Startup: Creating Capabilities For Everyone To Be Leaders

The greatest return of a startup doesn’t come from its product or sales but from its people. A start-up that embraced the Truly Human concept must see the development of people as its product. It should be seen as a factory for the production of truly human leaders.

I once worked in an organization where I was not seen as a human but as a function. I wasn’t cared for. I was just seen for what I can bring to the table not who I am. And you know what I also functioned for what I can get out of the organization rather than what I can bring to it.

Every start-up must have at its core the purpose for which it is in business. Everyone who joins the organization should do so because their purpose aligns with that of the organization. That means as they help the organization advance its purpose, their own purpose gets fulfilled. Work then becomes fulfilling.

In the Truly Human Business Model, the organization not only sees people as humans but also cares for them. Caring for people means focusing on who they are becoming. When I coach employees, I always tell them to focus more on who they will become where they are employed rather than what they are being paid.

It’s a no-brainer. Who they become will eventually determine what they earn not the other way around. Start-up founders should understand that their greatest return will not come from the growth and valuation of their startup but from the development of their people into leaders who care for others. That is the best way to go about impacting the world.

If there is one thing that is one thing need to focus on providing for everyone is capability. By providing the capability to others, they provide confidence and enable people to become better than they were and to do much more than they could ever imagine. This is one secret of Apple.

Apple purpose is to enrich people’s lives. That is at the core of their operation. To achieve that, they created an internal University where their people are developed to be better humans and leaders. They enrich people’s lives by enhancing their capabilities to do more. In 1977, their mission statement was:

“Apple is dedicated to the empowerment of man-to making personal computing accessible to each and every individual so as to help change the way we think, work, learn, and communicate.”

A business that makes only money is truly a poor business. Apple isn’t a poor business because it makes everyone far better than they were before they come in a relationship with her. Steve Jobs wanted “to make a contribution to the world by making tools for the mind that advance humankind.” You can see in that statement that their WHAT (making tools-providing capabilities) is to achieve their WHY (enriching people’s lives).

No one spoke more about what Apple does than Tim Cook, the CEO, who echoed Steve Jobs when he said in an interview with The Indian Express:

“For us, the most important thing we can do is raise people up, that is either by giving the ability to do things they could not otherwise do, allow them to create things they couldn’t otherwise create. It’s about giving them tools, it is about empowering people. I think to me that is the primary objective of technology- for you to live better, longer.”

The key operative word in why they do what they do is two words: empower and enrich. Startup should never focus on the technology or solution but on the people. They should see themselves as providers of capabilities that help people become better and do great work.

The greatest return comes from caring for people. It comes from creating value that will help them achieve their dreams and attain the status they have always aspired to. You are not in the business of creating technologies or solutions. We all are in the business of creating the capability for people to learn more, be more, create more, live more, and do great work. We are in business for the people and not for the technology, product, or solution we offer.

To develop people is to create a capability that brings out their best. It means you value them. You equip, empower and enrich them to do much more than they ever believed they could do. Your greatest product is people- who you help them become. Focus on that and you will make a ding in the world. That is the way to build a better world: by caring for others.

You develop leaders whenever you provide capabilities that empower people to think more, dream more, learn more, become more, do more, and make more impact.

Don’t be in business to make money. Always remember that making money is the by-product of impact and transformation. Focus on creating value that makes people better. Leverage your product to empower people to do great work. We live in a world where people need capability: be the one who creates the capability people need to be all they can be and you will be rewarded handsomely. That is your greatest reward in business.

Why are you in business? What capability are you providing people to become better humans and leaders?