over hustle. Not because it is visible, mostly it is about standing in the back of the stage.

But because it is contagious.

Kindness spreads, and if you start pouring some around, everyone will be better off.

Starting with you.

Incremental

FabrizioLeave a comment

One time is better than no time.

Two times is better than one time.

Three times is better than two times.

And so on.

That’s the great thing about showing up, consistently, time after time. It’s continuous, incremental progress.

Of course, you can also try to go from no time to ten times, but that’s probably going to take a lot of your resources. And it’s not the way you can build habits.