KOCHI: What’s fun chasing some quest without few partners in crime? A team keeps each other motivated, inspired and helps collectively reach a goal, which might seem formidable all alone. But then the real question is how do we identify who are your core team members and who are not? Here are some factors which can help you decide:
Loyalty
A great employee who quits within one month is of lesser importance than a good employee with loyalty. As your startup grows, your core team will know all of its strengths and weaknesses. A loyal one will fight with you side by side. Identify who all in your team are loyal to you!
Competence
While loyalty is important, competence is also necessary. A loyal team member who is not competent will send wrong signals to the outside world. Newer employees will be afraid of entering your firm and will quit quickly if they find an incompetent person sitting on top of their head who has no idea what he is doing. Get folks who are competent in their streams or get them trained on the job so they know their stuff!
Ability to learn
In startups, as stated earlier, we often get team-mates who are freshers or have little work experience. Then what becomes crucial is his ability and openness to learning. He might require mentorship through your or an outside mentor at times and he must be willing for it.
Open to multi-tasking
A core employee needs to wear multiple hats. He juggles between roles and sometimes manages many responsibilities at a time. A startup employee who is rigid about his work boundaries and is not open to multitasking is a red flag when talked about multitasking.
Passion
If the employee isn’t passionate about the cause, he will likely be running his own agenda or working at his own speed. But if he is passionate about the cause, he will discover new ways, invent new possibilities and drive through unchartered territories.Rajeev Tamhankar is Founder, TBS Planet Comics. He is ex-Flipkart, Xiaomi and IITR Silver Medalist. (The views expressed by the author are his own)