Wopreneur – July 2019

10

Skillsets Required

To Build A

Start -up Team

“Great Vision without great people is irrelevant”

The foundation of a great company starts with a good team. This holds true, more so when it comes to a Startup. Employees

in startups determine the direction a company will take in the near future. In addition, startup staff may probably need to

juggle multiple responsibilities when the team is first put in place. A wrong hire during the initial days of the business can be

critical. Which is why hiring for a startup is very different than recruiting for a larger organization. It is imperative to attract the

best people with aligned thought process so that they can work together towards a common goal.

Competencies to look for

when hiring

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Adaptability & Flexibility

Enthusiasm & Passion

Analytical & Creative skills

Eagerness to learn

Ambitious / Intrapreneurial spirit

Team Player

A start-up employee needs to be adaptable to cope with the
uncertainties and challenges that are a part and parcel of the
Start-up environment. He/she must be flexible in the face of
ambiguity and changing circumstances. Shifting gears under
pressure and taking rational decisions even if limited information
is available is a valuable talent for a start-up. A good employee
must know how to handle these common stressors which
startups face routinely, adapting to the situations as needed.

Start-ups are driven by passion. A shared passion goes a long
way when developing a team with commitment and direction.
People who love their work and who believe in the company’s
vision stay longer than people who work for the sake of the
pay cheque. When building the foundation of a business, it is vital
to be surrounded by passionate people who have the same level
of enthusiasm to work towards the same goal.

As a start-up one needs people on board who are creative and

have great problem-solving skills. While functional skills are

important, they may not be enough to meet the day-to-day

challenges of a start-up business. Start-ups typically thrive in a

world of chaos; they require people who can think “on-the-go” and

out-of-the-box during testing situations.

A new hire must have eagerness and the will to learn new skills

to help themselves and the business grow. They must strive to

push the envelope by constantly testing their limits.

Ambitious / Intrapreneurial spirit: Ambitious employees are

willing to take risks or initiate changes to improve their work and

be more efficient. Start-ups need to hire motivated driven people

who will go above and beyond what is asked of themselves, they

may be people with intrapreneurial ability, who are willing to take

risks and initiate changes in an effort to solve a given problem.

Even if a job requires most tasks to be completed alone, there

will be times when employees will have to work along with fellow

co-workers on a project. Team members must work together

• Jim Collins