Contratar empleados siendo Emprendedor - Algunos Tips

del blog On Startups , espero que les sea útil. Es para romper un poco con el mito de que hay puntos a seguir, y estructuras solidas que uno cómo emprendedor (que se pone el traje de selector de RRHH) debería seguir.

I recently came across an article in Entrepreneur magazine that talks about startup hiring mistakes. I don't know Brad Sugars (the author), but he's a columnist at Entrepreneur magazine and has written 14 books. Though I'm impressed by the fact that he's a published author, I disagree with several points from the article.

I also was a bit put-off by the statement "the good thing is that there are some hard and fast rules startups should follow". I may not know a lot about startups, but one thing I do know is that there are very few "hard and fast" rules. And, those rules that are hard and fast are rarely interesting enough to talk about.

So, here are my tips for startup hiring startups. In some instances, these conflict directly with the Entrepreneur article -- in others, they're just different.

1. Don't Hire Based Solely On Intelligence/Brilliance: You interview the candidate and she has a PhD from MIT and is off-the-charts smart. That's great. Intelligence is an important factor in recruiting for most startups. But, hiring just on intelligence is usually a mistake. You need at least two more things: A passion for getting things done and cohesion with your culture. (That's a fancy way of saying that they agree with what you stand for and "fit in").

2. It's Ok To Hire The Inexperienced: If you find super-smart people that fit the culture and are able to get things done they may be a great recruit -- even if they lack experience. At my startup HubSpot, we call this hiring people that "haven't seen the movie before" (this is our way of saying: They don't have experience in the specific role/function). We've had great success with this.

3. It's ok to hire for an undefined role: In an ideal world, you have a nice clear job description and a role in mind for the person you're trying to hire. And, your network is so strong and your luck so good that precisely the perfect candidates start dropping into your lap just as you need them. Unfortunately, most startups are not so lucky. Sometimes you get the wrong people for the right role (the one you're recruiting for). Other times, you get the absolute "right" people, but just have no current openings. Sometimes, it's ok to hire these "superstars" even though they may not fit the job description you are hiring for.

4. It's Ok To Recruit For The Job You Hate: You might be good at a lot of things (developing code, designing things, selling, accounting, etc.). But chances are, you may dislike some of these activities even though you could be good at them. The good news is that there are smart people out there who love the very stuff you hate. There's nothing wrong with recruiting people for stuff you're either bad at or just plain don't like to do.

If you're interested in more tips on startup hiring, I kind of like some of my points in "5 Quick Pointers On Startup Hiring".

¿Como motivar a sus empleados?

del blog mejores proyectos, espero que les sea útil.

Haciendo un recorrido por las diferentes teorías que hablan acerca de la motivación he observado que todas ellas se basan en una generalidad.
Parece ser que es necesario tomar una teoría y seguirla y de esta manera incluir a todas las personas dentro del mismo esquema.
Los seres humanos somos diferentes y lo único que nos mancomuna es la idea de vivir el mismo mundo, el mundo del trabajo, el mundo de las empresas.

Cuatro condiciones para que un programa de capacitación sea bueno

Del blog Mejores Proyectos, espero que les sea util.

¿Cómo resultó el último programa de capacitación organizado en tu empresa? ¿Fue útil? ¿O aprendiste cosas que te gustaron en el momento del curso, pero que luego no las aplicaste? O lo que es peor: alguien en tu organización dice “Eso era un curso, era teórico, ahora estamos en un proyecto real, hagámoslo diferente”. Para que un programa de capacitación sea bueno y útil, se deben cumplir estas cuatro condiciones en forma encadenada:

1. Las necesidades de la organización definen lo que se enseña. El curso in company no es la universidad, que tiene programas genéricos. La organización define el contenido de la capacitación en base a los objetivos de las áreas. Toda la metodología del PMI es muy buena, pero es muy extensa. ¿Qué objetivos tiene el área con respecto a una metodología de administración de proyectos? ¿Dónde te aprieta el zapato? ¿Cuáles son tus problemas típicos en proyectos? Todo esto debe definir el contenido de la capacitación.

2. Lo que se enseña puede ser aprendido. Lo que se enseña debe responder al nivel intelectual, la experiencia y conocimientos previos de la audiencia. Quizás el tema sea excelente y el contenido también, pero los alumnos no lo puedan aprender. Se debe pensar en que los alumnos puedan entender y ejemplificar lo que se enseña.

3. Lo que se aprende puede ser trasladado al trabajo. ¿Qué hago con esto el lunes a la mañana? Este es el tagline(*) de nuestro blog Mejores Proyectos. A veces es muy atractiva una metodología, pero si no la puedo aplicar ¿para qué la estudio? Si el curso tiene ese estilo, es mejor leer un libro de project management. El verdadero desafío de un programa de formación debe ser entregar conceptos al alumno que sean aplicables en su trabajo desde el lunes a la mañana.

4. Lo que es trasladado al trabajo es sostenible en el tiempo. ¿Para qué cambiar mi forma de trabajar el lunes a la mañana si dentro de un mes voy a estar trabajando con los viejos defectos otra vez? El verdadero desafío de un programa de formación debe ser entregar conceptos al alumno que luego se internalicen en su trabajo, que sean parte de sus tareas diarias.

Dealing with unpopular employees

del blog The Chief Happiness Officer, espero que les sea util para tratar a sus empleados.

Here’s a recent question from CNN Money:

One of my employees is pretty capable, but she lacks people skills. No one in the office likes dealing with her. Recently she called me at home at 9 P.M. on a Friday, crying and saying she was typing up her résumé because the entire staff was against her.

I listened, and then hinted that it wasn’t the time or place to discuss this. Now office tension is high. Can I tell this woman that, because she said she was updating her résumé, I assume she’s given notice?
(source)

That’s a good question but here’s an even better one: if that employee’s behavior is so bad and her social skills so atrocious, why hasn’t the manager reacted a long time ago? This is one of the most important things we have managers for - to make sure that counter-productive behavior in the workplaces is stopped.

I read an interesting quote the other day (though I’ve forgotten where) that said that any behavior by employees that is not stopped by management becomes de facto legal.

Bad behavior includes gossiping, badmouthing co-workers, constant negativity, unconstructive criticisms, bullying, not helping co-workers and not sharing information. If managers see this and do nothing - it’s now OK.

And it shouldn’t be!

One manager from a company I’ve worked with, took this responsibility seriously. One of his employees, a lady in her 50s who’s been with the company for many years, had become habitually negative.

She’d end most phone calls by slamming down the receiver and blurting “Idiot!” whether she’d been talking to a customer or a co-worker. She would criticize all suggestions and plans she was consulted on. Co-workers respected her knowledge and competence but didn’t dare ask her any questions because of her demeanor.

Finally the manager had a meeting with her. He explained exactly how he viewed her behavior and why it was making him and her co-workers unhappy at work. He then gave her the rest of the day off.

When she called in sick the next day, he was pretty sure he was going to lose that employee. She returned to work the day after and asked for a meeting with him. And this is when she amazed him.

She’d spent some time thinking about this and talking to her husband - and she’d come to agree that her behavior had become much too negative. The scary thing is that she hadn’t done any of this consciously - it had become a habit. One she now wanted to break.

She’s been working on it since and both the manager and her co-worker have noticed a marked shift in her behavior. So, by the way, has her husband.

This is exactly how managers should handle this type of situation. Employees who exhibit this type of bad behavior need attention and help to break out of it. If their behavior improves - excellent. Then it’s time to follow up and make sure the change is lasting. If it doesn’t help, then it’s time to fire that person.

Letting people stay in jobs where they don’t fit in, where they’re not happy and where they’re not pulling their weight is a mistake. Managers may think they’re doing them a favor… they’re not!

Remember, just one unhappy, unproductive employee can pull down the whole department. And what’s worse - this attitude is contagious. It spreads and infects others and if you’re not careful, you’ll end up with a hard-core little clique of dissatisfied, cynical employees who make everyone around them unhappy.

Employment Trends Give Workers Shot of Confidence

De NBRI BLOG, si bien los consejos son para EEUU, es bueno que lean el artículo y saquen aquellas cosas que les sirven o puedan llegar a servirles para sus emprendimientos

The American worker is brimming with self-assurance, and there are a host of good reasons. Unemployment continues to be low at 4.5 percent, while opportunities continue to grow as technological advancements and a global economy open new doors.
The most recent Employee Confidence Index released by recruiting and staffing agency Spherion showed that the majority of U.S. workers remained confident in their personal job situations. Coupled with a solid economy, workplace trends in most sectors have tended to favor the American worker, who has seen increased demand and competition for their services.
That said, employees still face stumbling blocks through the rest of the year and into 2008. A potential slow down in the economy and rising health care costs are two storm clouds that continue to encircle and threaten the workforce.
As employees continue to benefit from favorable conditions, here are four major trends expected to continue through 2007 and into 2008.
Flex Your Power
If employers want to retain good workers, they better be flexible. Once a perk only offered by the most innovative and cutting-edge companies, work-life balance is a major trend that many employees not only want, but expect from employers these days.
In many cases, offering flexibility in scheduling and job sharing helps employers as well. But it’s the employees who are behind the trend of flexible work arrangements, classifying it as more important than pay in many surveys.
“Cash still talks, but it’s a very short-lived advantage and certainly not a unique advantage for a given industry,” said Barry L. Brown, president of a Florida-based consulting firm. “Employers this year are looking at flexible work schedules and better work-life balance. Being able to enjoy time with the family or pursuing a favorite hobby is a powerful consideration for job seekers. From the employer’s side, it’s a good, cost-effective tool to attract and retain good employees.”
Adaptable work environments have been made possible in many cases by the rise in technology. Employees who are connected to the office via the Internet, PDAs and web-based software can be productive from just about anywhere in the world now, and technological evolution will only make the process easier 10 years down the road.
“If someone working for me needs to stay home to take care of the kids, the dog, whatever, and they want to work from there, they can access most of the information and files they need and actually work on their office computers from home,” said Charles Cowan, Ph.D. “I think you’ll continue to see more people telecommuting – technology has made it much easier to do. And in the future, you’ll see more networked firms – firms that are five or 10 individuals in different cities who want to be united in their approach to a sale and can look like a larger centralized company.”
Show Me the Money
Money talks, and it’s still a great motivating tool for employees. A 3-5 percent gain in compensation packages and higher starting salaries are expected to continue as a method of retaining the top employees.
“One of the biggest trends will result from the talent shortages many have predicted in certain industries for some time,” said Heidi O’Gorman of a Chicago based consulting firm. “These will start to be felt more acutely. The implications are companies will need to pay more to keep their best people. In addition to paying the best performers more, companies will also have to offer more non-salary perks to employees. These will need to be tailored to employees’ needs. For example, not everyone will value flexible work hours equally. Some may actually prefer more vacation days or company-paid daycare.”
The Diverse Office
In the 1970s, diversity in the workplace was typically associated with government mandates regarding affirmative action, or the plight of women dealing with sexism and glass ceilings. Now, the majority of businesses understand that expanding the demographics of their staff is necessary to survive, as the U.S. population changes rapidly and the global economy takes hold.
As the Hispanic population continues to outpace other ethnic groups in the U.S., employers are making a huge push to hire bilingual employees. African-Americans, women and older workers are high-value targets for recruiters as well.
“Companies will need to tailor their programs for attracting, hiring and rewarding people to a much more diverse group of employees than ever before,” said O’Gorman. “And diversity will no longer be defined as just race and gender but also by age (there are four generations in the workforce right now with very different generational attitudes towards work) and culture (more and more, workers in the U.S. are foreign-born).”
Take This Job … and Fill It
As much as employers will respond to fulfilling the needs of their employees, there will still be plenty of workers looking for greener pastures. Job-hopping will become a major trend, especially among younger workers, who didn’t grow up with the same perception of attachment to a company that was instituted in a previous generation of workers. This trend will provide a significant competitive advantage to those companies that can attract and retain talented employees.

Comisiones por ventas, ¿una pésima manera de incentivar a los vendedores? (segunda parte)

Un artículo anterior levantó gran polvareda acerca de la efectividad de las comisiones a la hora de incentivar a los vendedores de una empresa. Veamos otro enfoque sobre el mismo tema...

El artículo "Comisiones por ventas, ¿una pésima manera de incentivar a los vendedores de su empresa?" ponía en duda la efectividad de las comisiones a la hora de incentivar vendedores.

Las reacciones de los miembros de la comunidad MATERIABIZ no se hicieron esperar. Unos pocos se mostraban completamente de acuerdo con la hipótesis. Otros, reconocían en ella sólo una verdad a medias. El resto, la rechazaba enfáticamente (algunos, MUY enfáticamente).

En este marco, es interesante presentar otra investigación en la misma línea. Un artículo de Accenture también advierte que las comisiones por venta son menos efectivas de lo que muchos creen. Las siguientes cifras son útiles para comprender la hipótesis.

Según una reciente encuesta de CSO Insights, el arte de vender parece estar poniéndose cada día más difícil. Apenas un 57 por ciento de los vendedores encuestados confesaron alcanzar sus objetivos mensuales. Cuatro años atrás, sólo un 35 por ciento de las empresas encuestadas manifestaban que concretar una venta exigía seis o más llamados al cliente. Hoy, la cifra alcanza el 46 por ciento.

En efecto, si sus vendedores fracasan sistemáticamente a la hora de cumplir con los objetivos, ¿usted cree que aumentar las comisiones será un buen incentivo para lograrlo?

Según los investigadores, en este escenario, es necesario replantearse la forma en que actualmente se encara la motivación de los vendedores. La cuestión puede encararse a través del célebre esquema de la pirámide de Maslow. La compensación financiera es, sin dudas, relevante. Pero existen otras formas de fomentar el rendimiento...

1) Confianza

La telco canadiense, Telus Corp., había ideado un esquema óptimo de incentivos financieros. Sus ejecutivos creían haber balanceado idealmente las estructura de comisiones para obtener las conductas deseadas.

No obstante, el resultado había sido un complicadísimo algoritmo para calcular la remuneración de sus vendedores, una ecuación que incluía una infinidad de indicadores de múltiples fuentes. Al final del mes, los vendedores ya ni siquiera estaban seguros de cómo hacía la empresa para calcular sus comisiones.

Así, para controlar que la compañía no estuviera pagando menos de lo debido, los vendedores diseñaron su propio sistema de auditoría para estimar sus comisiones y cotejarlas con los cálculos de la empresa. Este control les insumía más de un día de trabajo mensual, es decir, un día dedicado exclusivamente a tareas administrativas que no generaban valor.

Sin embargo, este no era el principal problema del sistema de incentivos. Lo realmente preocupante era que aquel complejo algoritmo había destruido la confianza entre la firma y sus vendedores. En otras palabras, la estructura de incentivos terminaba demoliendo la motivación. Y esto se reflejaba en los resultados financieros.

2) Reconocimiento y sentido de pertenencia

Un escalón más arriba en la pirámide de Maslow nos encontramos con Nortel, otra telco canadiense, que apuesta por la generación de un sentimiento de competencia como uno de los pilares de sus esquemas de motivación. La clave: fomentar identificación con la empresa e implementar una serie de procesos para que los vendedores puedan disfrutar del reconocimiento de sus colegas.

Todos los años, en la convención de vendedores, Nortel celebra una entrega de premios donde se reconoce la labor de los equipos de mejor rendimiento. La empresa también organiza un viaje anual para sus mejores vendedores. Este refuerza el sentimiento de pertenencia y motiva a los ganadores a redoblar sus esfuerzos para seguir formando parte de la elite.

3) Lidiando con la complejidad

La incorporación de nuevos productos y servicios al catálogo suele ser una buena noticia para los vendedores. En principio, esto les otorga la posibilidad de apuntar a un público más amplio e incrementar las ventas.

No obstante, también es común que el aumento de la oferta tenga el efecto opuesto. Agobiados por el grosor del catálogo, muchos terminan refugiándose en los productos tradicionales, donde ya han encontrado su punto de confort. Incluso, la experiencia muestra que no siempre funciona pagar mejores comisiones para las ventas de los nuevos productos. En general, el incentivo no es suficiente para que el vendedor acepte abandonar el terreno donde se siente cómodo.

En este caso, la clave consiste en apelar a los puntos más elevados de la pirámide de Maslow, donde se encuentra la creatividad y una necesidad innata de autosuperarse. Coaching y capacitación pueden ser útiles para triunfar donde fracasan los incentivos monetarios.

En definitiva, los investigadores de Accenture NO pretenden demostrar que las comisiones son inefectivas como factores de motivación. La hipótesis, por el contrario, sostiene que su efectividad es limitada e insuficiente para ofrecer respuestas a todos los problemas.

En otras palabras, los incentivos financieros constituyen una de las palancas a operar a la hora de generar las conductas deseadas. Pero no son la única (y quizá, tampoco la mejor). La clave para pasar de los buenos rendimientos a una excelente performance radica, según esta investigación de Accenture, en un progresivo ascenso por las laderas de la famosa pirámide de Maslow.

De la redacción de MATERIABIZ
redaccion@materiabiz.com

Comisiones por ventas: ¿una pésima manera de incentivar a los vendedores?

Un artículo más que interesante de MateriaBIZ, sobre todo para pensar y reflexionar.

Las comisiones y demás remuneraciones variables son moneda corriente a la hora de incentivar a los trabajadores. Pero, a veces, pueden convertirse en navajas de doble filo...

La sabiduría convencional del management sostiene que el dinero todo lo compra (incluso, y sobre todo, las voluntades). El lema: "Encuentra la estructura óptima de incentivos financieros y obtendrás el comportamiento que deseas en tus empleados".

Así, en los últimos años, hemos observado una tremenda proliferación de esquemas variables de compensación basados en comisiones, bonus y demás premios por performance. A esta altura, existen pocas corporaciones donde los ingresos de los trabajadores (prácticamente, de cualquier nivel de jerarquía) no se compongan de una parte fija y otra variable.

En los últimos tiempos, el fenómeno ha originado un rico debate académico acerca de la eficacia de estos incentivos para generar las conductas deseadas. El célebre profesor de Stanford, Jeffrey Pfeffer, se encuentra entre los críticos de este popular esquema. Veamos un ejemplo...

Un buen día, Pfeffer estaba viendo automóviles en una gran concesionaria. "¿Puedo ayudarlo?", se acercó un vendedor con su mejor sonrisa. "En realidad, no voy a realizar una compra hoy", repuso Pfeffer, "sólo estoy viendo las opciones".

Inmediatamente, el vendedor dio media vuelta y se marchó a atender a otros. Desde luego, aquella conducta era perfectamente racional para él. ¿Por qué perder tiempo contestando pacientemente las preguntas de una persona que ya le había manifestado que no haría la compra?

Mucho más lucrativo era dedicar su atención a los demás potenciales clientes que paseaban por la concesionaria.

Al fin y al cabo, si Pfeffer regresaba al día siguiente a concretar la transacción, posiblemente sería atendido por otro vendedor que se quedaría con la comisión. Así, dada la estructuración de sus incentivos, era racional concentrar sus esfuerzos en otros. Una pena para la empresa.

Existen cientos de ejemplos de esta clase. Si usted tiene experiencia en el área comercial, posiblemente se le ocurran muchos casos en que la estructura de incentivos financieros acaba jugando en contra de los intereses de la organización a través del fomento de conductas egoístas y enfocadas en el corto plazo.

Ahora bien, ¿esto significa que deberían abolirse los incentivos financieros y pagar únicamente un salario fijo?

La postura de Pfeffer no es tan reaccionaria. En realidad, sólo pretende señalar que los incentivos financieros son menos eficaces de lo que muchos creen.

De hecho, las empresas suelen utilizarlos como un atajo. Las comisiones pueden ser modificadas rápidamente y a bajo costo. Así, algunos creen que, a través de una estructuración balanceada, puede construirse un esquema de incentivos que fomente las conductas deseadas.

Sin embargo, advierte Pfeffer, el comportamiento humano no es tan lineal. Las comisiones pueden, hasta cierto punto, influir sobre la conducta. Sin embargo, sólo despliegan toda su eficacia cuando se acompañan de una reforma en la cultura organizacional erigida sobre incentivos no financieros.

Aunque claro. Esto tampoco es sencillo. La creación de una cultura de la eficiencia, el respeto y el servicio al cliente no se ejecuta de la noche a la mañana sino que exige tiempo, esfuerzo y altas dosis de coherencia entre lo que se dice y lo que se hace. En otras palabras, no es algo que se encuentre al alcance de cualquier empresa.

Recursos humanos: mitos, realidades y algunos consejos

Diario Clarin - iEco

Recursos humanos en empresas nacientes: mitos, realidades y algunos consejos

Les dejo un resumen del artículo y de que se trata, no dejen de leerlo

• El entrepreneur se enfrenta a una gran incertidumbre a la hora de gestionar su personal en los primeros días del proyecto.
• Año tras año, algunos pseudo gurúes del management publican libros (generalmente destinados a un mercado masivo) donde prometen la "receta infalible para triunfar en la jungla empresarial" o la vía para convertirse de un niño pobre en un padre rico.
• Las escuelas de negocios, por su parte, también pretenden ofrecer consejos para el éxito empresarial. Sin embargo, su enfoque es completamente distinto. En lugar de brindar recetas universales, se conforman con realizar investigaciones puntuales sobre temas concretos que cada emprendedor debe atravesar en su camino hacia el éxito.
• Una investigación de la Stanford Graduate School of Business brinda algunos enfoques sobre las políticas de capital humano más apropiadas para empresas nacientes:

1. La diversidad en los equipos de trabajo
2. ¿El mito de la rotación de personal?
3. ¿Cuándo debe irse el fundador?

You Need to Know Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers

Del blog de Tim Berry:

I strongly recommend two one-hour audios. Neither is directly about planning, start-ups, or business stories, but both are fun, extremely interesting, and really important. This is stuff you need to know.
If you're running a business, or you're starting a business, or you're teaching business, then you need to know about stress, dealing with stress, and stress-related diseases. And there's no better way than these two lectures by Dr. Robert Sapolsky, who teaches at Stanford University.
Ideally, get out of the office, take a walk, and plug into this. Each is a few minutes short of an hour:

• Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers
• Stress and Coping: What Baboons Can Teach Us

• Download Sapolsky_Zebras_Ulcers.mp3
• Download sapolsky_stress__coping.mp3

Tres artículos recomendados

Les dejo tres artículos muy buenos, de MATERIABIZ para que lean, y tengan en cuenta para el día a día de sus emprendimientos y de ustedes en su rol de emprendedores.

Business angels, ¿ángeles o demonios? - Por Luis Sanz (INCAE)

• Los "angel investors" o "business angels" aportan dinero fresco para emprendedores con ideas pero sin capital. Así, suelen ser sus principales aliados. Pero también pueden convertirse en grandes enemigos...

¿Cómo negociar con un hermano? Dilemas de las empresas familiares... - De la redacción de MATERIABIZ

• Cuando dos socios no se ponen de acuerdo sobre la distribución de los beneficios de un negocio, siempre tienen la opción de disolver la sociedad y seguir cada uno su camino. Sin embargo, ¿qué ocurre si, además de socios, son hermanos?

Internet, la mejor palanca para construir una red de contactos de negocios - De la redacción de MATERIABIZ

• La red de contactos es fundamental para buscar socios para emprendimientos o conseguir empleo. En este marco, la formación de comunidades online de negocios puede impulsar la formación de networks hasta niveles inimaginables hace algunos años...

Ganar el Doble, trabajando la mitad

Hoy me cruce con un post de Pamela Stewart, que busca desmitificar uno de las grandes "verdades" de los emprendedores:

• a mas trabajo, mas ingresos

Lo que siguiere no es ninguna teoría extraña. En realidad lo que busca es que uno piense en que hay que hacer las cosas correctas, y esto nos llevara a ganar más.

El meollo de la cuestión, es que generalmente gastamos mucho tiempo en actividades:

• innecesarias
• de bajo valor
• de baja prioridad
• delegables-borrables - actividades que otros las pueden hacer mejor y mas rápido
  

Para pensar...

RRHH: Clima Organizacional

Diario Clarín - Económico

- Cómo lidear con empleados difíciles

• Cuando los conflictos se concentran recurrentemente en una persona, estamos ante un empleado difícil. Cómo evitar que afecte a todo el equipo.

algunos artículos para tener en cuenta

• La Argentina se mantiene entre los países con más emprendedores

• Start-up advice for entrepreneurs, from Y Combinator Startup School

• 6 steps to creating a super startup

• The Effort Effect

• The falling price of failure

• La factura electrónica ya es obligatoria

• Las personas son la base del crecimiento de las empresas

• 5 Quick Pointers On Startup Hiring

• Advice for entrepreneurs negotiating venture capital term sheets

• 5 Phrases You Never Want To Hear In A Presentation

• How much control should our users have?

• Don't ask employees to be passionate about the company!

• The "Dumbness of Crowds"

Best and Worst Decisions (de algunos entrepreneurs)

En cualquier momento sale la version del ABC de esta columna con emprendedores locales, y en español.

Si conocen a alguien que creen que puede ser interesante para esta columna, contactense el mail de El ABC (elabcdeemprender@gmail.com), asi empezamos a armar posts como este.

--

John Battelle

John Battelle is an entrepreneur, journalist, professor, and author who has founded or co-founded businesses, magazines and websites. Formerly at the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley, Battelle, is also a founder and Executive Producer of the Web 2.0 conference and “band manager” with BoingBoing.net. Previously, Battelle was founder, Chairman, and CEO of Standard Media International (SMI), publisher of The Industry Standard and TheStandard.com. Prior to founding The Standard, Battelle was a co-founding editor of Wired magazine and Wired Ventures. John is currently the founder and Chairman of Federated Media and blogs at John Battelle’s Searchblog.

1. Either keep control, or don’t act like you have it. This was the primary lesson of The Industry Standard. I felt like this was the first large scale business I built on my own, and I acted like it. But majority control was always squarely in the hands of the company who funded it. We fought, and I lost.
2. Don’t skimp on hiring. Ever. I’ve hired folks who had the right resume, but I knew in my gut were not right for the culture of the business. I thought the skills/resume overshadowed the ability to work together as a team. They never do.
3. Do it for love, not money. This is pretty careworn, but it’s very very true. I’ve never ever started anything for money. Some folks are really good at starting companies to make money, but I’m terrible at it. I suspect most entrepreneurs are like me.

1. 3a. But make sure what you are doing makes sense to others. Everything I’ve started or been part of starting, I’ve talked to key folks who would make or break the idea, and gotten their buy in and encouragement/help first. If folks who are critical to the idea are not interested, well….that’s a pretty good sign it isn’t going to fly. Doesn’t mean it’s not a good idea, but it probably means you’re not the person to do it.

4. Pick one constituency and stick to it. Very early on, we decided that FM would be “author driven”. We could have made the company “advertiser driven” but it struck me the core business had to do with the folks who produce the sites we work with. At Wired, it was all about the ideas. At the Standard, it was all about the journalism. One clear core driving force helps clarify decisions during the tough early years.
5. Don’t do something because you can. Do it because it’s good for the folks in #4.

Dick Costolo

Dick Costolo is CEO and cofounder of Feedburner, the leading provider of media distribution and audience engagement services for blogs and RSS feeds. Previously, he cofounded and was CEO of Spyonit.com. Spyonit was sold to 724 Solutions in September 2000. Prior to Spyonit, Dick cofounded Burning Door Networked Media, a web design and development consulting company. Burning Door was acquired by Digital Knowledge Assets in October 1996. Dick blogs at Ask The Wizard.

1. The best decisions I’ve made have all been hiring decisions. When you really are feeling the pain of not having a certain kind of person in the company, it’s easy to hire the first interviewee that walks through the door, but it’s critically important when a company is getting started to make sure you’ve found somebody that everyone on the team thinks is the right person for the role. People always tell you to hire A players, but the person also has to be a great cultural fit with the team you’re assembling and with the kind of company you want to be.
2. I’ve made loads of mistakes so I’ll try to think of one with a good lesson for startups - one of the biggest mistakes I made in a previous company was accepting a high dollar contract once for something that wasn’t core to the vision of the business we were running at the time. While the revenue initially feels great, there’s nothing worse than pursuing a piece of business that isn’t core to the startup’s vision. Lesson learned - once you decide what it is you are going to do, don’t pursue efforts that distract from the vision. One of the hardest lessons an entrepreneur has to learn is what revenue to turn down. You can certainly decide to change the vision and zig when the market zags, but in a startup, everybody has to be working toward a very focused vision, and chasing down side projects can be a real distraction (and probably ends up costing a lot more in terms of long-term resources than you’d expect).

Paul Graham

Paul Graham is an essayist, programmer, and programming language designer. He is currently a partner in Y Combinator, an innovative venture firm specializing in funding early stage startups. He is also a cofounder of Startup School, which this year is on March 24, 2007 at Stanford. Previously, he co-developed Viaweb, the first web-based application, which was later acquired by Yahoo, and more recently he pioneered the Bayesian spam filter, which inspired most current spam filters.

1. The best decision I made was to make Viaweb web-based. There were no web-based applications then, so we weren’t sure such a thing would even be possible. Initially what drove us was our dislike of Windows. Writing a desktop application would have meant learning Windows, which we really didn’t want to do. Whereas servers were the same Unix machines we used every day. To make a web-based application, all we had to do was figure out how to let users drive our software by clicking on links on web pages. That was a lot less work than learning Windows.

Hmm, no, actually the best decision I made was to get two fabulously good programmers, Robert Morris and Trevor Blackwell, to start the company with me.

2. The worst mistake I made, probably, was not being strong enough with investors. I now realize that investors like you to be assertive. It reassures them when founders take charge. But because our investors were so much older than us and had given us what seemed then unimaginably large sums of money, I felt I ought to defer to them. And yet I wasn’t prepared to do things their way in anything really important, like what the software should do or what our strategy should be. This inconsistency led to disputes that sucked up a lot of time and energy.
3. I realize that’s not really a decision. It was more something I didn’t do than something I did. But I think the worst mistakes startups make are mostly of that kind. Another big mistake I made was not to investigate IP agreements signed by people we hired. That nearly sank us later. But I didn’t decide not to; I just didn’t pay enough attention to it.

Ross Mayfield

Ross Mayfield is the CEO and co-founder of Socialtext, the first wiki company and leading provider of Enterprise 2.0 solutions. A noted blogger and industry expert, he is a serial and social entrepreneur. Mayfield has grown Socialtext to over 2,000 customers with Software-as-a-Service, Appliance and Open Source solutions.

1. Best Decision — To become an entrepreneur in the first place: I started my career in the non-profit sector, and then in the public sector, all in hopes of changing the world. I quickly realized that I could both have an impact and make a living in the private sector. And am lucky to now work on a company that produces social goods. Further, as a startup founder I believe you can quickly have a significant impact, possibly more than any other job. It is a roller coaster of risk. One day you can be beaming with pride to have created jobs and a fun place to work, and another you stress about meeting payroll and having folks be overtly human with one another.
2. Best Decision — Picking co-founders you trust: It is not an exaggerated saying, that you marry your business partners, especially co-founders in a startup. Some look to partner with the Geek Girl for her technical whizbangery or Phone Guy for the sweet talk and access to capital. While you want to work with people that are skilled, I’d say the primary qualifier is if you can trust your co-founder. If you have any hesitation, either work it out or walk away, quickly. I’m luck to work with great co-founders I can trust with my life. Beyond trust, I would also put startup experience beyond specific skills. Someone that has rode the roller coaster before is less likely to barf in your lap.
3. Biggest Mistake — Not taking bigger risks earlier: Maybe because in hindsight all risks are clear, but I always find myself regretting not taking bigger risks earlier. For example, open sourcing the Socialtext code was something we waited on until the company had strong footing. Partially because we thought there would be cannibalization, partially because we were understaffed to really engage with the community. But I believe if we bought this bullet earlier in the history of the company we would be reaping better rewards. As a planning exercise, now I always try to ask two questions: “How could we take more risk?” and “What risk can we take that creates the greatest amount of options?” I find there is always a way to do a little more, in particular by getting past instinct to control prevalent in so many entrepreneurs.

Chris Pirillo

Geek, Internet Entrepreneur, Hardware Addict, Software Junkie, Book Author, Once TV Show Host, Technology Enthusiast, Shameless Self-Promoter, Tech Conference Coordinator, Early Adopter, Idea Evangelist, Tech Support Blogger, Bootstrapper, Media Personality, Technology Consultant, Thicker Quicker Picker Upper. You can call Chris at 1.888.PIRILLO to leave questions for him to answer on his podcast. Chris blogs at Chris.Pirillo.Com

1. Bad Decision: Dealing with salespeople who didn’t have a clue what they were selling. A good salesperson (and there are apparently only two on the planet) will cost you a lot, but a bad salesperson will cost you even more. I loved them dearly, but love doesn’t pay the bills. Moral of the story: be cautious when it comes to yielding control of your business model.
2. Good Decision: Finding someone to help me facilitate various functions (keeping us on a publishing schedule, wrangling our content creators, etc.). Robert Glen Fogarty has been a godsend, and I wish I had found him years earlier. He’s talented beyond words, and has successfully alleviated my daily stress. Moral of the story: don’t be afraid to yield control to the right people.

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One ‘Bad Apple’ Really Can Kill the Company

Un post interesante que me encontre hoy

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One “bad apple” in a team of workers really can “spoil the entire barrel,” new business research shows.

Whether it’s an office bully, team slacker or a chronic pessimist, a single employee can seriously damage an entire company, according to William Felps and Terence Mitchell of the University of Washington Business School.

The researchers define a bad apple as a toxic teammate who shows one or all of three features: dodging their work, dumping some of their responsibilities on others; persistently expressing pessimism, irritability and general unhappiness; and bullying co-workers.

The bullies have specialties: making fun of someone, saying something hurtful, making inappropriate ethnic or religious remark, cursing at someone, playing mean pranks, acting rudely and publicly embarrassing someone.

Over the past 20 years or so, scientists have conducted numerous studies of the effects of negative behaviors at work, including discrimination, sexual harassment, violence and dishonest reporting. However, bad-apple behavior has been somewhat overlooked, Felps said.

“Almost all of us have either had the personal experience of working with someone who displayed bad apple behaviors or had a friend, coworker, or spouse who has shared such stories with us,” Felps and Mitchell wrote in a report of their research detailed in the current issue of Research in Organizational Behavior.

“When this process starts to unfold at work, it consumes inordinate amounts of time, psychological resources and emotional energy,” they added.

Team work?

Felps and Mitchell analyzed about two dozen published studies that focused on interactions among co-workers. Particularly, they examined research on smaller groups of five to 15 employees in manufacturing, fast food and university settings. Small teams require more member-to-member interactions and workers are more likely to respond to a teammate’s negative behavior.

In one study of 51 manufacturing teams, they found that teams with one bad apple were more likely to have conflict, poor communication and cooperation breakdowns. The outcome was inadequate performance

They found three typical responses to the trouble-making employee. In the first line of action, another worker asks the bad apple to change. If this is ineffective, as generally occurs when the team members have no seniority, the other employees will alienate the bad apple. Then, co-workers become frustrated, distracted and defensive.

Defensive responses, such as anger, social withdrawal and fear, can worsen the situation by cultivating lack of trust in team members and an overall negative atmospher.

You’re fired!

Co-workers typically don’t have the means to prevail over a thorn in the office. So what can the higher-ups do to keep problem workers in check?

"Managers at companies, particularly those in which employees often work in teams, should take special care when hiring new employees," Felps said

"This would include checking references and administering personality tests so that those who are really low on agreeableness, emotional stability or conscientiousness are screened out," he said

If a bad apple does slip through the selection cracks, he said, managers should place the individual in a less interactive position, or alternatively, fire the employee.

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Like me? Hire me!

Les dejo una encuesta de Fortune Small Business para tener en cuenta: que es mejor, o que habría que hacer, la verdad es que no sabría decirles. Todavía no tengo empleados y mis socios fueron elegidos por skills, diversidad y por tener un común denominador (se podría decir: likability).

Espero que les sirva, y cualquier comentario que tengan al respecto, suma. Creo que es uno de los puntos en los emprendedores suelen tener menos experiencia.

Willy Loman was right: It's important to be well-liked. At least that's the finding of a recent survey by NFI Research, which found that managers at small businesses are more likely to make hiring and promotion decisions based on personality than on such insignificant factors as, oh, skill level.

When hiring and/or promoting in your business, which of the following do you rely on?

Personality/likability: 64.8%

Skills: 58.6%

Track record: 53.9%

Knowledge of your organization: 18.8%

Diversity: 14.1%

Educator's Corner

Esto es algo que les puede resultar interesante, motivador, divertido y educativo.

http://edcorner.stanford.edu/

Es un sitio que creo Stanford con un monton de videos, mp3 y otros recrsos donde emprendedores muy exitosos dan consejos a los estudiantes que quieren sacar un proyecto adelante. Responden muchas de las preguntas que podamos tener.

Estos son los temas que tocan:

Creativity & Innovation
Opportunity Recognition
Team and Culture
Product Development
Marketing & Sales
Finance & Venture Capital
Leadership & Adversity
Globalization
Social Entrepreneurship
Career & Life Balance

Espero les sirva.