7 Qualities That Make You An Ideal Start Up Employee
As I mentioned in this post (Why I chose To Work In A Start Up Over A Corporation), not everyone thrives in a start up, there are certain inherent qualities that make you a great start up employee. I expound on a few of them on this post.
1. Does lack of structure excite you? Most start ups lack structures and in most cases will depend on the first set of employees to set things up. If you’re the kind of person who walks into a mess and finds joy in organizing it, then a start up is for you. The lack of structure sometimes extends even into the company strategy. I remember when I first started working with the company I’m in right now, our company strategy would change every 3 or so months. This was a tad frustrating, but it was also exciting to demolish and rebuild each time. We also didn’t have standard employee benefits that other organizations have, we’re still setting these up. The other thing you must be prepared for when joining a start up is changing job descriptions. In the last 6 years I’ve been accountant, interior decorator (we needed to fit out our office), tea girl (I was the only lady and youngest member of the team), financial analyst, investment manager, hotel general manager, head of investments, and I’m sure we’ve not seen the last of this. It’s sometimes unsettling, but you’ll find that if this is your kind of environment, you’ll tend to settle into whatever role that’s thrown your way.
2. What motivates you? If you tend to be self motivated, a start up would be good for you. Because there are no structures, there are no formal employee motivational programs. Sometimes, there’s even no one to think about employee affairs at all, everyone is focused on building the company. If you’re motivated by external factors (job title, pay, perks), then you’re better off in a corporation. You may get a big title in a start up (see my various titles above), but ultimately you have to be hands on.
3. Do you enjoy uncertainty? Most start ups exist in a lot of uncertainty, from where the next paycheck will come from, to general company strategy. If you don’t like uncertainty, you’re better off in a corporation, though these days that’s not even guaranteed, with big corporations like Nokia, Sony etc laying off staff.
4. What is your learning style? We all have different learning styles. Some people prefer a classroom setting where an instructor teaches either via audio or video, other people prefer learning by doing. If you’re in the latter group, you’re well suited to working in a start up. Like I mentioned in the earlier post, when you join a start up, you’re unlikely to have fancy orientation and training sessions, you’ll be thrown in the deep from the first day. If you’re good at learning on the go, this will be great for you.
5. Do you believe in work-life balance or integration? We all like to feel needed, it’s a basic human need, but you find there are people who are comfortable being a small replaceable cog in the big wheel of the organization because of the benefits this brings, e.g they can take vacations, no emails and calls once they shut down etc. Others like to feel like an important part of an organization, and don’t mind the cost. For the first 5 years of my career, I didn’t take a vacation, it took hospitalization (not for stress though) for me to take a real break from work. Though this isn’t sustainable in the long term (a company has to have structures to thrive), a start up will often require people who are good at integrating life into their work. “work-life” balance isn’t a term that’s used in start ups, work is life, life is work, strive to integrate the two and happily so.
6. How curious are you? If you’re curious especially about roles that are outside your area of training, a start up is definitely for you. Start ups always present opportunities to step out of your comfort zone and learn new things. For example, if your strength is in documentation, you could always document processes in your company. You’ll find this is the last thing most entrepreneurs think about, yet documentation is extremely important.
7. How do you communicate discontentment? Start ups require individuals that are quite open when they’re not happy (and when they’re happy). Like I mentioned earlier, the lack of structures in a start up could mean that the only person thinking about employee affairs is the employee him/herself only. Often there’s no formal HR function, and as an employee, you have to be able to maturely and openly articulate any issues you have with the company and entrepreneur to him/her.
Are there other qualities you feel make an individual the ideal start up employee? Please share in the comments section.
