‘Where Great Companies Find Lasting Success’

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Trust is the bedrock of innovation, because ideas can’t be forcibly pulled from people’s heads.’

Smart leaders think laterally. They love to learn from innovative thinkers in different industries.’

Smart companies build alliances with other smart companies. They’re known by the company they keep.’

‘Trust, more than pay or perks, is the secret to making a best-places-to-work list.’

Smart companies encourage people to talk about their mistakes and what they learned along the way.’

Teams, even in large companies, tend to perform best when they’re at their leanest- eight to twelve people.’

Teams, when small, can move faster. Team members will sacrifice for other team members at a smaller size, but not at a larger size.’

‘Trust is easily destroyed by executive hypocrisy.’

Taste is more than design. It’s a sensibility that appeals to the deepest part of ourselves.’

Taste need not be original. It often borrows from successful products and services of the past.’

Taste is not the result of random genius. It takes hard work, discipline, and patience.’

Taste signals the deep intelligence of a product or service. Most customers will pay more to feel smart.’

Source

Rich Karlgaard (2014). The Soft Edge: Where Great Companies Find Lasting Success

Leading A Successful Startup

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‘Startup leaders aren’t necessarily paid for moving fast and breaking things … but they are expected to experiment and iterate to drive success.’

‘You don’t have to be fully ready to go for it.’

‘You have to nail the job that you were paid to do first, before you highlight anything else you’ve done above-and-beyond.’

‘If you don’t do what you’re paid to do exceptionally well, it’s hard to make the case that you’ll be more successful once promoted.’

‘If you ask questions upfront, you can hopefully avoid finding yourself in the middle of a messy founder drama.’

‘You need to align with your colleagues enough to want to put in a lot of time together tackling challenges.’

‘You can mitigate your risk coming in the early by asking for a contractual agreement around ‘true-upping’ your cash to market rates at key revenue or fundraising milestones.’

‘Try to make the leaps manageable and within your comfort zone to set yourself up for maximum success.’

You need to understand markets and business areas that impact your startup, not only your particular role.’

‘If you are interested in growing into an executive role, think about how you can learn other areas of your function that you may not have owned previously.’

Source

Sarah E. Brown (2022) Lead Upwards: How Startup Joiners Can Impact New Ventures, Build Amazing Careers, and Inspire Great Teams