It’s a truism that most startups involve inexperienced and youthful individuals with the bravery and the nous to attempt to seize a gap in the market or an opportunity that they’ve identified in the business world. With little experience, business leaders often make simple mistakes that can set them back, both in terms of their personal development, and in terms of relationship development with the team they’re building around them.
With such importance placed on the savvy management of a startup team in its first months of business, this article is about how to command your workforce in the right way in a startup enterprise.
Empathy.
While you’re all tied up and struggling to find the time to spend with your colleagues, it’s still important to be thoughtful, and to drag yourself away from your immediate challenges and concerns when you come to sit down with your employees. It’s empathy that the best managers are able to show in these situations towards their employees and in regards to the difficulties that they are experiencing in the startup environment. If you’re able to switch off from your own concerns and tap into the worries of others, you’ll be a more complete leader in the long run.
High-Quality Communication.
Whether you’re giving a speech to industry stakeholders, or you’re addressing your staff in the office, you want to make sure that your communication method is sound and convincing so that you’re listened to, admired, and respected by those around you. Communication skills — both written and oral — can go a long way in business, winning you influence and friends where you need it the most. To scrub up on your communication skills, consider taking the Influential Communicator Business Certificate to get the requisite training to improve your speaking and writing in the next few months.
Career Development.
As with yourself, your staff are simply looking for a role that challenges them, has the potential to pay out large rewards, and which offers some form of career development. When you’re thinking about how to best command your startup workforce, it’s really worth bearing these incentives in mind. You’ll get the most diligent and motivated work out of your employees when you give them objectives and aims to work towards, and when you’re able to reward them for all their hard work. Develop the careers of the people around you in order to build loyalty in yourself and your brand.
Work Hard Play Hard.
A startup is a unique environment to manage staff. Being a small and nimble company, dynamic and young, you’re not going to have the professional corporate structures that can restrict behavior and generally make a workplace less vibrant. Instead, you’re free to explore different modes of interaction with your staff, and behind this exploration should be the adage ‘work hard and play hard’. Here, it’s important to make sure you’re planning social meets and exciting events alongside all-night work binges, so that your staff are excited and motivated to work for you all year-round.
Use the four tips above to help you manage people in your startup enterprise, building loyalty and faith in your leadership over time.
