Start-up Mindset in a Corporation?
The first time I had the opportunity, as a young manager, to lead a larger team, my biggest fear was how I would be accepted. I believe that this skepticism is present in all young managers, even if they pretend to be cool or naturally destined to lead people. It’s normal for a person to have a desire for acceptance, and the consequences of not being accepted can have a significant impact on a manager’s results and career. In my case, I was in a managerial position in sales, and to make things more complex, I was younger than the colleagues I became superior to. Eagerly, I studied various leadership models and cultures that I wanted to apply to make my team successful. I believed that the most important thing was for them to be motivated because if they were motivated, they would work well and diligently, we would achieve results, and we would be successful. Logically, I would also be successful and continue to progress. From my current position, I know that it’s not that simple and that team motivation is just one factor of good leadership. But that’s a topic for another title, so let’s not digress too far.
When I realized that motivation was the key, I started thinking about what motivates people. What motivates individuals, what motivates my colleagues? And what do I need to do to increase motivation that was at a very low level? Poor results, a blaming culture, layoffs, insecurity, lack of vision, an autocratic boss— all the components of bad leadership had been present for quite some time, turning my colleagues into visionless zombies, lacking initiative, and living in fear of accusation and termination. Despite receiving decent salaries, which was one of the few reasons why they continued to endure the situation, they lacked motivation.
Employee motivation
What is important for employee motivation? Good financial compensation, a positive work environment, clear goals, recognition, work-life balance, career development opportunities, challenging and interesting tasks, transparent communication. There’s more to it, but these are some of the main motivational factors whose importance varies significantly depending on the career phase in which an employee finds themselves.
I accidentally went to lunch with a friend who runs a successful international startup, and as always, unconsciously, most of our topics revolved around work. He talked to me about his team, plans, motivation, etc. Listening to him, it hit me— that’s it. The start-up culture is my solution. However, start-ups are the story of a garage, an agile, innovative team gathered around one crazy vision, living and working 12 hours a day, often underpaid. I work in a corporation with clear structures, rules, culture, and numerous hierarchical layers. Everything is the opposite of a start-up. Can that culture be implemented in a corporation? Has anyone tried it?
Logic told me there was no chance, that it wasn’t feasible. You can’t put a Ducati engine into an SUV and expect the same performance. There are simply too many limiting factors, too many rules that need to be adjusted, and too many inflexible bosses who wouldn’t understand what you want because there are already plenty of company programs that serve to motivate employees. However, that idea resonated so strongly within me as a solution that I had to find a way to implement it. Employees of start-ups work in smaller companies, dedicate themselves to their work, often work overtime, and are less well-paid, yet they are highly motivated. In my case, I had a team with good salaries, working in nice offices, in a stable company that ensured they didn’t have to work overtime, but they were very poorly motivated. It didn’t make sense to me. Why were some extremely motivated while others lacked motivation despite better benefits?
Although I had done all of this in other career opportunities with varying degrees of success, this time my instinct told me that something was off. The company had a grand global vision, but it was irrelevant at the team level. We were just a small cog within a company of 50,000 employees, and that vision belonged to the company as a whole, not specifically to our team in that situation. I believe that recognizing this is the key for a manager who wants to create a startup culture within their team.
Special, focused, and successful
So, our team developed its own VISION, or WHY, which brought us together and ignited our passion. Realistically, that was all we were lacking—everything else was already provided by the company. We clearly and constantly communicated that vision within our team, but it remained a secret to the outside world. Firstly, because it was our own vision, and secondly, many rigid managers wouldn’t understand or approve of it. In the first year, we reversed the trend and laid a strong foundation for the subsequent years of revenue growth, profitability, and market share. I enjoyed working with that team and those individuals. We often stayed after work for informal gatherings, filled with laughter and constant business discussions. We simply lived and breathed our work, and it felt good. The other teams we collaborated with perceived us as special, focused, and successful, which, let’s be honest, didn’t always elicit positive comments from average, rigid, and often jealous colleagues.
How can we implement a startup culture in a corporation?
Promote Innovation: Encourage employees to share their ideas and perspectives. Organize regular ideation sessions, foster collaboration among teams, and reward innovation. Google is known for its “20% time” policy, allowing employees to spend time on their own projects and innovations.
Encourage Collaboration: Establish communication channels that foster collaboration and idea exchange between teams. Create a team environment that supports collective work on projects. For example, 3M successfully implemented a startup culture by encouraging collaboration and idea sharing among its employees.
Foster Flexibility: Enable employees to explore new ideas and projects beyond their usual responsibilities. Allow them to take ownership of their projects and provide them with the necessary resources for success. This will stimulate innovation and the necessary flexibility in work.
Support Autonomy: Encourage employee autonomy by enabling them to make decisions and participate in planning processes. Allow them to take responsibility and control over their work, while providing the necessary support and guidance. Examples like Netflix, which promotes a culture of freedom and responsibility, can serve as inspiration.
Vision tailored to its specific situation
And most importantly, the team needs to have a VISION, or WHY. Whether you’re leading a regional sales team or the CEO of a large company, it’s possible in both cases. The smaller the team’s burden of corporate governance, the easier the implementation because they are more autonomous, operational, and distanced from politics.
I didn’t mention our specific vision in the above example because each team can have a different vision tailored to its specific situation. For example, a morally depleted team perceived as losers throughout the company could have a VISION or WHY like “We will be recognized as the best professionals in the market who make a difference.” When a headhunter asks who the best sales executive in the region is, everyone will point to that team. It provides purpose, brand, and pride to the team. Although it may not directly relate to the company’s main vision, which currently emphasizes sustainability and inclusion, it is very concrete and satisfies the interests of team members.
As you can see, the VISION or WHY should give people a sense of coming together to work for a higher purpose, while also allowing them to thrive by achieving it. The team’s vision depends on the situation they are in and can be adjusted over time as the team grows or the situation changes. With every team I have had the opportunity to lead, we have set a different vision.
A vision brings people together around a common goal and determines the direction in which everyone will act together. However, don’t forget that a vision only provides direction. A leader must prepare a range of tools to help the team achieve its vision. Without concrete steps and resources, everything will remain just a vision. As the Americans say, “Put your money where your mouth is!”
About the Author
Ivan Cevra is a business management expert with a wealth of experience in the corporate sector. After completing his graduate studies at the Faculty of Economics, he continued his education and earned an MBA degree from the prestigious IEDC Bled. With over 20 years of experience working in corporations, Ivan has emerged as a successful leader in executive positions.
