Lessons on Startups

May 31, 2019

1. On Operations

• Bi-Weekly or weekly 1-1 sessions to track progress on goals, agenda, and actions
• Weekly team meetings to update, make a decision, or review done work with the team
• Quarterly planned weekend get-togethers with the whole team to do ground work
• Quarterly 1-1 sessions to check on individual progress by reviewing the history of decisions made, the reasons behind them and ambitions for future
• Get news of the great works others are doing on board
• Get to know all the members of your team

More on in how to run effective meetings

2. On Management Style

• Be more involved and hands-on at the beginning of a new project; This way you will better know how to help in case your help is required.
• Do not micro manage, unless you feel someone is going off-track; in which case tell them your concern, try to understand the situation better by discussing it and plan together a way to improvement.
• Make sure that everybody takes priorities and deadlines very seriously.
• In case you can, use data and objective measures to track progress and to gain better insights on a subject you are trying to improve/ goal trying to achieve
• See the bigger picture; get to know and understand your team members’ personal lives, and be there to support them when they need it.

3. On Communication

• Use 1-1s for items better discussed verbally
• Use quarterly get-togethers to give constructive feedback to each other

4. Important Facts

Best facilitating factor for employee retention is the success of the company. Exit conversations could help you identify the reasons behind people leaving your company. Being engaged in projects with great learning and growth (promotion) opportunities in the company are important factors in employee retention.

The key to keeping the growing impulse of an early stage company is in having strong ambitious leaders who start decentralising power, hence allowing the growth to continue. It is about finding people who are better than you in their specialties, putting them in the right environment so that the best of them shows up around.

When hiring someone make sure that they know what they are good at. Also, make sure that they are motivated and passionate about joining your company and the kind of work they will be doing.