Most things are boring.
Like Terms of Service.
That doesn’t mean you can’t have fun while doing them. Or be proud of them. Or make somebody enjoy them.
The guys at Wistia know this well.
Tag: entrepreneurship
When it’s not possible
Sometimes you get asked something that it is not possible to deliver or something that you do not know how to deliver. And then our natural inclination is to overdo, split hairs, change plans, stress us and others, look for additional information. Everything in the attempt to find the answer.
A good reminder is that “I don’t know” is always a viable starter in these cases. It builds credibility, it opens us to learning, it welcomes new possibilities, and it accepts the idea of failure.
Perhaps some people will not accept it as an answer.
Good luck trying to make them happy in one of the other ways.
Flexibility
You need to train your capacity of letting go of ideas, projects, opinions.
Because when you get too attached to those, you risk getting your perspective on the world narrowed. And that’s when you stop learning and developing.
There’s no need to start with big things, but if you can open yourself to a different opinion, delegate a project to somebody you trust, abandon an idea that’s not taking you anywhere, and if you can do it over and over again, that is a great training for your future flexibility.
Equinox doesn’t speak January
A positioning statement is not for everybody.
It’s supposed to divide, in order to conquer. It’s supposed to draw a clear line between trite practices and a new way. It’s supposed to be met with opposition, disdain, surprise, resistance – first of all, from those who are supposed to approve and support it.
If a positioning statement does not do that, it’s not a positioning statement.
This IS a positioning statement.
Love it or hate it. That’s the whole point.
Supporting
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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