'Who's Your Mike' ~ A Read and Reflection

I recently delved into the enlightening pages of "Who’s Your Mike" by Kurt Wilkin , and I must say, it struck a chord with my experiences in the startup world. Having worn various hats while supporting multiple startups in their journey towards growth and scale, I found myself nodding in agreement & highlighting (a lot) with the book's portrayal of characteristics and scenarios.

One resounding message from the book is the paramount importance of having the right talent in the right roles and ensuring they continuously enhance their skills. This, as the book emphasizes, is a critical factor in the scaling and ultimate success of any organization.

?Let's ponder on a few questions that this thought-provoking read raises:

1. Evaluating Legacy Talent: How can organizations identify long-term legacy talent who may have outgrown their capabilities?

2. Learning and Growth Strategies: What role can deliberate learning strategies and growth plans play in mitigating future risks?

3. Talent Redistribution/Mobility: How might teams and organizations benefit from reshuffling talent into different roles?

4. Data-Driven Decisions: In what ways can data be harnessed to make informed promotion decisions?

5. Augmenting Talent: When time constraints hinder talent development, how can bringing in experienced professionals amplify and support scaling efforts?

6. Loyalty Dynamics: Are there individuals within your team who have become "untouchables," potentially causing significant ramifications for the organization?

7. Professionalizing for Growth: Is it time to create more structure and "professionalize" operations to drive growth?

8. Specialist or SME: Are your functional "specialists" truly subject matter experts (SMEs) capable of taking your organization to the next level?

9. Talent Acquisition Insights: How can a robust talent acquisition strategy provide valuable insights for talent decision-making?

10. Building a Dream Team: As Kurt suggests, "What if you could surround yourself with great employees and experienced leaders, so you can leave all the day-to-day and focus not only on what you love doing but what you’re great at?"

Kurt's book is filled with thought-provoking quotes that resonate deeply with the challenges and opportunities in today's business landscape. I captured a few of my favs:

• "Just because someone helped you get where you are today doesn’t necessarily mean they’re the right leader to take you where you want to go."
• "People are not your most important asset. The right people are." - Jim Collins (Good to Great)
• "Having both strategic 'people operations' and tactical 'traditional HR' working well together is magical."
• "Without a strong culture, vision, purpose, and a sense of community, your company will not reach its full potential."
• "Being purpose-driven means that you not only have a clear purpose and values, but you put those into practice in everything you do."
• "Goals are what we want to achieve, but values are what we think are important."
• "It’s impossible to interview your potential boss and be impartial. Do you actually think a candidate who’ll bring accountability and structure (and change) will be accepted by most of your legacy employees?"

?Kurt's website even offers a complimentary quiz to help identify people challenges and opportunities, so be sure to check it out for further insights into your organization's growth journey.

I definitely recommend this book to startup leaders.