For those passionate and determined to lead, this experience goes beyond merely building a company; it’s about creating followership, shaping the future, and influencing those around you. You play multiple roles: you’re not just the captain of the ship but also the chief strategist, mediator, motivator, troubleshooter, and bearer of the vision. Leading a startup is a thrilling journey filled with challenges and opportunities. It requires forward-thinking, flexibility, creativity, the ability to see new and alternative perspectives, and a strong customer focus.
As a founder, you’ve embarked on an unpredictable journey besides allowing yourself to innovate and make a significant impact. For those passionate and determined to lead, this experience goes beyond merely building a company; it’s about creating followership, shaping the future, and influencing those around you. You play multiple roles: you’re not just the captain of the ship but also the chief strategist, mediator, motivator, troubleshooter, and bearer of the vision. To succeed as a founder, it is crucial to embrace your leadership role for the first time from the beginning, whether you have tried it before or just stepped into the role. You might be tempted to wait until your team has grown bigger or until you feel more experienced. However, this can slow down your time to market and create uncertainty among your team. By embracing your role from the start, you send a clear message, instilling trust and respect and laying a solid foundation for yourself and your company.
Founders need a compass to navigate
Founders often have a bold vision for their venture, and their role is to effectively communicate and inspire others to embrace and share this vision. The ability to paint a vibrant picture of the future and unite the team around it sets startup leaders apart. It’s the vision and the uniqueness of the founders that makes the team and
the company shine, and to accelerate this energy, the founders must make it happen consciously. In PSV’s Leadership Program, we do this by crafting a personal leadership credo.
Your Personal Leadership Credo
One of the first decisions you need to make as a leader is defining what kind of leader you wish to be. Leadership is not a one-size-fits-all role; it is profoundly personal and shaped by your values, strengths, and experiences. Some leaders excel in fostering collaboration, others drive innovation, and others maintain order and efficiency. Understanding your predispositions and aligning them with the needs of your team and business. Your personal leadership credo describes who you are as a leader. It is all about your philosophical leadership compass helping you navigate every decision, action, and interaction. Cold fact is that it increases the survival rate of your startup.
Founders are the driving force behind the company’s culture and ethics. Leading by example is not just a leadership style; it’s essential. Those around you constantly observe your values, attitude and work ethic, and this “unintentional leadership” can have a profound impact. Reflect on the following questions: What are my values and preferred behaviour? What kind of leader do I aspire to be? What impact do I want to create? Share and align it with your founder team. Once you’ve defined your personal leadership credo, steadily embody it in your actions and decisions. This consistency helps establish your leadership identity and makes it easier for your team to understand and align with your expectations. Revisit your credo occasionally to ensure alignment with your true beliefs.
Empowering the journey
Deby Fapyane, CSO and co-founder of the deep tech startup Cellugy, exemplifies the power of a well-crafted leadership credo. Having participated in PSV’s Leadership Program, where founders transform into visionary leaders, Deby reflects on the profound impact her credo has had on her leadership journey: “As a founder and leader, crafting my personal leadership credo has been one of the most empowering and clarifying experiences of my journey. It’s more than just a set of beliefs; it’s the compass that guides my decisions, actions, and interactions with my team and stakeholders while I hold on to my personal leadership style”. “But more than anything, I’ve focused on empowering my team to merge their extraordinary tech skills with a sharp commercial perspective. My leadership credo has helped me be concrete and transparent, and in general, it has strengthened our already existing trust, accountability, and strong, values-driven culture within our organisation. By the end of the day, my credo is a living document that keeps me growing as a leader”. Deby’s experience underscores the transformative power of a clear leadership credo. It not only defines your approach but also serves as a strategic tool to unite and drive your team forward with a shared sense of purpose and direction.
The Ripple Effect of Early Leadership Decisions
The decisions you make as a leader, especially early on, have a ripple effect that can influence your team and organisation for years to come. By embracing your role and leading with intention from the beginning, you set the stage for the company. Successful founders have refined their leadership credos throughout their journey and incorporated them into their company’s credo. These credos have provided inspiration and direction on all levels of the organisation.
