how to optimize your team's productivity: a culture handbook for founders
TRANSCRIPT
![Page 1: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Powered by
How to Optimize Your Team’s Productivity
![Page 2: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
This presentation consists of insights inspired by 33voices® interviews with Jenna Abdou.
![Page 3: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
Table of Contents
Page 4
Page 17
Page 22
Page 29
Page 36
Page 56
Page 64
Assemble a Team of Winners - Jean Brownhill Lauer, Sweeten
Onboard like a Pro - Matthew Faustman and Mason Blake, UpCounsel
Put People First - Saman Rahmanian, Managed by Q
Lead with Vision - Randy Ross, Cinematique
Cultivate a Culture of Entrepreneurship - Anna M. Counselman, Upstart
Maintain Your Culture Through Scale - Kelsey Meyer, Influence & Co.
Credits
![Page 4: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
Jean Brownhill Lauer
@Sweeten_home
Co-founder and CEO of Sweeten
Assemble a Team of Winners
![Page 5: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
“No matter how many books you read, or the number of CEOs who tell you about it, your first hires are so critical. They are going to embody
the very best parts of you, your culture, and also, the worst parts.” Be cautious about “mirroring
your own work habits and personality…Screen to compliment and correct.”
![Page 6: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
If you only remember one thing about hiring: Character > Technical skills
![Page 7: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
Identify these threetraits in new team members:
![Page 8: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
Identify these threetraits in new team members:
A winner’s mindset. “They don’t always have to be right. They want to win.”
![Page 9: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
Identify these threetraits in new team members:
A natural disposition to help others.
![Page 10: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
Identify these threetraits in new team members.
A high level of self awareness. No assholes. No ego.
![Page 11: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
Implement an extensive hiring process with phone, video, and multiple in person interviews.
Understand how an individual fits in your culture by inviting them to a company social and watching them interact with the team.
![Page 12: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
Your most important goal as a leader is to ensure that your message is clearly heard.
“It doesn’t matter how you say something.It matters how people hear it.”
Ask team members to explain how they interpreted your conversation to be certain that
you’ve clearly articulated your message.
![Page 13: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
“At a startup, you manage people to not only work effectively inside of the structure. They’re building the structure as they are inside of it.”
![Page 14: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
Combat uncertainty with a rigorous testingculture. Make it a core organizational tenet that each experiment is a source of data. Evaluate individuals on effort and execution, not results.
![Page 15: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
Maximize transparency by using an app like Waggl that enables team members to
anonymously submit questions to the CEO.
![Page 16: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
Empower individuals to be themselves at work. “People don’t show up with their best ideas if they aren’t happy or if they don’t feel like they can come to work as their whole selves. You
need them to come in with everything so you can get their very best.”
![Page 17: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/17.jpg)
Matthew Faustman & Mason Blake
@MatthewFaustman
Co-founders of UpCounsel
Onboard like a Pro
@Mase
![Page 18: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/18.jpg)
Be obsessive about making the right hires. “A great hire can 10x the organization…If you
are going to bring on the best people you have to make sure that you’re setting
them up for success.”
![Page 19: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/19.jpg)
As a founder, relinquish the idea that an individual, regardless of how talented, will
join your team and be successful on their own.
On every new hire’s first day, have an intimate conversation about the company’s vision, how you’re going to get there, and the direct role
he or she will play achieving it.
![Page 20: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/20.jpg)
Your early dialogue should map out a clear set of goals for an individual to achieve during
their first week and month. This not only enables them to experience early success,
it provides a safe gateway for them to contribute to team conversations.
![Page 21: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/21.jpg)
Make intellectual honesty a core value. Encourage team membersto share ideas, openly disagree, and
engage in healthy debate. “It’s not just one or two people making the
decision. It’s the company as a whole.”
![Page 23: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/23.jpg)
As a founder, your most important job is that everyone in the company - whether they’re a senior executive,
software engineer, or intern - is treated equally.
![Page 24: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/24.jpg)
As a founder, your most important job is that everyone in the company - whether they’re a senior executive,
software engineer, or intern - is treated equally. “We wanted to make sure that everybody gets the same quality of treatment and experience.
Everyone has the same types of benefits and expectations of being an employee
at Managed by Q.”
![Page 25: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/25.jpg)
Make it clear that no job is beneath any member of your business - Including you. At Managed by Q, “Everybody cleans.”
![Page 26: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/26.jpg)
“The reason that everybody cleans is to understand the work that the majority of
our employees do; To feel first hand how it works is tremendously important. Knowing the experience enables you to build better
products. It grounds you and sets you on the same level. Nobody is too good to clean.”
![Page 27: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/27.jpg)
Develop a broader vision for your business. “I think of Q less as a corporate office and
more as a center where we can start the beginning of a community life.”
![Page 28: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/28.jpg)
Nurture meaningful relationships by hosting fun gatherings for team members and their
families. Celebrate recent company milestones, outstanding performances, and upcoming
features and announcements.
![Page 29: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/29.jpg)
Randy Ross
@CinematiqueHQ
Co-founder and CEO of Cinematique
Lead with Vision
![Page 30: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/30.jpg)
The only way to change an industry is to create “a disciplined roadmap to maximize
the potential of your idea.”
![Page 31: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/31.jpg)
Be organized, be compartmentalized, and have a clear understanding of your
fundamental goals. Don’t let media and trends impact your focus.
![Page 32: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/32.jpg)
As a founder, “you have to make sure that you sustain as a company. That you’re still alive tomorrow. It’s a very practical idea of survival that may mean you can’t execute
on a big idea you’ve been working on for the last six months for two years.”
![Page 33: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/33.jpg)
When you believe in and promote an integral purpose you “allow team members to get real
about ideas they’re personally attached to.” Constantly reiterate your “undying integrity
to your fundamental concept.”
![Page 34: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/34.jpg)
While transparency should be a vital tenet of your culture be conscious about sharing
information that will cause your team members unnecessary stress. Ask yourself: Will my team lose focus if they know about this?
![Page 35: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/35.jpg)
Be honest about the reality of innovation. “It’s one thing to put it in your marketing
materials that you are an innovative company. It’s another thing to sit in a room and say that something is not good enough. It’s not out of the box enough. To ask, is this really up to our standards? That’s innovating, and that’s hard.”
![Page 36: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/36.jpg)
Anna M. Counselman
Co-founder and Head of Operations at Upstart
Cultivate a Culture of Entrepreneurship
@amongayt
![Page 37: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/37.jpg)
“Strive to build a culture of entrepreneurship. It’s not the type of culture where you
go and tell your manager to fix it for you. It’s a self-sustaining business where everyone
is constantly looking to make things better.”
![Page 38: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/38.jpg)
Demonstrate your culture of entrepreneurship by explaining to new team members, and reinforcing
to currents ones, that if they find a problem they should actively work to solve it.
![Page 39: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/39.jpg)
“No matter how small, you should think of every opportunity as a chance to
prove how good you are.”
![Page 40: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/40.jpg)
Encourage your team memberto go to the product team first.
![Page 41: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/41.jpg)
Encourage your team memberto go to the product team first.
“Most problems should get solved on the product level before they become
operational problems.”
![Page 42: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/42.jpg)
Innate collaboration between departments implements a tight feedback loop, leading to fast execution. Visible improvements to the
product will motivate team members and create a “self-cleaning mechanism of improvement.”
![Page 43: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/43.jpg)
Balance speed and sustainability. “Speed isn’t about making people work
crazy hard all the time.” It’s about emboldening individuals to make fast decisions.
![Page 44: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/44.jpg)
Remove roadblocks to empower individuals to make judgment calls, test, and iterate.
![Page 45: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/45.jpg)
As a founder, it’s your responsibility to celebrate individuals unique contributions and provide
opportunities for them to advance in the organization based on their career path.
![Page 46: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/46.jpg)
“It’s not a one size fits all approach. As a manager, you need to tailor
it to the right person.”
![Page 47: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/47.jpg)
Acknowledging and rewarding individuals in the way that resonates with them not only inspires their future behavior, it empowers
them to be champions of change for the rest of the team to follow.
![Page 48: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/48.jpg)
While speed is standard at startups, remember you won’t be sprinting forever.
![Page 49: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/49.jpg)
While speed is standard at startups, remember you won’t be sprinting forever. “There are moments when everyone is
sprinting really hard with super aggressive timelines and burning the midnight oil.
They come in spurts, and then you have a lull with breathing room.”
![Page 50: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/50.jpg)
Show don’t tell. “You can’t say ‘I want the company to be nimble,’ and then have it be
nimble. You have to set an example. You have to act nimble. You have to make fast decisions.
You have to launch things quickly. You can’t build consensus forever
before moving forward.”
![Page 51: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/51.jpg)
“We ask our employees to be the change they want to see.”
![Page 52: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/52.jpg)
Follow these three principles to stay scrappy through scale:
![Page 53: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/53.jpg)
Follow these three principles to stay scrappy through scale:
Hire the right team members. Translation: You want ‘Get shit done’ kind of people.
![Page 54: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/54.jpg)
Follow these three principles to stay scrappy through scale:
Ask those people to maintain the culture.You can’t be what you can’t see.
![Page 55: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/55.jpg)
Follow these three principles to stay scrappy through scale:
“Be vigilant about fighting bureaucracy!” Don’t let decision-making committees
and rigid processes override your culture of entrepreneurship.
![Page 56: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/56.jpg)
Kelsey Meyer
@Kelsey_M_Meyer
Co-founder and President of Influence & Co.
Maintain Your Culture Through Scale
![Page 57: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/57.jpg)
As your team scales, be extremely intentional with the way you organize company
activities. Connect each new team member with a veteran in your organization who will
actively make them feel welcome.
![Page 58: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/58.jpg)
Redefine delegation as ownership by empowering individuals to acknowledge,
ideate, and execute on problems they recognize in your business.
![Page 59: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/59.jpg)
Delegation isn’t assigning people busy work. It’s telling them: “I want you to rise to the
occasion and help me solve this problem.”
![Page 60: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/60.jpg)
The more your organization grows the less likely you are to be the right individual to solve a problem. Empower the individuals who are
closest to the issues to take action.
![Page 61: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/61.jpg)
“Your job as a founder is to enable people to do their jobs right. If your team members are
getting recognized for great work you’re doing a good job supporting them.”
![Page 62: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/62.jpg)
No matter how large your team is your strengths as a founder will multiply throughout
the business. Be maniacal about coaching your team members on the good parts of your
leadership style and connecting them with alternative individuals and resources that
can supplement your weaknesses.
![Page 63: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/63.jpg)
Genuine gratitude is the most meaningful way you can support your team. Make it a habit by
recognizing stand out team members each week. Try hand writing two thank you notes to team members who went above and beyond.
![Page 64: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/64.jpg)
When was the last time you thanked someone on your team? Show your appreciation today.
![Page 65: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/65.jpg)
If you have a question, submit it to33voices Q&A for a direct answer from one of our founders or thought leaders.
![Page 67: How to Optimize Your Team's Productivity: A Culture Handbook for Founders](https://reader035.vdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022070520/58f9c0f3760da32f4b8b57e2/html5/thumbnails/67.jpg)
CONNECT WITH US!
Tell us what you [email protected]
Presentation by Chase Jennings
Insights by Jenna Abdou