Pour la version Française, voir : https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/soyez-le-leader-que-mérite-votre-startup-benjamin-delsol-phd/
A Startup is created around a Leader.
The Leader federates the Startup, he is the binder of the Team, he is the center of Attraction, he is the one who plant in the heart of others the seeds of the overtaking of oneself.
The Leader has a very great responsibility to the Startup, it is incumbent on him to be the example. The values of the Startup cannot dissociate from those of the Leader. The ambition of the Startup cannot exceed that of the Leader. The discipline of the Startup cannot surpass that of the Leader.
Thus, a good Leader has to have several specific characteristics that I propose to expose you through this article.
- The Leader must be courageous :
The courage... a value generally conferred on soldiers, knights, fighters, and thus Leaders. What is more courageous than a Leader who puts into play his future but also that of a whole Team. In the image of a general going to war, the Leader must be courageous.
Let just be clear, courage is not the absence of fear, it is the ability to overcome this fear, to take action even though one is terrified.
Courage is an essential characteristic of any Leader, for two very simple reasons: the first is that a Leader has to lead, to engage, and therefore to decide, but if the Leader does not have the courage to play his role in the face of risky situations for him, for the Team or for the Startup, then it will fail. The second is that no Team will follow a Leader who cannot overcome his fears, unable to decide and give instructions, and without a Team, there is no Leader, no Startup.
Being a Leader is having the strength to do what needs to be done even as fear fastens us.
- The Leader must master himself :
The Leader has to lead a Team. How can you manage a plurality of people if you can't control yourself?
The control of his emotions is a quality that must have a Leader. We are not born Leader, we can certainly have predispositions to want to take the lead of operations in a group of people, but some things must be learned, and there is one that is the control of his emotions, being able to keep his cold blood, being able to analyze a situation with objectivity even though it is a situation that can have profound consequences.
A startup is an idea, a dream that the Leader wants to realize, a startup is a piece of the heart of the Leader, what happens to the startup directly touches the Leader’s heart. The Leader must then have a perfect self-control so that in the midst of a storm the ship can keep its course.
- The Leader must be fair :
Fairness and justice must be two facets of the Leader.
A Leader, to be respected and appreciated, has to be fair and equitable towards his Team.
Justice and fairness are feelings that unite a Team, those are values that matter to everyone. Demonstrating justice allows you to unify a Team, to win the respect of a Team, to inspire a Team.
The Leader must know how to act and decide by taking into account all the parameters of each problem. One of the hardest part of being a Leader is the management of his Team. Each person is different, each person has his character, each person has his qualities and defects, the Leader must be aware of it and more importantly must know each member of his Team. Because it is only by knowing his Team that the Leader will be able to manage it, and what is more important : with justice and fairness.
- The Leader must trust himself :
The Leader is the light, the lighthouse that burns by his passion for what he accomplishes and then illuminates the road for his Team. If the flame oscillates or weakens, then the road becomes imprecise, blurry and uncertain.
The Leader must have an indestructible trust in himself, because first, how can he trust his team if he already does not trust himself and second, how a Team can trust him if he does not believe in himself.
The Leader's self-confidence must thus be developed, worked, strengthened because in the midst of a storm there will be no question that the lighthouse does not shine with all its fire.
If you don't trust yourself, it's not too late, it's never too late, straighten up, stand upright, repeat that you trust yourself, and Act, Act and ACT again, visualize the finish line, view the destination of the ship. Because the difference between a Team and a Leader is that the Leader is here to guide his Team to a specific destination, the Leader must thus have confidence in him, on his journey to this destination, to the success of the Startup.
- The Leader must be responsible :
A Leader must take responsibility for his actions of course but also for those of his Team. In face of failures, in face of mistakes, the Leader has to take responsibility for them. Indeed, whether it is due to his Team or to himself, the Leader must take full responsibility for failures and errors.
The Team must know that it can count on its Leader and particularly in the worst situations. The Team must know that the Leader covers it and will be ready to take the shot in its place.
A Leader is not a general who stays behind during the battle, a Leader is on the front lines, and ensures that his Team will get out.
Therefore, the Leader has to accomplish more than his Team. The Leader is not asked to do things instead of his Team, but to do things in addition to his Team. The Leader must therefore be the first to arrive and the last party.
- The Leader must plan with precision :
The Leader must be concerned about the details. Whether it is relative to his Team or more generally to the Startup ecosystem, the Leader must have a great attention to detail.
These details will make all the difference in the management of his Team but also of the Startup.
By noticing details that others do not see, this allows the Leader to manage more skillfully his Team and for example the relations between the members of this Team, but it also allows the detection of weaknesses in the competitors for example.
In a world where we have everything, right now, the details are the real added value. Those are the few seconds that determines who is the champion and who is the number two.
These details allow the Leader to calibrate his plans.
Yes, the Leader has to plan his actions and those of the Startup. Without planning, without a route to success, the Leader cannot lead his crew, his Team.
So the Leader has to have a plan. He has to refine that plan from the details he is observing. It must plan for its success, it must realize a complete plan that will include a plurality of plans specific to each area of action. This can include a plan specific to the R&D, a plan specific to the marketing, a plan specific to the management of his Team. The Leader has to have a fractal planification of actions.
- The Leader has to cooperate with his Team :
The Leader must not be at the top of a pyramid, it should not be isolated in an ivory tower, it must not be inaccessible.
The Leader has to be among his Team. He arrives before it to plan, he works with it, he goes back after it to refine his plan.
The Leader needs to know each member of his Team perfectly and how to enable them to fully develop their potential.
The Leader has to know the tasks of each member of his Team and to have an understanding of it more or less developed.
The Leader must be available for his Team, must be attentive to his Team, must encourage the exchanges between each member of the Startup.
The hierarchy is necessary, but communication in the Startup must be privileged, reliable and efficient. It is therefore appropriate for the Leader to be a person willing to exchange with any member of his Team.
Finally, it is necessary that the Leader integrates at least partially of his Team in making important decisions. There is no question of asking the Team to decide anything, because this is not its role, but it is important to explain to his Team the Why and the How so that they feel considered and taken into account in the decisions taken by the Leader.
- The Leader must be an example :
The Leader carries the values of the startup, so his personality must be irreproachable, and on and also a source of example for the Team, of inspiration for the Startup. The Leader must represent an ideal to be reached by the Team.
The Leader has to present a relatively high degree of personal development if he wants to be an example both in terms of personality and on a professional level.
So the Leader has to be positive, he has to teach his Team to be prepared for the worst while hoping for the best.
The Leader works more, supports more, and assumes more things than the Team, while presenting a personality in line with his workload.
He must be there to congratulate the progress of his Team and to assume the mistakes of his Team. The Leader does not seek personal fame, he looks for the success of the Startup and of his Team.
Thus, a Leader is a duality, it is the meeting of two entities. The first is the personality of the being called to become the Leader, and the second is the Team that decides to believe in this being, who decides to entrust him with its destiny. When the chosen person has the skills previously indicated, then a Leader is born, a Team is born, a Startup is born. It must be understood that none of these entities can exist without the others.
So be the Leader that your startup deserves, by developing the required skills and by unifying a Team around a cause called Startup.
