Amina Moreau
Chief executive officer
Radious
“Hiring at an early-stage startup is filled with all sorts of challenges:
- Where do you find self-starters who are ready to take initiative? After all, startup founders don’t have the bandwidth (or desire) to micromanage.
- What can you do to make people feel valued when you’re resource-strapped and unable to pay high wages?
- How do you inspire with a bold vision when the company is still taking shape and the vision itself is still being constructed?
“Self-Determination Theory provides a psychological framework for the closest thing to a silver bullet. SDT suggests that human beings have three innate needs that must be met for optimal functioning: autonomy, competence and relatedness. Respectively, people must feel a sense of freedom over their lives, believe that they can achieve mastery in the things they put effort towards, and know that they are part of a bigger social whole.
“People who have these three needs satisfied tend to show higher intrinsic motivation for the activities they take part in. They engage for the innate enjoyment of the activity itself as opposed to extrinsic rewards, such as payment, and are far more likely to take initiative, work harder and feel more connected to a mission. Find people who are values-aligned and give them the freedom to do their best work, and their work will truly be their best.”
Sandhya Padala
Chief executive officer and co-founder
Rex Academy
“We take our hiring process very seriously since we are looking to build a team. We aren’t looking for bodies to just fill a role, but people who can help drive new ideas and support our goals. I make sure the values, vision and expectations all match each other to ensure effective and productive work, meetings and projects. I always look for individuals who are hungry for responsibility and eager to learn.
“At Rex Academy, we offer a flexible and autonomous work environment. We have a workflow driven by innovation to meet our modern society. We offer our employees a work-life balance that is unheard of in traditional companies. We also offer equity in the company in the form of stock options to potential employees. The chance of getting an early opportunity to make money from the company’s success is very attractive. We offer equity to attract qualified candidates who may not be willing to work for less than they are worth.
“Any of our team members can gain experience in different skills with a wide variety of responsibilities. We recognize that the best learning experiences are on-the-job experiences. These skills can be brought into any future career. Every team member is given an opportunity to share their idea and work from scratch to bring a product or service to market. Working at Rex Academy also allows team members to work closely with company founders and managers, which provides experience in running the company.”
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Joe Megibow[/caption]
Joe Megibow
Chief executive officer
Bright Cellars
“Talent is critical for any startup. When small, every single employee matters. Sure, startups have far fewer processes and resources, but they make up for it with great people who work as a team and do whatever needs to be done. We look for people who have a passion for that kind of visibility and accountability. It’s easy to get lost in a bigger company where projects can drag on for years or teams never accomplish anything. We create an environment where employees matter, employees work on projects that really matter, and we actually get things done.
“On top of all of that, we have a genuine mission as a company: to bring the joy of wine to everyone. As a challenger brand, we have purpose, and in support of that, we lean into core values that define how we treat our customers and how we operate as a team. Holding ourselves to a standard where we all believe in what we are doing is just as important as salary and benefits. The buy-in then happens when our candidates look at our customers and at our employees. If our customers and employees believe – and it’s based on real actions and real results – then we aren’t selling promises, we are selling momentum and outcomes. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?”
