What does it mean to “build a strong team”?

Finding and managing the right team is one of the most important and difficult tasks for any company.

If you compromise and hire someone mediocre you will always regret it. We like to warn founders of this but no one really feels it until they make the mistake the first time, but it can poison the culture. Mediocre people at huge companies will cause some problems, but it won’t kill the company. A single mediocre hire within the first five will often in fact kill a startup. — Sam Altman, Y-Combinator

The ABC’s of building a strong team

Easier said than done, right? At District 3, we have broken this competency down into 5 main skills that need to be developed to demystify what it means to “build a strong team”. You need to be proficient in the following areas:

1. Develop team culture and norms

“I set standards (like how we run meetings, take minute notes, or how we give feedback, or develop our own self-awareness etc.) to make it easy for my team to work well together. “

2. Hire talent

“I can write job descriptions, conduct interviews, select and onboard new freelance, part-time and/or full-time employees.”

3. Manage talent

“I can write a scope of work, manage a scope of work, evaluate work-product, and understand the value of that work-product. I can prioritize activity for my talent.”

4. Manage Partnerships

“I am able to find and engage with key partners whether it be in a formal or informal context.”

5. Manage an advisory board

“I am able to build and run either an advisory board or board of directors.”

These 5 skills are critical skills that will stand you in good stead long after you have executed on your first business idea.