Let me outline the negative aspects of managers that in my experience has 99.99% of the time led to them leaving / quitting / washing out in 3–9 months:
- Can’t meet deadlines. This may be OK in junior employees I guess. But never in a manager.
- Doesn’t understand mission. This may be your fault as CEO, but if any leaders don’t get the mission you are on (or really anyone), it won’t work out.
- Doesn’t want to grow. Anyone that doesn’t want to add new skills won’t work out in a startup < 200 employees or so.
- Too threatened by new VPs and leaders. This makes perfect sense in BigCos, but in start-ups, if a VP/Director/Manager is too threatened by a new hire / new role, something isn’t going to work out here.
- A “player”. If they talk too much about how amazing it was to work at DropBox, how terrific Stewart Butterfield was to work for … well that’s great. But that’s a derivative effect. Not the game itself.
- Can’t hire anyone great in first 30–60 days. All great managers can. Generally, they have 2-5 folks they want to bring on before they start.
- Too defensive re: their poor performers. A great manager is highly aware and transparent re: who on their team is the best, mid-pack, and not performing. If they are too defensive about their non-performers, that’s a sign of a manager that can neither deliver nor scale.
- Lack of 100% ownership and too many excuses. You already know this. If they don’t own something in their area, really, they own nothing.
When you see this behavior in your managers/directors/VPs, at least plan on the fact you’ll need to hire a replacement in a single digit number of months.
Now the flip side is, some “negative” characteristics actually can be an asset in a start-up. Here’s my list of things not to see as flags, more as areas you can help and backfill on as they grow:
- Frustrated with other leaders not delivering. This just comes with ownership. It’s your job as CEO to fix this, somehow. As you upgrade the team, this should fade a bit.
- Can only hire folks that are a junior version of themselves. Yes, this is a sign of a new / green manager. But you can help them open their eyes to a more diverse set of backgrounds, experiences and hires. You need to start ASAP and early, though. By hire #3.
- Mainly doing / focused on what they are good at. If you are a first-time VP of something, you won’t be great at everything. No one is. It’s OK if your stretch VP mainly focuses on the areas she’s great at … as long as she also takes accountability of the areas she is weak at. They will grow, and you are getting leverage here. Find a way to help backfill their weaknesses.
Now, these are things to quickly watch for after the hire. What are a few related tips to make sure you don’t make a mis-hire for a VP role in the first place?
- Ask who she will bring with her. Review their LinkedIn’s and talk to them. This is especially important with a VP of Sales candidate, but should be true for any true VP. All true VPs know recruiting is job #1. So even if they are a stretch VP, they’ll have at least a handful of candidates ready to join them. Ask. Ask who they are. Ask why. And talk to at least 1 or 2. If the candidate doesn’t have any, or any good ones, to bring with him … that’s not a VP.
- Do a 60 Day Plan With Every VP Candidate as a Penultimate Step at Least. 60 day plans are wonderful vehicles to see if you are aligned and on the same page. Yes, they are work. So if you want, maybe don’t make the candidate do it for a screening meeting. But I find it great as a penultimate step, to make sure it’s a good fit for both sides. Before they sign the offer letter, have them put together a First 60 Days Plan and present to your entire senior team. That will not only highlight gaps, but make sure everyone is close enough to being on the same page to win together.
The post 8 Signs a New VP Won’t Work Out. And 3 Things Not to Worry So Much About. appeared first on SaaStr.
Small Business
via https://www.aiupnow.com
Jason Lemkin, Khareem Sudlow
