How to build a high-performing startup team?
TL;DR We worked hard on becoming a team. This took extra effort on top of “actual work” we performed on @Scribeup_io.
Below, I share some of the tools and methods we used. But, first, how did we meet?
First days
I met my co-founders at an event called Pitch2Match by @EshipMIT. I liked Yohei’s credentials (Harvard CS degree, Tech & startup experience) and passion. He probably liked my extraversion, consumer focus and consulting background. But we didn’t start working together right away.
Yohei was already working with Jordan (my other co-founder) for 2 weeks. So, we wanted to test each other. We named it “no commitment period”. Because we didn’t believe in naming each other “co-founders” on the first day. We had to know if we click together.
The process
We finally did click after a couple of weeks of working on after hours and weekends. (a.k.a we proved our dedication to each other). So, we immediately started “building a team.” Because, so far, we were just 3 people working together (later joined by our 4th member Erica).
We started running retrospective sessions (wait, what?).
Quick definition: A retro is a ceremony in which the team evaluates itself. We gathered feedback on what went well and what did not in the team. We also noted some action items.
For instance, we realized that we don’t object to each other much. We were too nice to each other. This and many other insights helped us improve our communication, increased our pace and build trust.
We did frequent retros. Below is a screenshot of a retro board. As you can see, one ticket is highlighted. We felt like, we didn’t know each other well as people. Pandemic prevented us from hanging out and getting to know each other. We had to do something about it.
So, we planned casual gatherings & dinners. There was one big rule: DO NOT TALK ABOUT WORK. Part of those dinners were deep questions, such as “what’s your biggest fear about your career?” or “what do you hope to get out of this startup?”
My favorite was “share an instance at your previous job that helped you to learn more about yourself”. This is the one opens up the person the most. These worked magnificiently. We are a better team every day, thanks to all this intentional effort. As you can see, what started with checking credentials and just working together, turned into “becoming a team” based on trust and friendship.
We are past “norming” stage, but we still have a lot of room to grow as a team. Follow me on Twitter (https://twitter.com/cinarfidan) for more stories and threads.
