I previously mentioned that I was blessed to have a father who was a very powerful role model (see my article “12 rules of business I learned from my father” to read more about him). He shaped my views on leadership, teamwork, and business, and I wanted to share a story with you about a very sad, yet inspirational, day in my life.
Category Archives: Leadership
Leadership lessons I learned at my father’s funeral
How to build your startup core team
Let’s start by debunking one common analogy – building a team is not like putting a puzzle together. The number one rule I’ve learned from the best startup teams is that one trick ponies need not apply. In the early to mid-stage startups, generalists should compose the majority of your team. There are two kinds of generalists: those who are Jacks-of-All-Trades and masters of one or two areas, and those who are masters of none (general management, which you don’t want).
5 ways to build diversity into teams
I’ve had the pleasure of working for companies “as diverse as the United Nations” during my career. These organizations have greatly benefited from having very diverse teams and are doing well even in this horrid downturn. Why is diversity important?
- Customers are diverse, so varied teams are much more likely to understand what your customers really want.
- Teams with a diverse demographic makeup will have different ideas, broader viewpoints, and a more diverse experience base – this is a sure formula for better decisions.
So, it is no surprise that I get the following question from time to time: how do you build a diverse team?
Delegate work, not responsibility
I am a firm believer that delegation is key to building a business. We can bring in all the technology in the world, but if we can’t delegate properly, our companies have no chance of scaling well. Without delegating well, you are bound to flat-line or even drive your company into decline. So here are the rules of delegation I like to use…
About THE FOUNDER
Apolinaras is a business operations leader with 12-year track record of helping companies manage growth, build diverse teams, harness technology, and get a lot more profitable.Read More About Us »
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