For Startups, Your Culture Starts With Your First Hire
Culture. Some startup CEOs prioritize it and build theirs with the same attention they give to product. Others think it’s shorthand for “snacks and massages” or dismiss it as “mission statements and other bullshit we’re too busy to worry about now. Just kick ass – that’s our culture.”
At Homebrew we believe culture matters and starts forming right away – whether you want it to or not! In getting to know founders during their fundraising process we push to understand The Why because their motivation will be the first strands of the company’s DNA. Even when putting together our Entrepreneur Advisory Board we looked for folks who built not just amazing businesses but strong cores. People such as Jeff Lawson, Twilio CEO, of “Draw the Owl” fame.
Once we’ve invested in a company, I find it easiest to talk about culture in terms of hiring because it’s (a) often the most important post-financing activity and (b) it’s an immediate use case with real tangible decisions. Example conversation, which works whether the CEO is really interested in defining culture proactively or comes to the discussion with skepticism:
Me: So you want to hire two engineers and a designer, right?
CEO: Yeah, it’s my top priority right now. We’ve got a bunch of great candidates. Ton of interviews scheduled for next week.
Me: Cool. What skills are you focused on.
CEO: Well for the engineer we want someone who has several years of Ruby experience and…… [fill in technical specs]
Me: Got it. What about personal attributes? What matters to you there?
CEO: Works well in a team – we tend to be really collaborative. Not thin-skinned – we like to give direct but constructive feedback. Likes being a user of the product they’re building. Believes in the ultimate vision of this company and why we’re here, not just the potential lottery ticket of stock options.
Me: Awesome. What questions are you going to ask that will help you understand whether the candidate has those qualities? And what if you had a candidate who nailed the skills part but was a real mismatch compared to those attributes?
Spoiler Alert: The answer is incredibly important when it comes to culture. Which do you think will build a stronger company over time? A technically competent team of people who share no collective set of motivations, styles or goals – or – a technically competent team of people who are united by a clearly articulated set of values and expectations the CEO has both described to them and tested for during the interview process? It’s not a trick question.
In a startup’s earliest days your hiring decisions are the most important ones in setting your culture. I don’t care about what you write on a motivational poster. The people you invite into your company to extend and expand its capabilities ARE YOUR CULTURE. If you can interview for these qualities and show the discipline to not hire people who lack or are in opposition to these attributes, then you have a foundation that will solidify over time. One which will make the successive hires and functioning of the team easier. If you don’t, if you build a foundation with shoddy materials, it gets harder. Don’t compromise on this. Document these qualities. Work with your other team members, and your recruiter if applicable, to assess the candidate against them. Note the questions you’re going to ask them and their references. And debrief together.
This isn’t just about keeping assholes out. It’s about being thoughtful about who you bring in. And that’s the first step towards building a culture.
Photo: Sergey Nivens / Shutterstock.com
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10 年Hiring a designer for our business must be taken care. Oh hiring the second last designer was a disaster. i researched what it takes to select a top designer, and I found out that there are some other reasons and factors to consider, that I have shared in my profile.
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11 年In starting up - it's important to manage-lead from an organization culture framework. [[In fact, it's all the time.]] The subtly here is … to "manage-lead from an organization culture framework." Often is the case - people separate managing-leading, when in fact they are two sides of the same coin. And then separating managing-leading from organization culture. Consider ... you manage-lead from an organization culture framework everyday. It's what's happening in every moment. Culture is not random. Yet, no one owns it, no one controls it. It's an organization of work experience expressed by individuals and in groupings. It can be nurtured. And thus the connection with hiring - talent management - succession mapping - etc. One can manage-lead from an organization culture framework when managing-leading-organization-culutre-hiring-startingup is considered a journey.
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11 年"This isn’t just about keeping assholes out. It’s about being thoughtful about who you bring in. And that’s the first step towards building a culture". Gosh - wonder if Cicero said something similar in Latin ?…………………….
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Good article Hunter! I agree. What is important to realize, is that your first employee, is a Strategic Partner.(Not just the first, but the first ten employees) This will truly give us the right perspective in hiring the right people. Being a social entrepreneur & having working in the Corporate office in an MNC, I can share two sides of the coin. I think, we can apply the same principle when we start a new office in another location. Who is in charge of the office, will largely determine the kind of culture in that office (irrespective of the actual culture of the parent organization).