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5 Principles That Build A-Star Startup Teams

People are behind the world’s biggest business success stories. That’s why it’s important for entrepreneurs to focus on building the best possible team right from the start. If you’re working on your startup right now, here are the best ways to build an A-star team that leads you to success.

 

Identify your ideal culture and candidate

 

The most important thing to do is to understand what kind of company culture you want. You can’t hire the right personnel if you don’t know what your ideal team looks like. When you start by outlining your ideal team and its culture, you make it easier to find those people that fit this narrative.

 

The best team culture depends on a range of things. It’s important you take into account the kind of business your building, the industry you are operating in and the customers you want to talk to. This will help you identify the key ideals you want to highlight. It could be passion or commitment – the main thing is to become aware of them.

 

Overall, you want to spend enough time just figuring out your ideal candidate. If you have no idea what you want from the employee, you’re going to end up hiring people that are very different from each other and who might not perform well as a team.

 

Be open during the interview process

 

You have to lay it all out when interviewing candidates for a startup. Hiring looks different when you’re looking someone for an established business to what it’s like with a new team. This is why it’s imperative to be open and straightforward. You can’t afford to hire someone who doesn’t fit the team.

 

Create a clear job post and be direct about the qualities you are looking for. Don’t also hide the kind of work you are expecting the person to perform. You want to be as brutal as you might have to be – the right kind of person will always be drawn to your team.

 

If at all possible, see how different candidates perform together. Startup teams work closely together and it can help to see how different people interact. This allows you to see the team prior to making a single hire.

 

This kind of honesty is important because candidates won’t know much about your company or the team. You must be able to paint a picture and help them understand what your vision for the business and the team is.

 

Don’t hang on to bad apples

 

Create a contract that is clear in terms of the rules of the game. You don’t want to end up tied to an employee who’s not working for the team. It’s important to have a testing period and to be able to cut your losses. Your startup shouldn’t get stuck with a bad employee.

 

You need to have a clear set of guidelines the employees need to adhere to. These must cover everything from workplace culture to dealing with problems. It’s important to nurture good leadership and make it easy for the employees to bring stuff up with the management.

 

If you do end up with problems, make sure you try solving them first. This can be done through mediation and team meetings. However, if the problems are persistent and you don’t seem to make any progress just let the people go.

 

Be transparent in how you manage your team

 

Finally, you have to be transparent about everything you do in business. When it comes to building a successful team, your priority should be in ensuring your team always knows what to expect. If you create a transparent work environment, you’ll receive the support and trust of your employees.

 

One of the best ways to enhance and ensure transparency is by making the management of your employees as transparent as possible. You can do this by creating clean HR structures that place the employee at the heart of it all. Use HR software that can be used by both you and the employee. For example, opt for payroll management software for SMEs that automates tasks and shows what is happening with employee information. This way you are not only managing but also providing access to the employee –leading to transparent and straightforward management.

 

Lead by an example

 

Above all, be the kind of team player you want your employees to be. If you show them how you want them to perform and to behave, you will nurture the right kind of atmosphere. For startups, the focus should be on the common passion and belief in the project. If you don’t show passion and commitment as the leader of your business, you won’t be able to build the A-star team your vision deserves.