If you’re a startup founder, you know that the success of your business hinges on your ability to lead. But what makes a great leader? While there’s no one-size-fits-all answer, there are certain key leadership qualities that successful startup founders share.
Words of wisdom:
Startups have a high failure rate, with 90% of them failing. However, startups are still a leading business model that drives innovation and economic growth worldwide[1].
This article will look at 5 leadership qualities that can help you succeed as a startup founder. We’ll also offer some tips to help you develop these leadership qualities.
So get ready to learn how to lead your startup to success!
1. Vision
Vision is an essential leadership quality for a startup founder. A startup founder needs to have a clear and well-defined vision for their startup and its future growth. A well-defined vision should include a mission statement, objectives, and goals for the startup.
Having a clear vision not only allows the startup to remain focused and on track but also provides the motivation and direction to motivate the team. A strong vision is also vital to gaining the trust of investors, customers and other stakeholders in the startup.
With a great vision, the startup can achieve success and become a formidable player in the industry.
Example
Richard Branson’s visionary leadership style can be seen in his founding of Virgin Galactic, a company that wants to make spaceflight affordable for everyone[2].
Branson’s willingness to take risks and pursue ambitious goals is his trademark. He had also demonstrated visionary leadership since he was young, such as when he started his own celebrity magazine at the age of 16.
2. Resilience
Resilience is an important leadership quality necessary for a successful startup founder. Even though the early stages of a startup can be tumultuous and unpredictable, a startup founder’s resilience is crucial.
The leader needs to remain focused and have an unwavering sense of purpose, even in the face of challenges, defeats and setbacks. Being able to recognize and admit mistakes while recalibrating and staying the course is an essential part of a leader’s resilience.
A startup founder must be able to take risks, learn from failure, and adjust as needed to stay ahead of the competition. Their resilience is also what allows them to weather the difficult and often lonely times that are part and parcel of the startup journey. As a startup founder, resilience is the key quality that will enable you to move through difficult patches and keep marching towards success.
Example
Abraham Lincoln is often cited as an example of a resilient business leader[3].
Throughout his presidency, he faced numerous challenges and setbacks, including the Civil War, but he continued to lead the country. The man has overcome adversity and shown resilience.
3. Self-Awareness
Self-Awareness is one of the most important leadership qualities for a startup founder. It is hard to lead a team effectively if you don’t know your strengths and weaknesses and your impact on your team.
It is not only critical in understanding yourself and how others perceive you, but it is also important in understanding your team dynamics and recognizing patterns.
Being self-aware also helps to identify opportunities in the market and to adjust leadership styles when necessary. It is crucial for any successful startup and can be the difference between success and failure.
Example
As the CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella is known for embracing self-awareness as a leadership quality.
According to a study, his leadership skills are linked to self-awareness, relational transparency, balanced processing, and internalized moral perspective[4].
4. Creativity & Innovation
Creativity is a key leadership quality for a startup founder.
According to IBM's Global CEO Study, creativity is the most important leadership quality for success.
As a leader, it is important to be able to think outside of the box to solve business challenges and come up with innovative solutions. Creativity can help increase the business’s competitive advantage.
Leaders should encourage team members to share their ideas, seek help outside of their team, and be able to look at the same problem in different ways. By fostering creativity in the workplace, a leader can lead the startup to greater success.
This practice comes naturally if you have a transparent company culture.
Example
Apple’s CEO Tim Cook has a democratic leadership style that lets everyone contribute. Cook’s creativity is evident in his commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility[5].
During his time at Apple, he has led the company to reduce its carbon footprint and transition to renewable energy.
5. Strategic Thinking
A successful startup founder needs to be able to think strategically and have a clear vision for the future. You need to be able to identify market trends, analyze customer needs, and develop a roadmap that aligns with your long-term goals.
You also need to be able to make tough decisions quickly and have the courage to stick to them (ruthless prioritization all the way).
Finally, you need to be able to motivate and inspire your team and ensure that everyone is working towards the same goals.
Example
Jeff Bezos, founder and former CEO of Amazon, is known for his strategic thinking. The business philosophy of Bezos emphasizes long-term thinking and customer obsession.
Bezos plans his strategy beyond one product and is known for his strategic thinking. In a LinkedIn article, Bezos said he would play Wolf, and many companies got burned for it[6].
Tips to Develop Leadership Qualities
Leadership qualities for a startup founder involve a variety of competencies, including resilience, communication, long-term vision, and many more. While each of these skills is necessary for success, developing and refining the leadership qualities necessary for a successful startup founder is equally important.
Here are eleven tips that can help you develop and hone the leadership qualities you need to succeed in the startup world:
1. Embrace Your Inner Leader
A successful startup founder needs to channel their inner leader. Before tackling any project, take the time to assess yourself.
Ask yourself “What would a leader do in my situation?”. Doing this will help you develop the necessary leadership skills to make sound decisions.
2. Practice Self-Awareness
Situational self-awareness is essential to develop leadership skills. This involves observing and assessing the situation and your own feelings, performance, and behaviour in response to the situation.
Self-awareness is a key factor in becoming a successful leader.
3. Take Responsibility
One of the best leadership qualities for a startup founder is taking responsibility for their actions. Taking responsibility means being accountable for your decisions and actions, both successful and unsuccessful.
As a leader, you will have to make hard decisions, but taking responsibility for them will help you develop strong leadership qualities.
4. Develop Your Communication Skills
Good communication is the foundation of successful leadership. You need to be able to effectively communicate your goals and visions to your team.
This includes being able to effectively give feedback and respond to criticism.
Tip: Follow the most practical communication tips from The Writer Woman.
5. Think on Your Feet
Being able to think quickly and adapt to changing situations is an important leadership skill.
As a startup founder, you will often have to make decisions and react to situations quickly. Developing this skill will help you become a successful leader.
6. Foster Curiosity
To become a successful leader, you need to be able to think outside the box and come up with new and innovative ideas.
Fostering a sense of curiosity will help you to be creative and develop new solutions to problems.
7. Build Relationships
As a leader, you need to be able to build relationships with people. This includes building relationships with your team, customers, investors, and other stakeholders.
Being able to build relationships is essential to creating a successful startup.
8. Show Empathy
Being empathetic and understanding of your team’s needs is an essential leadership quality.
Showing empathy will help you better understand the needs of your team and create a positive work environment.
9. Be Flexible
As a startup founder, you need to be able to adapt to changing situations quickly.
Being flexible and open to new ideas will help you stay ahead of the curve and create a successful startup.
10. Encourage Risk-Taking
The startup world is full of risks, and taking calculated risks is essential for success.
As a leader, you need to be able to encourage risk-taking and make decisions that may be difficult but ultimately beneficial for the company.
11. Lead by Example
As a leader, you need to be able to lead by example. Demonstrate the qualities you want your team to have and lead by your own words and actions.
Doing this will help you develop strong leadership qualities and create a successful startup.
Conclusion
The list of good leadership qualities that a startup founder must possess is seemingly never-ending. Vision is key to having a clear idea of the direction of the company and the ability to understand, adapt and self-start in any given situation is what makes a good leader. Resilience is also important for the modern-day startup founder, and having the determination to overcome any challenge is an essential tool.
To help nurture the skills needed for a successful leader, self-awareness, creativity and delegation are highly important. Mentorship is also invaluable in providing feedback and further developing each of these skills.
Successful leadership is not an overnight process and requires dedication and persistence to gain the trust of those around you.
With the right mentality and the development of the necessary skills, anyone can become a successful startup founder. By following the tips provided in this article, you can begin your journey to becoming a successful leader.
Building a team of trustworthy and hard-working individuals, who are just as passionate about your company as you are, can be a challenge, but with the right leadership qualities, you can be sure to find the perfect fit.