Hiring for Success
Last week I had the great pleasure of being interviewed by Alisa Cohn on her wonderful podcast, From Start-Up to Grown-Up. You can listen to the full episode here , which I would recommend—it’s a wide-ranging conversation that covers every aspect of my leadership philosophy.
For this week’s newsletter, I wanted to expand on one topic we covered in the podcast: how to hire world class talent as a start-up founder.?
Hiring was one of the biggest mind shifts I had to make between working at large companies and being the founder of a nascent start-up. Bigger companies already have a brand that can help with the hiring process; potential employees are already motivated to work there. As a start-up founder, especially in the early stages when you might not even have a product to show, it’s not about the company’s brand—it’s about your brand as a leader.?
As someone with a long track record in Silicon Valley, I relied on my reputation and my network to get started. In the early days I would literally go through LinkedIn and reach out to anyone I thought would be great to work with. Not all founders do this, and I actually encountered skepticism occasionally—when I’d get responses asking, “is this really Padmasree Warrior?” But I believe the early team you hire is one of the most important decisions you make as a founder. As a leader, make hiring great talent your priority, and don’t delegate it to a recruiter.??
领英推荐
Your reputation and network can get you those first meetings, but then it’s up to you to communicate your passion and the company’s mission. If you can effectively share your dream with others, you begin to convince the right people to join you.
Of course, leaving the comfort of an established company to join a start-up is a big bet, and it’s important to be straight with people about both the opportunities and the risks. Not everyone will be ready to make that jump, and that’s okay. If someone says they’re not ready to leave right now, don’t say “well, a no is a no” and shut that door. Try reaching out again a few months later to see if anything’s changed. I’ve hired great people who weren’t ready when I first reached out, and a year later were interested. For great talent, it’s so important to keep those relationships warm, open, and positive, because you never know when something might change—or when they might be able to introduce you to someone else who’s great.?
The other option is to turn a no into a partial yes. If they’re not willing to come work with you full time, are they interested in being an advisor? Maybe they start out working just a few hours a week with you, and then transition to full time later on. When it comes to getting great talent to work with you, flexibility is key, especially early on.?
Building a great team is one of the most important things you’ll do as a founder. Are there any other tips for hiring as a start-up that I missed?
Focused on Giving High-Value Referrals ? Referral-Centric Marketing ? Entrepreneur Magazine Contributor ? PR & Media Insider ? Fractional CMO ? Personal Branding
1 年Interesting article on hiring for success. What key qualities should hiring managers look for in candidates to ensure they are hiring for success, and how can they effectively assess these qualities during the hiring process?
Always appreciate your sharing of knowledge and experience.
With a proven track record in Problem-solving, Creative ideas, Offering top-notch Consultation and Management expertise. Integrated Automated xR5 system: enhance ROI, Rebrand, Reposition, Reputation and Revenue.
1 年The first paragram v emrkfma??
Semi-Retired ... but never from Opportunities!
1 年Hiring talent in a meagerly funded nascent startup is like wanting to shop at Nieman Marcus but having only enough money to go to the Dollar Store. There, just like any discriminating shopper, you look for value, quality that you can afford. You match colors, styles and build an ensemble of items that look like you shopped at Nieman Marcus. We hired intelligent hardworking programmers in the Midwest when we started up with three people, great ideas and an empty bank balance. We grew them to be the staff we wanted. We built the products with great enthusiasm and long nights - easy to do when the temperature outside is -10 degrees. There are no brand names or divas or prima donnas in startups. Hiring is purely on gut level impressions of personal qualities like showing up at work regularly, sometimes taking on unreasonable deadlines, dodging the missing paycheck when receivables are to come in, and having tremendous optimism and confidence in your leadership and fellow team members. These are the senior staff in your startup when the venture capital comes in, or when sales take off unless the VCs bring in their own people, as they sometimes tend to do!