The Startup Employee Mindset

The Startup Employee Mindset

The startup employee is often hired for attitude, not experience. Talent for entrepreneurship and thinking like a startup company are intangible traits. What makes someone the top of the game and the right fit, largely depends on your startup's culture.

So therefore, cultural fit, is an all important piece of the puzzle for an employee at your startup. What else?

Top 7 Traits of the ideal Startup Employees

1. INNOVATION 

The best employees don't just do their job, they bring another level of creativity, problem solving and engagement with your core idea, your audience and how your solution connects to the real world and your target vertical. 

2. RESOURCEFUL 

The startup employee thinks lean, know how to cut corners for maximum ROI in each decision, is brilliant at thinking full-stack, seeing the big picture and communicating their ideas in a way that inspires the people around them. 

3. CURIOSITY 

The startup employee is a self-learner who must operate under minimal (usually no) supervision. They have to growth hack their job to leverage the most critical elements of their role in a way that builds value for the startup regarding where they are at today, this week, at this instant in the workflow and lifecycle of the implementation of the startup's solution. 

4. ENABLERS 

The best startup employees are connectors, avid communicators, helpful to a fault and don't just work hard, but communicate their insights to the right people at the right time to push the startup's teamwork to the next level. This requires then, not just technical skills, but soft skills and emotional intelligence where the empowerment of the company culture and the impact of the individual matters on creating a standout brand and a magnetic solution that the world will take notice of. 

5. GRIT 

The startup employee knows it's a marathon and not a sprint and knows how to work long hard hours and constantly energize and re-motivate themselves and others. Grit is also about being adaptable to a constantly changing environment, pivots, quickly changing markets and to an evolving audience of consumers. 

 

6. ENTREPRENEURSHIP MENTALITY 

The startup employee is an entrepreneur in their own right. Management wants them to think about the company, the team and then themselves in that order. Nothing quite ticks off a co-founder as an employee who doesn't get the basics of teamwork and thinking like a "we". Productivity means an inclusive and diverse team who are able to take ownership not just for what they do, but in a sense, think like the CEO, understanding beyond their role. 

7. TALENTED 

Aha those "intangibles", talent comes in many ways, just look at the "superpowers" of the best sales people. The startup employee should have a superpower that suits the challenges of the startup they are hired for. Sometimes, it's really that simple. 

Talent of course encompasses being competitive, driving for perfection, holding yourself to the highest standards. Talent is ultra productivity, creative thinking and the ability to thrive in ambiguity and managing stress functionally. This also relates to the holistic lifestyle of the individual. Do they exercise? Do they have a strong support network? Do they have a life outside of work? The top startup employees know how to take care of themselves and others, and by the way, yes they are ultra talented! 

Niteen Torne

Founder & Business Head - AltCtrlFix Softwares and Business Consultancy Services - Sales & Implementation of ERPs, DMS, eCTD & Expense Management Mobile Apps with Debit Cards

8 年

Very True and Well Said by you Michael Spencer. Ours is a start up organization just 15 months old and its very true what you have said. While joining start up company a employee must have have Entrepreneur in himself and treat the business and company as his own. Lots of expectations are setup by the management for the new joiner's because such companies also give preference to freshers who could be taught and molded into company's culture and become a asset to the company. Also, such employees become trusted lieutenant of the companies who would be seen in the cream level management positions as the company grows. This is because they had put hard work to built up the organization and a good management never forget their efforts and such employee to some extend become preferential employees. Also,, because they have to work under minimal supervision and have to do jobs from peon to proprietor (P to P as per my theory) in start up organizations. Therefore, when the company grows and they become leaders they are the correct people in the organization to define job description and apportion the work properly to the later engaged employees. Also, they know how to manage volumes in minimum work force and inculcate multi-tasking qualities in an employee thus becoming excellent path setters and ultimate leaders. They are also innovators as they come up with new ideas and fast solutions because tasks are to be performed in a time bound manner as their is no long chain of hierarchy and are reporting and interacting with the management day in and out. We have and are going through this at our organization, Systek ERP & IT Services Pvt. Ltd. - A SAP Partner Company and are growing because of our excellent resources who are also growing with us and are architects and builders of the organization. I salute my SYSTEKER'S.

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Srikanth Tanniru

DevOps Architect (AI/ML/Blockchain)

8 年

Thanks for the Informative and Inspiring article, Michael :-)

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Gabrielle Mustapich

Cofounder: Pilothouse, Hardpops, 1983 Espresso Martini | 30 Under 30 BC Business | Defacto machinist, brand builder, Canadian in LA

8 年
Richard Willems

Partner Stroom Zuid | Leiderschap & Teamontwikkeling ? HR professionalisering ? Transitiebegeleiding ? Business Coaching

8 年

Great summary and perfect link to the statement that especially in start up settings we need people with a high 'learning agility' #talentmanagement

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