How leadership qualities help startup companies!

Meher Karkaria, works on Success Execution at KurNiv. KurNiv is an organization committed to creating and developing success driven mindsets, which allows KurNiv to create Leaders Of Today!!

Startups are the quintessential ‘Davids' up against the overpowering ‘Goliaths'. Agreed, they're small, but they can also be quick, agile, flexible, nimble and able to change course whenever the situation demands it. The startup is in a constant state of experimentation, childlike awe and curiosity, which means they will stumble much more than an existing corporation.

But it's absolutely necessary that the first steps are accompanied with falls. Fall fast, fall frequently. In the wake of such an environment, it takes steadfast leaders, unafraid of purely trying and with the flames of motivation forever burning within them. This drive, this motivation is the source of energy that the rest of the team will feed off.

Therefore, the leader has to be able to harness the energy that exists with them in such a way that it emanates. If relationships are a two way channel, it's the leaders that will give of themselves first, starting the process of exchange.

When venture capitalists assess companies as potential investments, the top criteria that can alter their decision are the management team - these are the people responsible for leading the organization. This tends to matter even more than an outstanding product or service offering.

This makes sense when you think about it! The management team defines the future; their decisions have the ability to push the company in one direction or in a completely different direction.

Consider a study, conducted by Stanford, looking at how composition and turnover of founding and senior management teams impact company success. The findings? Capable management teams, with diverse range of experiences were not only more successful, they were more successful at a quicker rate. This is remarkable finding, on both counts!

Which brings us to our next point: execution. The successful teams profiled in the Stanford study reached those heights by virtue of quick decision making, and this stems from courage. Startups don't have a reputation by which to prop themselves up.

So if you think back to your dating days, when you had to make a good impression within minutes and become the effervescent combination of witty, sensitive, caring, goofy, lively, charming... ETCETERA! Can you relate to this type of courage?

It comes from a place deep within the leader's hearts: it comes from being passionate enough about the vision. A startup can easily fall into the trap of becoming limited by the strengths and weaknesses of the small team.

But the leader has a vision that extends beyond themselves and in some ways beyond the startup also. This makes them push forward relentlessly to give the startup a unique identity of its own.