By Callais Team
Core Temperament of a Startup Team
What makes an entrepreneur stand out from the rest? It’s having the right charisma, drive, and personal skills that get things done. Characteristics and personality traits of a successful founding team are important to make any startup excel or “tip,” to cite Malcom Gladwell’s Tipping Point. But what are these traits and personalities? And how do you learn how to acquire them, seek them out, and recognize them.
Before Malcolm Gladwell’s Tipping Point was Kurt Vonnegut’s novel Bluebeard. His main character is in the process of writing a non-fiction book about what it takes to have a successful revolution. This “revolution,” he describes, rings true for any entrepreneur building the foundational blocks of a successful startup.
So, what does this team look like? Vonnegut stresses that the team must consist of “three sorts of specialists” or the pursuit is bound to fail; authentic genius, highly intelligent citizen, and explainer extraordinaire. Your “core” team should include:
- Authentic Genius – a leader with innovative ideas that aren’t currently adopted by the mainstream. But an authentic genius working alone can be perceived as fringe and “ignored as a lunatic.” They need a companion.
- Highly Intelligent Citizen – an upstanding citizen active in their community who understands and admires the fresh ideas of the authentic genius and boats that the genius is “far from mad.” But working alone, a highly intelligent citizen can only speak loudly about changes and fail to execute on what they’re trying to accomplish.
- Explainer Extraordinaire – no matter how complicated an idea come off, the explainer extraordinaire is a master at condensing complicated ideas and bottling them into a digestible dose to the satisfaction of most people. But working alone, depending solely on his own mastery of words, he would be regarded as full of it.
A great founder is persuasive, resourceful, and reflective. They also need to be flexible with the obstacles that come about. They understand the importance that each core member brings and respect the expertise that their extended team (like a VC!) brings to the table. Investors want you to succeed because it is in their best interest. They aren’t adversaries, but partners. So, trust that their intentions and guidance come with your best interest in mind.
Below are a few character traits that we feel embody a great founder temperament:
- Determined but open to constructive criticism.
- Unwavering drive to build something great.
- Concise and well-spoken conversationalist.
- High work ethic.
- Creative problem solver.
- Team player that understands the value in a partnership.
- Doesn’t seek excuses but solutions.
- Conflict resolver and not avoider.
- Deep industry knowledge
When building your startup, be cautious of the negative temperaments you bring onto your core team. You need to protect your foundational structure by carefully choosing the right people to compliment other personalities. And learn how to spot conflicting traits.
Are you a startup founder in the Gulf Coast? It’s never too early to reach out to us, even if it’s early in your fundraising process. We know that companies take time to turn a profit and find their product market fit. But we would love to hear from you.