There’s no more important consideration in a startup’s success than it’s people.
More important than the idea, market or funding is employees. A strong team can be the difference between a tech juggernaut on a fast-track to the 3 comma club, and a flamed out Series-B dissolution.
It’s that crucial.
So how do you hire the best? In an age of ping pong tables and free massages, companies are throwing the farm at top-tier talent – to excel, any company needs a strong HR strategy.
- Search for humility - Most of the literature makes it clear: brilliant jerks aren’t worth it, in the long term. The humble learner is the best bet - and essential to building cohesive teams
- Diversity - Hiring for diversity has proven benefits to company success and effectiveness, if nothing else than for helping curtail groupthink
- Set expectations - Different companies work at different paces. For all the flack Amazon has received in recent years for it’s work hours and frantic pace, thousands of employees support it. Regardless of your company ethos, ensure it’s set before the hiring process even begins - and reinforced long after.
- Compensate for risk & buy-in - Compensation doesn’t have to be a complicated issue. If you’re paying someone a market-level salary, don’t expect more than a market-level performance - if you want top-tier buy-in and performance, invest in it.
- Coaching & upskilling - It’s generally cheaper and more effective in the long-term to work on upskilling your current employees than seeking greener pastures. A good team requires a steady stream of supplemental knowledge - ensure your team has ample learning resources and encourage they take regular advantage of it
- Personalities matter more than skills - Culture-fit is often exaggerated, but it’s crucial when creating individual teams. Rather than start the conversation on skill gaps, begin any hiring discussion with an honest assessment of the team’s EQ composition.
