Comment développer ses compétences en leadership dans une startup ?

Developing leadership skills in a startup environment, where the mantra or mindset is often to "FAIL FAST TO SUCEED FASTER" Here are some strategies I learnt from past decade. 1. Embrace Risk-Taking: 2. Adaptability and Flexibility: 3. Hands-On Experience: 4. Master in Communication: 5. Build a Collaborative Culture: 6. Learn from Setbacks: 7. Seek Mentorship: 8. Decision-Making Skills: 9. Networking: 10. Stay curious and committed to Continuous Learning: By embracing the challenges and learning opportunities inherent in the startup environment, you can cultivate leadership skills that are adaptive, resilient, and well-suited to the fast-paced nature of entrepreneurial ventures.

In my experience of serial entrepreneurship over more than 20 decades (with many successes and eye-opening failures), the best way to develop leadership skills is to stay humble and communicate succinctly, effectively, and passionately. 1. Energy for continuous learning and improvement 2. Ability to model self-care and well-being for yourself and your team. 3. Deep listening to your inner voice (not inner critic), and the ideas of others. 4. Understanding that you hire for personality, train for skill. 5. Self-awareness and humility to apologize, course-correct, and pivot. 6. Drive to build strong collaborations, affiliations, and teams. 7. A passion for coaching, mentoring, and PLAY!

Clear vision is when a start up or enterprises solving unique problem statements and or building innovative product solutions. Vital for any company to have a clear vision focusing customer centric products or solutions. Vision with goals will bring team to function organically and achieve value proposition.

Great point, a well defined value proposition that uncovers unmet need or job to be done is critical to the success of the startup.

Vision is great but my perspective is start ups very often fail to articulate the how. We will be the best at x, we will help y patients. The how is where you win or lose the support of your teams, equally the way. It’s not just about articulating your vision, but explicitly calling out how you’re going to win!

An important trait of a leader is to lead the team towards the purpose and goals. We see a large number of disruptive and abrasive leaders who lead through their intellect and vision. But a more sustainable model of leadership is to promote a more purposive culture and practice servant leadership. A leader who is able to create an environment that promotes intellectual humility, excellence and innovation with integrity and probity, will be able to build a sustainable organization.

Totally agree Sumit also so important for the leaders to be self aware. Recognizing how as a leader you walk the talk. Team members look up to their leaders for direction, mentorship, recognition which ultimately translates into the culture of the organization. Organizations excelling in great culture are thriving and profitable in all aspects of the business. I thought would just add two cents of what i have experienced in my career.

Never ask others to do what you’re not willing to do or haven’t done yourself. Roll up your sleeves and get in the trenches.

Surprisingly, it's easy to miss on developing your leadership skills in a startup, because most of your time will be invested in doing "all" the roles needed to succeed with little energy left for purposeful Leadership. Leading by example and Empowering your team are your main tools, shining best when Adapting to change. Accepting these premises, you can still add levels of trust with your team: - Provide Clarity by mapping the needed roles and responsibilities to the current team setup, acknowledging the multi-hat context. - Self disclosure (much needed in remote work) works even better in a start-up environment. - Democratise decisions. As not all decisions need high expertise, you can involve the whole team in choosing some directions.

One can only lead if the people trust in the skills of the leader. I've seen multiple leads just managing projects instead of actively contributing to it. I've seen couple of good leaders who actively show why they're the experts and the right choice to head the department or lead the project. They're not afraid of getting their hands dirty or intiate a project by playing an IC role.

The mentality of a leader should be to surround themselves with more skilled and knowledgeable team members and empower them to achieve. Some believe the leader has to be the best but results in a dysfunctional team

If a leader can promote a purpose that is larger than the team put together, the company can create a sustainable environment. I think a value based company focused on Respect, Integrity, Trust and Empathy can attract leaders and empower the colleagues.

The emphasis on empowering teams is pivotal in startups. Forbes (2021) highlights that delegating and providing autonomy enhances team performance. McKinsey (2020) stresses the significance of equipping teams with necessary resources. According to Harvard Business Review (2019), coaching and constructive feedback are essential for team development. Thus, empowering team members through trust, resources, and development opportunities is key to fostering a productive and innovative startup environment.

A word I don’t hear used often when I have discussions about empowering your team is support. Supporting talented people who may find struggles whether related to their personal or professional life is often overlooked. Too often, talented people are counseled out of organizations when they may be placed in the wrong position, working for the wrong person, of facing what they feel are insurmountable issues outside the office. A little patience and a willingness to find the root of the problem can uncover a real superstar. We are going into 2024 and it seems more important than ever…

The best way I have seen leaders take the initiative and feel empowered is assuring them not every decision is the right one. Making a decision and standing by it and being able to explain the reasoning behind it without the constant fear of repercussions will empower them to take that step. This is not to say corrective action is not at times required but often coaching in the thought process has a more favourable outcome.

This is a high priority trait, since it is not the Survival of the fittest, but the survival of the most adaptive. Companies and leaders who are adaptive and embrace change will flourish.

Some of the reasons that start ups fail is failure to pivot, with changing markets. Or pivots gone wrong. Other reasons could be that there was no need for their products to begin with. Or that they burned and ran out of cash.

In my experience, the best way to adapt to change without continuously reacting, is to use mechanisms to not only evaluate situations but then make operational changes. For me that's periodic retrospectives coupled with action plans.

Mastering the art of overcoming setbacks is akin to sculpting corporate resilience and adaptability. In a recent survey of high-performing leaders, 85% credited their success to navigating and learning from failures. Strategic approach involves not just weathering storms, but transforming setbacks into stepping stones for growth. This unique paradigm not only bolsters individual confidence but also molds organizational ethos that thrives in the ever-evolving landscape of contemporary business.

Having worked in multiple Startups, for me the ability to pivot is so crucial to surviving the uncertainty of a new company. But pivoting isn't about necessarily changing goals or outcomes, but rarher direction or strategy. I've found that leading with empathy, a heart and mind that is in tune with the team, a mindfulness of sharing critical information proactively and immediately, gives leaders the sort of insight and transparent access to infromation from the team which allows them to make necessary changes in strategy and have the full support of the team. It also helps them evaluate and reevaluate the goal to ensure it is a worthy pursuit.

It is said that, There is nothing that training cannot do, it lifts humans to angels. A highly important trait of a purposeful and sustainable organization is one that promotes continuous learning and instills an collective curiosity and collaboration among the colleagues of the corporations.

Listen. Listen to understand instead of listening for answers you want to hear. Listen for the unexpected and what you don't know. Listen for what's not being said and what you may be missing. Self awareness is key to being able to grow as an individual and as a leader. One of the best ways to uncover how others perceive you is to ask for feedback. Especially important in startups and small entrepreneurial teams, if you're able to create a culture of trust, people will be more willing to provide feedback that is helpful, growth-oriented and actionable.

If you want to develop your leadership skills, I firmly believe that a startup is one of the best places to do so. Why? Because it's the beginning of something new, where everything is being created, from vision and values to products/services and customers. It's a fertile ground for learning to be a leader!

In a startup environment, I prioritize the continuous development of my leadership skills. I actively seek feedback from team members and mentors, utilizing their insights to refine my approach. Additionally, I stay abreast of industry trends and leadership methodologies through ongoing learning initiatives. By adapting to the dynamic nature of a startup, I cultivate a flexible leadership style that aligns with the company's evolving needs, fostering both personal and organizational growth.

Startup leaders often possess strong skills in product development but may lack experience in navigating the ever-changing demands of the market. This gap can pose a significant obstacle, as even the most amazing product is rendered useless if it fails to address a genuine need or adapt to shifting customer preferences. If you are in such situations, it is crucial for you to acknowledge the disparity in skill sets. Embrace the necessity for continuous learning, and pick up the skills as quickly as possible. Additionally, you can bridge this gap by surrounding yourself with individuals who possess complementary strengths and expertise, whether within or outside the company. See yourself as a student and learn from them along the way.

It is important to see leadership not as a role or position, particularly in startups, but as a set of actions and choices that anyone can take when called upon. Specifically, there are moments - everywhere in startups - which call on someone to act with leadership and help solve a problem, resolve a conflict, speak with courage, initiate something new, or provide a technical fix. The best way to learn leadership is to do leadership.

Be authentic! The road map is there to guide but leadership is also about inspiring new ideas and exploring new ways of thinking and learning to change things around us. The only way we can discover that is through fully coming out with what we think and believe so it can be a tested concept that maybe adopted to be a solution for something. Do not keep the beautiful notions and thoughts out of the picture because there’s s set standard and structure of things. Allow yourself and your team to evolve 🦅🦅🎯

Leaders need to set up check-in milestones. These milestones need to be communicated, in advance. And the communication should let the team know what will be discussed. I would suggest things like: - progress - outlook - alignment - motivation and moral As a leader and as a team member, it is always encouraging to know that the leadership is considering these things. And it’s important to know that leadership doesn’t plan on waiting until the last minute (or after the fact) to find out where things got off track.

While developing leadership skills is a must for entrepreneurs, a guiding light is very helpful especially for first time entrepreneurs. A mentor or a coach goes a long way in creating the long term success of a business. From my experience most entrepreneurs are very caught up in the day to day running of their business. some of them are very emotional about their business and it could impact the clarity of their decisions. A coach or mentor can provide perspective and invite the business owner to view things from a neutral point of view. they could also help an entrepreneur zoom out to get an overview rather than a myopic view of the enterprise.

Consider hiring a leadership coach. A leadership coach can provide personalized guidance, enhance self-awareness, and help develop effective strategies for personal and professional growth as you grow your business. Win-Win!