One person can change everything….oh, and a new podcast

There is a new podcast up.  Worth the listen.  Umber Ahmad of Mah Ze Dahr Bakery.  You can now subscribe on Itunes.

 

imagesIn a company one person can change everything.  A sales person can join the team and the trajectory can change overnight.  A new COO can join the team and take a look at the company from bottom up, shift a few things around responsibilities and all of a sudden you have a fine oiled machine.

One bad apple in a company can reek havoc on the culture.  Some founders have a hard time firing that one person for fear of the team being upset, or hoping that tomorrow will be a better day but pretty much 10 times out of 10 when they do let that bad apple go the team sighs a huge gasp of relief.  The question is always, “why didn’t anyone say anything?”  The reality is most don’t.  They are looking for leadership and believe in in the culture they are creating.

It isn’t easy being the founder.  It is a tough job yet it is also an exhilarating job.  I have also seen founders become paralyzed around hiring.  It is hard to put the cart before the horse but in the start-up world those risks are weighed daily.

I have seen companies have 24 cents in the bank and boom they get funded and life changes.  It is the same thing with people.  One person can change the whole game.

 

 

Comments (Archived):

  1. awaldstein

    yupone thing to add that to me is important.we fire people cause they don’t fit. often has nothing to do with their skills, with their value.life is long. everyone is connected.value is situation specific in most cases.

  2. Jeremy Robinson

    Agreed. And on the firing side, my experience coaching in large corps and small start-ups is that most bosses, thinking of themselves as decent people [which they mostly are], wait way too long to fire someone who needs to go. I’m not talking about the pathological boss who lives on vengeance as a breakfast food. I’m talking about the decent gal or guy who wants to give the employee another chance Not a good idea, mostly. Act, don’t compound the problem.

    1. Gotham Gal

      act, act, act.