Whilst a new hire has the potential to change many aspects of a startup, when they're in a leadership role, the impact they can have is even greater - from the effect and influence they have on the rest of the team, to the overall culture and of course the future success of the business. Getting the right person in place as a leader is therefore key.
If you’re about to start the process of hiring a leader for your startup or if it's likely to be on your agenda soon, there are all sorts of qualities and skills that you ought to be looking for in a potential candidate, such as being an excellent communicator, being curious, creative and analytical and being ambitious and driven. However, one of the most important traits of all for a leader to possess is an innate positive energy. With that in mind, we’ve highlighted how you can identify a positive energiser at the interview stage, how they do what they do and the impact that can have.
So, why do you need a leader with positive energy?
If you have a leader who exudes positive energy at the helm of your startup, they’ll make their presence felt from the off - and in a good way! They’ll naturally inspire others within your team and will encourage everyone to be their best. That doesn’t mean they’ll be giving motivational speeches at every opportunity or adding an inspirational quote to all their internal comms. However, they’ll know exactly what to say to get the best out of people. It’s not about delivering clichés, but instead it’s about being authentic, knowing about what makes people tick, having a deep awareness of what’s required to get a job done, and ensuring that people remain engaged and enthusiastic, even when handling issues or challenges.
They’ll be fully committed to your objectives and vision - they’ll see the big picture and will be relentless in helping you achieve it. And they will motivate and encourage everyone else to do so too. They’ll set ambitious goals, take people slightly out of their comfort zones and stretch their capabilities. And most importantly, they’ll keep the momentum going - they’ll celebrate the small wins and with their can-do attitude, they’ll keep that positive energy up.
And when things don’t go to plan, as is often the case in a startup, they’ll not be knocked back. They’ll take stock, reevaluate and figure out the best way forward, always looking at the positive and embracing a challenge as an opportunity. Their positive energy will be infectious - rather than complaining about setbacks, your team will want to keep pushing ahead no matter what obstacles are in their way.
And what impact can they have?
If you hire a leader who is a positive energiser, it will naturally have a knock-on effect on all aspects of your startup. They’ll not be content to simply carry on business as usual; for them it’s about trying new things and having a culture of innovation - all absolutely essential as you hone and develop your product or service. They’ll also know how to bring people together, ensuring that your entire team fully "gets" what you are aiming to create and are wholly committed to achieving goals and targets assigned to them. That, of course, will have a positive impact on your overall mission and objectives, driving your startup ever further on the road to success.
As individuals, your team will also have a much greater sense of job satisfaction when they're being led by someone who knows what makes them tick and proactively enthuses them to achieve and excel in all they do. A leader like this will not only encourage them to perform to their full potential but will set the best example by always striving to optimise their own performance too. They’ll set the tone and their attitude, enthusiasm and positive outlook will help boost the team as a whole.
How to identify positive energy in a potential leader?
When you are in the midst of the recruitment process and interviewing potential candidates for a leadership role in your startup, there are a few ways that you can identify if they genuinely have the positive energy that you require. Firstly, they should not only be passionate about the role itself, but they should also convey passion and excitement about your startup. They should show how they share your vision and want to be a part of making it happen. If they can demonstrate with enthusiasm how much research they’ve done about your product or service, the sector you’re in and indicate a genuine interest in your startup mission, that is a pretty good start!
During the interview, you should ask them questions about how they have handled difficult situations in the past, perhaps when they were unhappy about how a project or task was going. The response you will want to hear is that despite things not going exactly as they had liked, they were still able to carry on and inspire and lead others to achieve the project goal or outcome. You won’t want to hear any negativity or blame or lack of control, but rather a clear example of someone rising to a challenge and helping those around them to do the same.
You could also ask about occasions when they had to adjust how they and their team worked to meet a client or customer’s expectations. The response they give will be pretty reflective of their energy level and desire and commitment to achieve a goal no matter what. They might for example, explain how they had to adapt, reassign or streamline tasks or work longer hours, however, they will clearly be able to demonstrate how even in adverse situations, they retained a desire to achieve and encouraged all around them to do the same.
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Offering personalised, consultative service, at TableCrowd Talent we’re a specialist recruitment agency with our finger on the pulse of the startup and scaleup scene. We are committed to matching graduates, professionals and C-level executives to exciting startup and scaleup jobs across London, the UK and Europe.
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