Playing the field | Think like a coach in building your startup team
Advice Squad is written by members of the Maine chapter of the Association for Consulting Expertise, a trade organization of 88 consultants around the state. This issue’s column is written by John Brubaker, a consultant who specializes in team performance and company culture.
“You win in the locker room first, then on the field.” I’m sure at some point you have heard this expression in sports, but — clichéd as it may seem — I can tell you from experience that truer words were never spoken. In business, you win first in the office, then in the marketplace. My consulting work with client-turned-business-associate Chris Parisi, CEO of Turf Dawg USA, reflects that. I began working with him in 2008 as he built his sports footwear accessory company from the ground up.
There is nothing more important to the success of any organization or team than the relationship between recruitment and culture. With a startup, the right culture fit sets the tone for everything you do. But it’s not an exact science and there’s an art to selecting the right team members. My work with Parisi provides a blueprint of five key points to help you recruit to fit the culture of your startup.
- Recruit for work ethic and passion first, experience second. With a start-up, there’s twice as much work to do and you need teammates who can count on one another. Experience in the field can be gained with time, but that’s not so with passion and work ethic, so recruit people who bring fresh perspectives and enthusiasm to the job. According to Parisi, “Our passion is the fuel that sustains us when we encounter obstacles.”
- Recruit for resilience first, winning second. You cannot afford to recruit people who expect to walk into a situation and simply win right away. You need trailblazers who are mentally tough enough to venture into the unknown. Parisi explains, “The company began with a direct sales model and success was limited. In order to grow revenue, our team had to blaze new trails — recruiting retail partners and team dealers, as well as partnering with a national charity and its celebrity spokesman.”
- Recruit for flexibility and agility first, “salesmanship” second. Only one Turf Dawg employee has a true sales background, and it’s not what got him hired. His background as a versatile football player with upstart University of Connecticut impressed Parisi more than his success in pharmaceutical sales. The traditional sales professional isn’t going to be the right fit 99% of the time. With a startup, employees tend to perform multiple roles until you’ve got a record of performance and subsequent role clarity. Unknowns and change dominate the day-to-day operation and many sales people aren’t comfortable with that.
- Script a recruit profile. What does your ideal teammate look like? The Turf Dawg DNA looks like this:
- One part Magellan (explorer)
- One part Frank Lloyd Wright (architect)
- One part Steve Jobs (innovator adept at creating niches)
- Ask the right questions. That will help you get the right “DNA match.” For Parisi, the following questions are his barometer:
- How did you attack new problems in a previous job?
- Share examples of creative solutions you’ve developed to satisfy customers.
- Describe an ambiguous situation in your last job and how you arrived at a solution.
- How have you introduced new products to your customers?
- What were the steps and why? What would your first step in this position be?
Additionally, every staff needs a shade of gray — as in gray hair. A mentor with wisdom and historical perspective can provide insights that others lack. A key ingredient in the University of Florida football program’s unprecedented success involves that shade of gray. In 2003, former coach Urban Meyer hired Hiram de Fries, a retired lawyer and oil executive, to be the team’s “chemistry coach.” His job description: Make sure everyone is always on the same page on and off the field.
Two national championships and four conference championships later, Meyer says de Fries was more important to the Gators’ success than anything else. Clearly, aligning vision with values and strong mentoring are mission critical. As you recruit and construct your team, be on the lookout for your chemistry coach.
Building a business is a constant struggle but a rewarding one. As a leader, focus on the big picture vision while keeping your teammates engaged, motivated and positive about the immediate future.
John Brubaker can be reached at john@coachbru.com. Read more Advice Squad here.
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