Adjusting the Way You Lead as Your Startup Progresses

by Edwin Deponte, Guest Contributor

A booming business cannot continue to grow without the help of motivated and productive workers. It is relatively common for startup leaders to mistake that the plan they have for motivating employees, in the beginning, will continue to work even if your company is not a startup anymore.  Most startup leaders use the visionary leader style. They set a vision for the company and puts goals for the employees to reach.
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A leader should also be evolving as the company progresses.

Usually, this style only works out during the early stages of a company. After some time, people will lose focus. Leaders should also keep up with their employees.Training for leadership may help out a lot. So, it is crucial for a leader to adjust the way he leads as a startup progresses.

Sudden turnover rate
Typically, startup companies who do not have any employee turnover during the first two years would suddenly have a high turnover in its third year. This high turnover rate is because most employees lose the drive to keep on working for a growing company. They might lose focus of the goals of the company to grow further. During the first two years, employees have an easier time connecting with their leaders because of proximity. But, as the company and the number of staff grow, employees will feel less motivated because they won’t feel so special anymore. They might feel this because there will be more of them. Workers will think that they are worthless due to the fact that there are more people involved in the business.

Know when to listen
Learning when to listen is an essential trait of a great leader anywhere. As your startup moves into a “scale up” business, leaders should be able to balance the way they handle employees. During the startup period, delegating and ordering employees is a must. They must know what the vision is to do their job well. But now that you are past the startup period, employees now understand what the vision of the company is. Therefore, you should empower them and let them have their own decisions to keep up their motivation and drive.

Employee and company goals should go side by sideAs stated, during the startup period, it is vital to be more vocal to keep your employees moving in the right direction. But, as they go along their career paths, employees also need to have their personal goals to know that their career is going in the right direction. The individual goals of employees should be given importance as much as your company goals. The business will not function without a motivated workforce. Your employees should know that they will continue to grow as the company grows.

Summary
The way a leader does his job should also be evolving as the company progresses. What works for a startup company usually does not work for growing businesses. Learn to adapt to these changes and keep your employees properly motivated to push through the challenges that you will be facing as you grow.
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Author Bio:

Edwin Deponte is a motivational writer who is also passionate about Social Marketing. He believes in others’ abilities and tends to bring out people’s hidden potentials through his words of inspirations and motivational articles.

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