I have created and participated in several software product startups during my early industry career, and I have created and participated in several as a professor. I intend to do so for many more to come. I’m talking about startups that intend to raise venture capital and become high-growth success stories.
Recruiting is job #1 as the saying goes. What type of people should you be looking for? Trying to fill positions in my research projects that should become startups I’ve asked this myself many times. Here are my answers.
Are they in it to win?
First off, are they in it to win? Or are they here to earn a salary? Startups are hard work and there must be a drive to make their mark. If folks switch off once they think they’ve done enough for their paycheck, they are not the right co-founder or early employee material. Startup glory comes with the price that is hard work. Folks have to accept that at least for a while, the startup will consume a large part of their life.
Such conviction and commitment can develop over time, it doesn’t have to be there at the beginning of a research project. But once it comes to incorporation, it better be present.
Smart, and gets things done
I like Joel Spolsky’s “smart and gets things done.” Obviously, folks should be smart. But that can mean a lot of things, from raw intelligence through existing skills and capabilities all the way to hard won experience. I tend to err on the side of intelligence, assuming that things can be learned quickly. In total, I try to aim for a balance of types of smartness in a team.
Getting things done means folks can finish and don’t procrastinate. This is a psychological condition, I guess, and either you get nervous if things aren’t moving towards conclusion or you don’t.
Fit in, stand out
In a large company, you can switch departments if you are unhappy. Not so in a startup. Either people can work as a team or they part ways. Social strife is the number #1 reason why startups fail, so social skills and good fit between co-founders and early employees is paramount.
That said, you don’t want clones of each other. While folks need to be a good match for each other, you also have to ask how each person enhances the overall team: How are they different and what are their special contributions that increase the chances to win?
If in doubt, don’t hire
Finally, a bad hire can do much more damage than a good hire can fix. If in doubt, don’t hire the person.
Research to startup
This post excerpts a part of the people leadership workshop, which is a part of the research-to-startup program I teach at (primarily) German universities. Here, I provided evaluation criteria. The workshop also addresses how to actually perform such an evaluation.
Feel free to reach out to me if you would like to bring my program to your university.
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