If you haven’t read it yet, Ben Horowitz NAILS the problem about bringing big company execs into startup environments. Really – stop here, go read it and come back.
His method of integrating execs into the new company is a bit too narrow though. His three rules don’t just work for big company execs, but piddly interns that are still trying to find out how to create a dent. As he tells it,
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- Force them to create—Give them monthly, weekly, and even daily objectives to make sure that they produce immediately. The rest of the company will be watching and this will be critical to their assimilation.
- Make sure that they “get it”—content-free executives have no value in startups. Every exec must understand the product, the technology, the customers, and the market. Force your newbie to learn these things. Consider scheduling a daily meeting with your new exec. Require them to bring a comprehensive set of questions about every thing they heard that day, but did not completely understand. Answer those questions in depth; start with first principles. Bring them up to speed fast. If they don’t have any questions, consider firing them. If in 30 days, you don’t feel that they are coming up to speed, definitely fire them.
- Put them in the mix—Make sure that they initiate contact and interaction with their peers and other key people in the organization. Give them a list of people that they need to know and learn from. Once they’ve done that, require a report from them on what they learned from each person.
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Depending on the size of the organization, filing a report on what they learned from each person may be a bit burdensome – but reporting out in whatever method can only be helpful. It would be even more helpful if both sides of the conversation were captured. One of the most efficient methods I know of measuring someone’s character is to put them in a situation where they are learning and where that knowledge is challenged by others.
Too many times, people (myself included) fail to respond with the attitude of wisdom that is necessary to prevent huge blunders in the future. Most candidates will experience flight or fight – both of which can kill a startup. Finding a way to corral dissension and manage pushback is essential to scaling an organization.