5 Qualities Needed to Play for a Startup

Source: http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130425155115-10969637-5-qualities-needed-to-play-for-a-startup




The blood, sweat and tears stereotype of working at a startup is spot on. You've heard the stories of founders and employees giving up their entire lives, never sleeping, working nonstop... letting absolutely nothing stand in their way. This is true for me and the employees at my startup, Intern Sushi. But there is one thing that can steal my heart away.

The love of my life. Football.

Some call it an "obsession," others call it "crazy." I smile and call it passion. I am where I am today because I was born and raised as a football fan - a Philadelphia Eagles fan to be exact. I'm competitive. Appropriately argumentative. (Hard to believe that an Eagles fan can be "appropriately" anything, right?) Obsessively analytical. Overly strategic. I play fantasy. And I'm good. I have a hundred team t-shirts, and I paint my nails Eagle green. My best friends come over every Sunday because... We. Don't. Miss. A. Game.
I love football because it's relatable. C’mon, I saw that eye roll. It's not relatable in obvious ways (physically speaking, most people don't tackle their competitors), but in ways that matter most in the startup world.
And as the term "startup" becomes increasingly trendy, more and more people seem to think they have what it takes to play, but when put in the game, BOOM. Sacked. We're trying to win a championship here.
No, you don't have to run the 40. But here's what you do need to play for a startup:
1. Exceed expectations.
The reality of a startup is that you start with nothing and have to end up with everything. Every player has to be the best in order for the startup to win. If at any point, you feel like you could do something better, guess what, everyone else knows you can too. Good enough is not good enough. Projecting "sleepers" is one of my favorite parts of fantasy football. (A sleeper is a player who has not delivered solid fantasy points in the past, but can potentially come out of nowhere to slaughter expectations and help your team win.) Wake up anything that is sleeping inside of you, and do your job better than you - and everyone around you - could have ever expected.

2. Set your routine as follows: classroom, practice, game, repeat.

Idea generation is crucial in a startup. When you come up with an idea, take it to practice. Test it out. Change variables. Make assumptions. Project data. Everything you do in a startup can and should be measured. In order to survive, startups need to have significant growth. Your ideas on how to get to that growth need to be developed (in the classroom). Run through them in practice and execute them in the game. Make sure every player knows his/her route. Whether you win or lose, go back to the classroom. You can always make an idea better, so master this routine.

3. Make strategic decisions by never losing sight of the big picture.

Your eyes always have to be moving to survey your options and make a smart play. In our ever-changing world, we have to be more on top of trends, mindsets and behavior than ever before. Always look down the field. Make sure to assess situations so that you're 10 steps ahead of everyone else. Will an idea change your budget, alter your product, or shift your teammates? You don't make big plays by thinking small. Increase momentum, and solidify your desired outcome through elite decision-making.
4. Always crave responsibility.
Have you ever played in any sort of game and thought, "I hope the ball doesn't come to me." I remember playing kickball at recess in 4th grade, when the strongest kicker came up to the plate. I was terrified, and thought, "Please, please kick it to someone else." I'm certain that everyone on my team was thinking the same thing. If I couldn't count on myself to be great, there's no chance anyone else could either. Startups don't have time for fear; we need reliability. And the most reliable people are the ones who want the ball. Startups are teams who move through every minute by trusting that our teammates will be great in any situation. Someone who craves responsibility is confident that he/she can get the job done. These people know that no matter what, they'll figure it out. They have to in order to win. This is someone who everyone wants on his or her team.

5. Do it only for the love of the game.

Throughout my football-loving life, there have been smiles and tears. When we lose, I am devastated. When we hire a new coach, I am anxious. When our quarterback situation is unclear, I am terrified. At the end of the day, there is nothing more fun than being a football fan. Which is the same reason why we choose to work for a startup - for the love of the game. Work at a startup only if it makes you happy... because you should never do anything that won't be the love of your life.