6 Main Traits For Startup Team Members
A look at what makes startup team member successful.
Today, startups are really sexiest business. Most of us dream it, want to be part of startup world. Everyday, a dozen of post is written about startups but most of posts mention success stories, investment news, new products/technology etc. This creates a huge ambitious to become a part of startup but in the same time creates really big information pollution about startups.
Startups are not just a job you can do 9 to 5. It’s nature totally different from any corporate company. When you read posts, news etc generally you see one man but all successful startups is a consequence of a team play. In this view, who want to be part of startup world, primarily has to be a successful team player. I work on nature of successful team player’s and find six main trait. Let’s look at what makes a person successful team member:
1. Continuous Learning: All of us know Steve Job’s “Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish” mantra. Being hungry and foolish is not an easy task. First requirement of “being hungry” does not come from being a cavalier. Yes, startups are sexiest business in 21. century world. You can be very talented, read a lot, write lot, and most importantly you can “know” many things, but, these must not prevent you learning and discovering new things. Always be doubtful. There is always a better way. There are always somebody who knows more than you. Don’t indulge. Be humble. Always ask yourself “how can I learn something new, further, and deeper?”.
2. Ability and Knowledge: As I said above,the startups are real team plays. In order to be successful ,you need many different dynamics, view-points and ideas. Being master in one field is good, however, in the startups, thinking based on just one perspective is one of worst thing a team member can make. If you want to build efficient things, you have to develop your skills in a large scale. “This is not my job” is the latest thing you can say. Even if you’re technical guy, develop yourself at fundamental level about marketing, UX, analytics, business development or vice versa if you are product guy or marketer, have to learn about how code works and doing coding at elementary level. This enables you to understand your team mates more deeply and evaluates things deeply.
3. Creative/Strategic/Critical Thinking: In a startup, everyday you face many problems. Your main duty is solve these problems. Problems can be technical or business, no matter. In order to solve problems, you have to think basically creative/strategic and critical. There are lots of great books, online courses, and education material how to be more efficient thinker. Learn basics of thinking and don’t forget you can improve your thinking with practicing. Make special time for thinking and problem solving. This makes stronger your brain muscles and you can find more efficient solutions with less energy.
4. Inner Discipline: Startups are really really super hard. Building things from zero is not an easy task. When you look at finished things, you can easily see how it can be done efficiently, but when you creating it, all things are bullry. You have to try many different things and find the the way which is work for you. This require concentrated focus, motivation, willpower, and persistence. If your self discipline is weak, you can’t work on systematically so instead of building a product/startup, you build creative excuses. This is a killer virus for startups. If you want to execute, you have to have high inner discipline. This makes possible to work on problems continuously and finally build things.
5. Taking Responsibility: All of us reading news, article and have lots of thoughts about startup world. Everyone has many opinion about “Why X become successful?” “Why Y fail?” “Why Z will be success/fail?”. Be careful, knowing lot about all this things can be fatal. Be a realist people. If you think something will be successful, something makes growth your business, something deserve to build, it is so nice! Let’s take some risk, take some responsibility and do what you think/believe. If you don’t take risk, and responsibility what you think/know/believe means nothing! Don’t be commentator, be executer!
6. Communication: This is so critical one. I write it last one but this is all necessary key for other skills to work. In order to be successful team player, you have to understand well both your team mates and your user/customer. Who are they? What makes them happy/excited? What is important for them? How they think/feel? What motivates them? These are all critical and important questions for a team player to ask themselves. Your startup culture will be shape in this frame. Be very careful about it!
Working in a startup is not a typical job. It mostly about lifestyle. From first one to last one, all things not just improve your odds of success in startup, also improve your life. All these things are infinite, lifelong learnable things. You can always improve these skills and you should too. If you want to contact with me you can tweet me with @mtufekyapan or send email to mtufekyapan(at)gmail(.)com
