Lucia Patoprstá has been working at U+ for two years. During this time, she’s interviewed many people and has had the chance to encounter myriad different personalities. At our recent TechTea, she discussed, among other things, how to find employees that are the right fit for your company values, and what you can do to make everyone feel part of your company’s overall goals.
Shedding your skin
Just as the habits which got you through the early stages of life won’t sustain you through adulthood, so too may a company need to shed its early practices to grow into what it should be. This change in processes might include saying goodbye to veterans who were there from the start. While one doesn’t relish the task of having to go seek potentially less-experienced replacements,this split may be the best for both of you. You should then successfully connect your newbies with the people who do end up staying. The Icarus Paradox, as we’ve previously mentioned, applies here. The basic metaphor: if your early practices represent a set of wax wings, you’ve got to retool your strategies to sustain your company at a higher level. Bottom line: if you’re outgrowing old techniques and team members, you can celebrate your evolution.
Connecting to the company vision
Your goal should be palpable. Your goal should be ambitious. Your goal should be something you can achieve every day. Your goal should be something you never fully reach, but strive toward. All this is true, but your company vision should be something felt by everyone, from the CEO to the janitor. Especially in the earlier stages, be careful who you hire. The team you construct will, in various capacities, be ambassadors for spreading your vision. It may be tempting to hire a standalone rockstar, but make sure that person fits your company vision. Follow the popular advice that you should hire for attitude and train for skill. You have to also be aware of what kind of changes these new employees will bring. While you want to stay true to your company vision, a startup is a shifting organism. For this reason it’s important to create a set of core values. Intelligent hiring will help stabilize your company. Having a strong vision will promote continued motivation for a given employee. Read in depth about company culture in our Startup Guide.
Fantastic employees and where to find them
It couldn’t hurt to reiterate the old adage: “A players hire A players, and B players hire C players.” In addition to influence from quality members, company culture is also determined by where/how your team members operate. The three main categories are: employees, freelancers, and outsourcing. It would be hypocritical to write about tech companies and not acknowledge the fact that the remote work they facilitate has become exceedingly popular. But the disconnect from company culture, as well as the lack of ensuring deadlines can be problematic, and a company made primarily of remote workers can thus be very challenging to run. Company culture will also be hard to spread with such a setup, and issues of reliability often arise from outsourced work.
Online job portals are a good place to look for employees, as well as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc., even forums for developers. Internal referrals are also good, and offering incentives among employees is an effective way to inspire referrals.
And how to get them? Ask the right questions. When interviewing, Lucia recommends asking questions such as:
- What was your biggest mistake?
- What was your biggest life lesson?
- What frustrates you the most?
- What kind of leadership do you need?
These aren’t necessarily the questions asked by most interviewers, but in Lucia’s experience they’ve been educational both for the company and the interviewee. And consider the following:
- Who is sitting in front of you?
- What are their values?
- Are their values in line with your company’s values?
- Is he/she going to be happy working for the company?
If you can intuit that your prospective candidate has both drive and resilience, two important characteristics for people involved in the volatile field of startups, then you’re onto something good.
And of course the dark side of all this wonderful hiring — firing. Remember that it’s a two-way street, but if you feel you’ve communicated your company vision well and have provided enough motivation, and your employee still isn’t receptive, it may be time to let them go. One of the biggest factors in a startup is its employees’ ability to deal with change. Sometimes the most talented people might be quite inflexible. It’s important to have people who can maintain enthusiasm and drive even through your company’s ups and downs. Once again, effectively communicating your core values can be a way to inspire.
