I'd written an earlier post about how the startup CEO's primary role is that of communicator. It's already been established that in a startup you wear many costumes, er, hats, so I think I should add another one - that of cheerleader (maybe 'motivational speaker' would go better with communicator, except it's all Tony Robbins).
I realize that to a large extent the CEO is responsible for the momentum, enthusiasm, energy, vibe - maybe spirit would be a workable term here - of the startup. First, you do it by hiring high-energy, give-it-110% kind of people. But you can't check off that box and consider the job done. It takes a while for people to get gung-ho about something new so you have to work at fanning the flames pretty consistently.
I thought about this at a small nonprofit fundraiser that I helped in last weekend. Passionately dedicated volunteers had done tons of work to get ready and put out the food, the wine, the auction items, and the over-priced trinkets, they'd turned on the music and videos...all the usual stuff. And everyone who showed up, by invitation, presumably came to spend as they've done in the past. But, it needed an MC, a rabble-rouser, someone that got them excited about being there, someone who brought some spirit to the proceedings. And no surprise, it was the founder of the nonprofit who took over the mike and got people energized about doing exactly what they came to do, i,e., spend money to support the cause.
This experience inspired me to share some good news with my team immediately instead of waiting for the next day. Spirit doesn't just materialize because all the components are there, you have to create and develop it. I can let myself get swamped with meetings, paperwork and all the other things that have schedules and due dates, and do need a periodic reminder that one of my chief responsibilities has nothing to do with any of this stuff. I enjoy the amped up enthusiasm in a startup, and have to make sure that the team has enough material to be stoked or it'll end up being more routine than rah-rah. We can't talk about just product roadmaps and revenue plans all the time, I need to encourage them with other tidbits too - potential candidates, chats with investors, demo feedback, market trends and even how other startups are faring. In the early stages when you don't have much to show by way of monetary success, all sorts of things can have an impact in building the energy. The good news is that in time you can retire your pom-pom as your team would have taken over the cheerleading and you just have to pipe in with an occasional 'woo-woo'.
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