Thread by @dominiconorton

I thought I’d share some thoughts on managing a team I learned through accelerators, hackathons, advising startups and real experiencing leading teams

1. Leadership is one of the hardest things you can chose to do

There’s an abundance of bad leaders. Why choose to be another one. Servant leadership is so hard. Peoples motivations are inconsistent and illogical and they have no obligation to you. So you can invest in people...

... without a certainty you’d benefit but that’s what great leaders do. Ask yourself Is this persons life better because they met me.

2. 60% of 0 is 0. Questions around equity especially if your company is not making money is pointless. Yes we hear about cases in the VC world of this going terribly wrong but also look at the socioeconomic class these people are coming from....

... there are many people that will make great additions to your team but need financial compensation because that’s how the world works. They have to feed their family. There is talent you may be missing out on because equity doesn’t pay their bills next month...

...You want full commitment to your team not not paying even a little doesn’t make sense.

3. Set expectations.

Asking your friends to work on a project with you is all good but you have to set expectations of who does what and leave them to do that, support them, then also pick up the slack if they do drop the ball. Like I said leadership is hard...

...if you don’t set expectations your team and personal relationship will fall apart.

4. Have a vision

People need to see your vision to know if there’s any point of them spending their time with you. Communicate it frequently and in different ways. Orally works for some, a business plan works for others.

5. Don’t find a cofounder because VCs say you need one (especially a technical cofounder)

Investors have good reason to want what they want (sometimes) but It’s easier to contract they technical development rather than manage a cofounder relationship. Get shit done...

...sometimes that means not having a cofounder. With a cofounder comes distributed decision making which can also slow down the boat. If it’s technical development you need for MVP no code tools can get you up and running quickly and easily...

...this uses little to no code but to do this you may have to reduce the size of your idea or adapt it slightly to fit the capabilities of no code tools. This is not as big a deal as you think

6. For diversity you have to join communities outside your comfort zone

As a man if I want talented women I have to go to where women are. I can’t expect them to flock to me because my idea is so great.

It’s important to note, you want diversity for diversity...

...of experience not to hit some quota and just be for show. This is important because if you’re the real deal about welcoming women, LGBTQ, ethnic minorities you not only welcome them, you create an environment where they want to stay...

...a women that recently started a family may believe in your cause and want to join your venture but if you don’t create an environment that’s considerate for the transition for her family and her family role then it’s not an environment that can facilitate her talent.

The right combination of people can make a huge impact but it takes a committed leader to bringing great individuals together to do something special as one

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