If there is one thing that startup CEO’s need to excel at that is managing the alignment of interests across many different people. Alignment means everyone is aiming for the same goals together. It is impossible for everyone to be perfectly, or even sort of well aligned all the time. That is why the role of startup CEO as Master of Alignment is so critical.<\/p>\n
A startup CEO needs to align all of these people and more :<\/p>\n
These key collaborators should be aligned periodically. The higher up on the list, the bigger the challenges and the bigger the risks. When you are not aligned with investors and board members, you are in trouble. It is often said, \u201cThe board is there to fire the CEO.\u201d<\/p>\n
If there is misalignment with investors when it comes time to raise follow-on financing, you could very well crash and burn. Investors can push right to the brink with your company to test you, promote their key agenda items, and see if you can hit the necessary marks for them to re-invest. And when your existing investors pass (if they do end up passing), it sends a big negative signal to the rest of the marketplace.<\/p>\n
A lack of co-founder alignment can kill a company before it even gets off the ground and is one of the top sources of anxiety and frustration for startup companies. Read another blog posted by me on this. The same is true with employees, especially when a startup first starts hiring. Those first few hires is critical, get that wrong and you can be set back for months.<\/p>\n
The key for startup CEOs is to recognize themselves as those who focus on aligning everyone, to themselves and to each other. This does not mean a startup CEO is a conciliatory peacemaker. Nor is a startup CEO a pushover bending to everyone else\u2019s will. Quite the opposite. A startup CEO needs to have the confidence and conviction to state their point, push the debate, and align everyone around their vision. They cannot assume that everyone will fall in line or that their vision and plan are perfect. This is where he or she must be a Master of Alignment.<\/p>\n
How do we do this, you might ask. We can become a Master of Alignment by communicating, communicating, and then, communicating some more. Transparency and openness are key. Communication has to be structured, organized, and with purpose as well. Most importantly the communication has to be strategic.<\/p>\n
Startup CEOs should be keen observers of people\u2019s moods and the master interpreter of language. Being a Master of Alignment takes practice and experience. It is not easy and is not always obvious with how important it is to keep alignment front-and-center as you build your startup. Alignment is an issue that quickly and unfortunately gets pushed to the side, often only reappearing when it is too late.<\/p>\n
Talent Power Partners works with start-ups in supporting their Leadership Training Initiatives, Alignment of Founders through group coaching and one on one coaching. Visit us at www.talentpowerpartners.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"