The soul of startups : the untold stories of how founders affect culture / Sophie Theen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Theen, Sophie, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

New business enterprises.

Entrepreneurship.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (241 pages)

Place of Publication:

Hoboken, New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons, Inc., [2022]

Summary:

"In the middle of the pandemic when the world was turned upside down overnight, some of us out there were still so consumed by the notoriety of startup behaviors while most of us were mourning the loss of freedom, a social life and some, families and friends. I thought to myself, surely people stuck at home don't need to read more about who's done what wrong to who, but I was clearly naie. I was still getting calls from journalists asking if I could comment on why Revolut was being a malicious employer yet again. So, I picked up a pen (yes physically at first) and started writing down what would have been my answers to their questions. It began to look like a long overdue angered letter by a bitter, bitter ex-employee who might have felt they had missed out on riding the waves of something bigger than a unicorn. But the more I wrote the more I realized, it was me that was too at fault. I circled at my own behaviors, my misperceptions, the allowances I made as excuses for poor behaviors of leaders that continued to encourage their disrepute. I was half the problem there. This book is about the journeys of startup operators in both the bad and good forms. Some have had the luxury of being in healthy, thriving environments but I credit this to their ability to set boundaries for both themselves and their leaders. They clearly knew what they were doing, what fitted them, not because they were lucky. I sadly did not learn this until after I survived a train crash in this ecosystem. Since then, I continued to learn from my mistakes (I genuinely hope you will too) and was able to stay a mile away from those who weren't suited for what I needed."-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Cover

Title Page

Copyright Page

Contents

Foreword

Preface

Introduction

A Bit About Me

My Journey

Finally Getting Started

Chapter 1 The Gen Z Leader

The Founder Culture

The Gen Z Paradigm

Red Flag #1 (Week Two)

Red Flag #2

Red Flag #3

The Aftermath

Collateral Damage

What Was Next?

Chapter 2 The Type A

It Begins

Month 1-First rule of order

Month 2-The Principles Became Demands, a Measure of Your Performance

Months Went By

Goodbyes

Present

Chapter 3 The Talent Acquirer

How fast are you growing at Hopin? What are the numbers like?

What is Perfect?

Why is this important to the company?

Your final piece of advice?

Rise, Company One

Criteo, Company Two

Fin, Company Three

Chapter 4 The Middle Manager

The News

Proving the Suspicion

People Leave Companies, Too, Not Just Managers

Some, But Not All, Would Have Left

Stay Alert Before It's Too Late

Chapter 5 The Unlearner

Company A

Company B

Company C

Company D,E,F. . . (or maybe more)

The Willingness to Learn from Experience

Paydock (FinTech)

What if Experienced Founders Forgot They are Also on a Learning Journey?

Chapter 6 The Trailblazer

The Shiny Side of the Coin

The Other Side of the Coin

Lack of Safety to Fail

Lack of Co-Creation of Strategies

People are Constantly Told What and How to Do Their Jobs

There Was No Purpose Except to "Get it Done"

Very Little Appreciative Inquiry When Something is Not Done or Fails

The Constant Change of Directions Created Confusion, Even for the Best of Us

Chapter 7 The Collectivist versus The Individualist

A Relationship-Like Culture

Then Society Argues That the Opposite of Collectivism is Individualism

The Misperception of Individualism is Usually a Bad Ingredient for Startups.

De-Idealizing Collectivism

Chapter 8 The Community Builder

What is Community?

The Anatomy of a Community

One-A Community with a Mission

Two-A Whole Community Around the Founder/s

Three-A Tragically Misaligned Community

Hold On, What if There Was a Founder Who Didn't Do What He Preached?

Four-A Community That Extends a Conversation

Startups Rely on Their Communities for Success

Chapter 9 The Keen Learner

Who is a Keen Learner?

Willingness to Learn

Willingness to Take Feedback and Support in Return

Willingness to Be Vulnerable to Forge Trusts

The Willingness to Learn from Others

The Unwillingness Because of Ego

So Keen Learners, Are They Founders, or Are They Leaders?

Chapter 10 The Black Diamond

Culture Needs to Start from the Beginning

Building Complementary Teams All Through this Journey

The Role of the People Leader

Setting the Right Tone from the Start

So, Can Culture be a Cult?

Different People are Needed at Different Phases of Growth

Willingness to Be One True Self

The Ability to Seek Out Help in Staying Mentally Healthy

Closing Reflections

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Index

EULA.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

Includes index.

Other Format:

Print version: Theen, Sophie The Soul of Startups

ISBN:

9781119885610

1119885612

9781119885603

1119885604

OCLC:

1328231334