Key Takeaways:
- Scaling culture at a startup company requires intention and planning
- Setting SMART goals helps managers with clarity and organization
- Leadership in a startup company is more important than assigning tasks
- Upgrade tools and establish communication guidelines to reduce friction and protect culture
Everyone has a perception of what it means to step into a leadership role with an established brand in corporate America. There’s an understanding that a hierarchy exists, and a manager just needs to fit into that structure and obey the rules and guidelines of their role. However, a startup company, especially one in its early stages, is a completely different animal altogether.
In a startup, people often wear several hats and take on multiple responsibilities. Learning new skills and adjusting on the fly is not so uncommon for a manager at a startup company. To make things easier, we’ve compiled a few steps to help managers develop in their new role in a growing company culture.
Step 1: Clarify Goals and Identify What Success Looks Like
The difference between a successful startup company and one that fails is that the successful company has a clear vision of what its goals are, both long-term and short-term. As a manager, putting together a plan with your team and executing it in manageable steps is the best way to improve as you grow.
Setting S.M.A.R.T goals is a process that most managers apply, and it is an easy way to follow for everyone involved. A manager tends to have more success than not with plans that are:
S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Achievable
R – Realistic
T – Timely
Build your goals out and share them with your team following the S.M.A.R.T model. If you are falling short of your goals or if you are succeeding faster than expected, it will be a lot smoother to figure out where you need to make adjustments if necessary.
Step 2: Leading by Example
Being able to give information and set tasks is a fantastic attribute for a new manager. Being able to execute and show your team how to do that task successfully instills another level of trust.
There can be a sense of uncertainty in a startup environment that you don’t typically see in a structured corporate setting. Everyone is still trying to figure things out with their role, their tasks, and the overall company direction.
A manager might work well within a corporate structure, but a leader is more valuable in a startup. Take advantage of the new energy and help your team by being a reliable resource when they get lost. Show them what they need to do if you’re able to, and you’ll stand out more as someone that they can not only respect as their superior, but also as someone who has an understanding of what it is that they’re doing in their role.
Step 3: Build an Effective Communication and Collaboration System Early
How do you prefer to communicate? What’s going to be your communication method with your team, and how often will you have team meetings and 1:1s?
Every great manager understands that there’s more to team building and company culture than sending emails every now and then. If you want to foster a healthy and positive team atmosphere, then communication with the team should indicate that. The way you engage your staff is an indication of how you want them to see you and has a direct impact on their performance.
Speak with your team and let them know who you are and what your expectations are. Give them a schedule of your availability and set guidelines for how and why they should reach out to you. Give them an understanding of your boundaries and preferences so that they can be comfortable communicating with you.
Step 4: Align Tools with Growth
As your team expands and the company grows, it becomes natural for the tools that worked in the beginning to change. You’re more than likely going to adjust spreadsheets and reports as your needs change. This is usually why managers move on from “good enough” tools and begin evaluating professional-grade software and other alternatives that grow with the team.
When systems scale properly, teams feel less friction and gain greater clarity from performance and tracking reports. Operational stress bleeds into the culture, so establishing clean and efficient processes with tools that support the company’s interests reduces unnecessary tension. Look at what you need in both the present and the future, then build on platforms that can service those needs and ideally, function with other platforms that you may need to adopt later on.
Step 5: Build a Team that Collaborates on Diverse Subjects
Every team has a common goal, but they don’t necessarily have to share the same skill sets. Whether it’s a professional sports team or a team of gamers, every individual brings something different to the table. The beauty of a collaborative team is that it can be made up of introverts, extroverts, social media specialists, athletes, and everything in between.
At the head of it all is a manager who understands the pieces and how they each form to make a powerful force. Being able to recognize each individual’s skills and utilize them is how a great manager gets their team to tackle projects and execute goals.
Speak to your team, find out their interests, and what they are best at. There is no such thing as a wasted skill for a startup company looking to grow.