February 26, 2017

Lately, many start ups have been showing off a fast-growing trend. Playstations, bean bags, coffee vending machines and huge superhero wall stickers have replaced iron shelves with files, reference books and conventional holders of stationary. This culture boasts a free, no-hierarchy attitude. There is no boss, there are no cubicles and there is no clock keeping an eye on you.

How do you lead a pack when there is a conscious shying away from rules, and conventional regulations.

Start ups are small and it’s very likely that the boss interacts with everyone in the team regularly. In such scenarios, it’s impossible to miss a good CEO’s leadership qualities. Let’s take a look at some of them.

Leadership by setting an example

If the boss is late at work, the office is late at work.

In small companies everyone looks up to everyone. It kind of makes it easier to cut yourself slack, and pick up bad habits that come from top management.

The greatest leaders are never late. Not only because they respect their own time, but also because they equally value other people’s time.

A Start up company CEO who punches in on time sets the clock for the entire office.

Leadership by setting a standard

Show how it’s done.

Creative professionals often face rejection that’s not based in logic. When treading such blurred lines of what is good or bad quality, a good leader sets a standard to be followed by showing how it’s really done.

Good Start Up CEOs never hesitate to get their hands dirty with any kind of work. Rather they do it in the best possible way to set a high standard.

Leadership by empathy

The CEO of a start up has more responsibility than the CEO of an exponentially larger company. It might sound absurd, but making people believe in your dream and getting them to take the risk of achieving it is a great responsibility and not easily fulfilled.

Showing patience and understanding your employee’s stand in grim situations calls for great restraint and emotional quotient.

A true leader will never let business slowing down become a reason to turn away from employees; in fact he’ll breathe courage and motivation into them to keep them going.

Leadership by Sharing Ownership

Start Ups are often pressed to promise employee benefits that are not completely thought through. Unlimited holidays, flexible work hours and no performance reviews can easily work against a company’s productivity agenda.

A good leader inculcates a sense of ownership in such scenarios by taking a chance and trusting his team members to deliver even if the odds are not in his favour.

Shared ownership only comes when a Start Up CEO let’s his team take charge like they are the owner.

A Family Affair.

Some things might just operate under the rug unnoticed. Many Start-ups are often spearheaded by family members creating a very delicate situation in the work space.

A good leader will be always rightful in his decision yet have an approach that is diplomatic to avoid any bad feelings or misuse of power.

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