Frankness, progressiveness, rebelliousness, and having faith in the common goal of the company, etc. are what successful leaders should look for in their companions.
One of the factors that cause a startup to fail shortly after the establishment is choosing the wrong partner. Experts say that choosing the wrong person risks disrupting the organization's balance, and even worse, affecting the productivity and morale of the entire team. Here are eight characteristics needed to identify the right "teammates" or employees who need to be recruited listed by young female leaders of the Young Entrepreneur Council - a community of successful entrepreneurs before the age of 40.
Frankness
According to Nathalie Lussier, the founder of AccessAlly, a startup that provides an online education website development platform, the way we collaborate depends on how we communicate. Therefore, she is always looking for people who are willing to practice and improve their communication skills. One useful way she applies in employee training is to encourage them to follow Radical Candor's solutions - the famous book by Kim Scott, former CEO of Google and Apple. By frankly announcing their views but still taking care of each other, people can stick together as a team and get things done. "It is not a skill or character we can learn in school, but the willingness to practice it has helped some people succeed," Nathalie Lusier said.
Progressiveness
A good partnership is built on each party's ability to learn and develop personally. Katie Wagner, the founder of KWSM, an online marketing company, said she looked for "teammates" who realized she didn't have the answers to all questions and was willing to improve.
“Some people with authority tend to believe that they know everything relevant to their role. These are people who are never able to see innovative solutions for customers or ways to improve internal processes", the female president evaluated.
In contrast, progressive people continually learn and motivate other members. This is especially helpful when the environment changes, customers have new needs, or businesses start to expand and grow.
Matching the core values
Madeleine Niebauer, founder and CEO of vChief - a business management service provider for startups, small companies, non-governmental organizations, etc. said that it should only accompany those who match the company's core values. During the interview process, vChief will assess whether the candidates match these values. If one of the values is missing or suspected to be inappropriate, the candidate will not be recruited.
"A member who deeply demonstrates these values is often adaptable to the company culture and also demonstrates a high level of success at work," Madeleine said.
Believe in the common goal
The common goal is the "North Star" that all members of the group are aiming for. At Klickly - the smart payment and online shopping platform, personal conversations are often held to ensure that everyone's destination is in sync with that of the company.
"You will be scared if you are on an airplane that the pilots themselves do not believe it can reach where they need to go. An employer should not acquire talents without believing in the ultimate purpose of the group," - CEO Klickly Cooper Harris shared.
Rebelliousness
Often referred to as rebellious, people with this kind of personality tend to be against the rules and the usual way to get things done. If you know how to harness this power, you will own a very creative team. This is also a special competitive advantage of businesses because not many companies dare to hire people with this feature.
"Their talents will shine in a time of conflict or most distress," said Sunny Bonnell, head of Motto, a company that provides concept design and branding services based in New York City.
Accepting changes
Change is inevitable and innovation is essential for the development of the business. The important skill of a teammate is to accept and have the mindset to grasp change. After a long time, the requirements and regulations of the company will be put on top, if there is no change, the business plan and the spirit of the company can easily stall.
"Teammates who have the ability to abandon established processes to support efforts to grow and improve the company through new technology are the those you should keep," Darby Cox - founder of Darby Cox LLC acknowledged.
Ability to work in groups
Many people desire to find hard-working, disciplined, and determined teammates. However, Klyn Elsbury - speaker and founder of the MK Foundation is more appreciative of those who are able to maintain their views and know how to connect with others to motivate them to reach a common goal. By building strategic relationships with people, they have creative ways to work harder and smarter.
"Understanding of goals outperforms hard work by many times," concludes Klyn Elsbury.
Ability to train
Laura Fortey - co-founder and CMO of Reitium Technology Co., Ltd said that training ability is the most important among the team members. When employers try their best to train employees, things will improve, for example, communication channels will open, the opposition will be reduced, and employees who understand their position should be more confident when making decisions.
Trained people tend to learn to ignore their egos. They realize they are not always right and do not pretend to know everything. Therefore, they are willing to learn, develop, and broaden their horizons.
"When knowledge is available, these people tend to retrain others, helping them confidently contribute to the development of the business," Reitium said.
