Tech startups that have high-calibre investors with a global perspective are constantly faced with make-or-break situations. Every link of the chain, from implementing technology to recruiting; building brand awareness and increasing customer acquisition is under pressure.
Always, there are big issues and often urgent and unexpected problems that need to be resolved. It is the nature of business in a fast-growing, innovative sector.
Success in this context is largely a matter of building a high-performance team that’s willing to share the company vision and sacrifices. This is not the place for you if you are not willing to work beyond the usual Monday-Friday, 9-to-5 schedule.
We are fortunate at Navro to have a team of highly motivated and dedicated employees who will do whatever it takes to meet the needs of our clients and company. We are grateful to them for their commitment, but also keep in mind that burnout is a risk.
Building a positive workplace culture
It is important to create the right culture in the workplace to avoid burnout. This will differ from company to company due to the different demands of each sector and business model. We have adopted the following practices and found them to be very beneficial.
Trust your employees to do their work according to their own terms. Flexibility is a two-way road. You should let your employees work the way they want to if you expect them to give their best.
You can achieve this by allowing employees to control their own schedules, the location they work in, and even how they perform their daily tasks. By doing this, you empower people to be their authentic selves and to bring them to work.
2. Promote proactive collaboration. Collaboration is essential for high-performance teams. Consider new ways to help your collaboration flourish, like implementing cross functional teams that work on cross functional projects.
Try a variety of settings, including one-on-ones or small groups, roundtables, and large gatherings. This will help to promote open and transparent communication. Slack is a great tool to encourage company-wide communication. We have many channels and feeds, including Women of Navro channel, Neurodiversity channel, Cooking channel and a gratitude channel.
The diversity of experience within a company is directly linked to its commercial success. Homogeneous groups and groupthink have been known to hinder innovation and prevent organisations from reaching their goals. By building diverse, collaborative teams, organizations can create innovative ecosystems which will drive growth.
3. Leadership at all levels is a must. Training is used by all businesses to develop their employees, and continuous workplace learning has become the norm for many organizations.
This step will allow high-performance companies to meet broader employee needs. Leadership training, for example, shouldn’t just be reserved for those in senior positions. Leadership skills are important at all levels. You can help your employees reach their full potential by creating a leadership program for all of them, regardless of the level or role they are in.
4. Employees should be empowered to own corporate values. Some companies struggle to make their values and culture aspirations real. This problem can be addressed by allowing employees to create corporate values.
All employees at Navro were encouraged to adopt a set behaviours that would not only help the company achieve its ambitious goals, but also lay the foundations. These values reflect the culture that we have created together, and are what we believe to be the key ingredients for success.
This ensures values are not isolated and can be incorporated into every aspect of the company, including recruitment, performance management and training, as well as communications from senior leaders and the way the business recognises achievements.
Creating a business that is employee-centric
High-performance teams need to create a work environment that is aligned with the needs of highly-skilled talent. It comes down to a combination of genuine flexibility, a strong sense of purpose, transparent and open communication, personal development programmes and an understanding that people have other interests and concerns outside of the workplace.
Lip service is not enough. To make a real difference, these values must be lived and breathed by the top levels of an organisation. Businesses that do this well will become the employers of choice for top talent.
