A startup founder needs a burning desire to create something bigger than who the founders are.
In the process of creating something bigger, they need managers and they need doers.
Sometimes, many aspirant founders feel confused about whether they should hire managers first.
As a startup, more often than not, you will have a lot of constraints: less business volume, fewer resources, fewer projects, fewer customer testimonials…so many constraints.
Still, you have to run your startup and make it successful. Running a startup is like what someone once said:
“Making a startup successful is like jumping from an airplane which is flying 50000 ft above the sea level and learning to assemble the parachute during your way to down …”
So you have to get the basics right. Ensure that more of your and your team members’ time goes into doing the things and not managing the things. The best run team is filled with the right kind of doers and less number of managers, if any.
Best teams are self-organizing teams who is led by two distinct profiles.
1. The one who assumes ownership of the product (or service) development and delivery
2. The one who assumes ownership of streamlining the means to get things done.
Consider Scrum, one of the most prominent agile frameworks. From its perspective, the first role is considered the Product Owner and the second, the ScrumMaster.
The need of having such roles is not limited to just Scrum Projects. The need is there for every Startups. Build the teams that get things done. It is okay if they fail, inspire them to be on-target and allow them to learn on the job.
The only need of management that cannot be compromised, is need of self-management of the doers. And, did I tell you that doers make better leaders than managers and startups need leaders at every corner of their business?
