Building a winning team

Focus on complementary skills

Aim for quality and surround yourself with people with complementary capabilities and skills. Do not look for extremely assertive co-workers but go for proven strengths, knowledge and potential. A team of very strong individuals has its advantages but also its potential disadvantages. So remember to form a strong team in which individuals work with and for "each other".

The team members will have to get to know each other well. They have to be able to communicate and be well attuned to each other. This is very important because there will be tough times and differences of opinion and vision. Empathy for each other's point of view is vital. Different approaches can be enriching. A crisis situation can be turned into a significant opportunity when you operate as a strong team.

"We're all in this together": this may seem obvious but you do need to consider it carefully. Standing up for your own interests is secondary to the interests of your group and your company. It will be easier to cooperate if, right from the beginning, thorough agreements have been made in this respect.

Organic growth builds resilience

Teams that grew organically have been proven to be the most successful. They have both strong professional and relational ties. They are therefore complementary and capable of overcoming all kinds of different challenges and obstacles. This complementarity leads to mutual respect for each other's contribution to the company's success.

When members of a team barely know each other, the results are generally less than spectacular. They sometimes achieve strong growth in the short term, but when things become difficult or the strategy is up for discussion all of this growth is quickly destroyed by conflict. Most solo entrepreneurs (one-man companies) do not realise any growth whatsoever.

A fact worth considering: SO Kwadraat's experience with start-ups teaches that the teams who evenly distribute the stakeholdership amongst the entrepreneurs do the best.

Talk openly about your expectations, and your vision of the future. There must be no taboos. Is everyone pulling in the same direction?

Enthusiasm fuels success

Enthusiasm is especially important for a company, whether it is a start-up or has been operating for several years. Because all of the burden will ultimately be carried on the shoulders of the team starting up the company it is very important that every member of the team is excited about the project. They have to believe in the company's objective. The purpose of the company's business must be well defined and thoroughly discussed.

Plan, analyse and question

Carefully discuss your business plan. Do not leave doubts or misgivings unaired, but rather try to proactively think out the decisions you would have to take once you would have more information. Hesitation is out of the question. Draw up a plan. Dare to question the assumptions. Analyse all of the challenges.

It is obvious that a strong team is also hard on itself. All members have to fight together to reach their goals. It is crucial that you recognise and honour all of your commitments.

Outsource wisely

It is obvious that young entrepreneurs cannot immediately obtain all of the necessary competences at once. If nothing else this would be very expensive. The shortage of different disciplines in a start-up prevents the team from making optimal use of its available resources.

Consider subcontracting certain tasks:

• You could hire an accountant to organise your payroll, billing advice and VAT reporting.

• You could hire a subcontractor for your production. Once you have sufficient orders you can consider having your own production facility.

• Hiring a few people to overcome peak moments is a perfect example of subcontracting.

• Using distributors and sales channels is a good way of efficiently representing your company abroad.

• When certain research areas do not tie in with your core competences, you should consider outsourcing these tasks to research companies or market research companies. In fact they can be considered just like any other ordinary suppliers, only with the additional requirement to establish clear agreements that are carefully worded about the results you wish to obtain.

  
  

If you have a brilliant idea but you are convinced that others can provide a better product because they specialise in the practicalities, it could be more efficient for you to let them help you from the start.

“Get the right people on board - that's not always easy. You often hear it's best to start with a team, but I started on my own. I've had great experiences with freelancers though. In fact, the people who have worked the longest for Magcam are freelancers.” Koen Vervaeke – founder and CEO of Magcam

It is very important to realise that choosing your subcontractors is as crucial as choosing the members and co-workers of your team. They have to provide you with a complete product.

Above all don't forget: the final responsibility lies with the entrepreneur, whether for research or for production. It's up to you to decide.

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