I’m back with a new story on what it takes to run a startup….this time we will focus on what I personally find is the most exciting and most challenging – managing people.
As a software company, our team is the main asset. There are other activities that are important in running a company, but I can’t think of one more important than keeping your team focused and happy at work. Not one size fits all !
At ClicData we have 3 “debug” sessions per year to talk things out. What is a “debug” session?
It involves the team lead and the team member meeting outside and having a good talk to identify and resolve issues…
It’s usually up to the team member to pick the restaurant and then we don’t just put food on the table but pretty much everything that needs to be discussed. No operational matters – never, more along the lines of what makes one happy, what’s working well, what could be done better…it’s about the job and how to progress but it’s also about the business and any feedback on how things could be run differently.
So what? We talk and eat great…and then? Well we agree on points of improvement and objectives for the next debug session. If things are looking up that’s usually when the good news is shared in the shape of a permanent contract, a raise, a bonus, a new toy… Sometimes it can get very personal with talks around where do you see yourself in 5 years, but most important we talk about how we feel about each other, the others, the work and the environment.
In a business where everything moves very fast and the pressure of putting out the next version or making next month’ sales objective, these sessions are like our security blankets! The insurance that we will keep talking. Debugging software is easy…. Debugging people is a lot more complicated and we can’t automate or leave it to a company process.
Yes it’s time consuming to do it so often as it is more administrative work to process raises and objectives 3 times a year but trust me, it is worth it!