My new staff do not share the start-up fuel. How do I make them passionate?

Dear Aunty B,

We are a fast growing technology company with a very clear vision and mission. But the new staff I have hired recently don’t seem to buy my vision. They are hard working but they don’t seem to share the sense of adventure that my original employees did.

I am concerned because my team have been motivated by what I call “start-up fuel”.

Have I hired the wrong people or do I expect too much?

Leonie D,
WA

Congratulations Leonie. You now have a viable business. When a business moves out of the start up phase and new staff join, it is inevitable that the start-up mood changes. But this isn’t a bad thing. And it doesn’t mean there is less passion.

As the business takes the next step, people come in who may view your business as a job. These people may not have joined at the start as they may have less capacity to take on risk. But this new layer of staff can be important to the growth of the business.

As you introduce more reporting layers and an organisational structure, it might be that the multi-skilled mavericks that leapt into this adventure with you are not suitable for the more routine, specialised jobs.

There is now a new level of management between you and some of your team.

Make sure that when new staff start, you spend some time with them talking about the history and vision of the company. Ensure as you grow that you keep teams small and that each team has at least one passionate advocate. Good reporting and communication channels to responsive managers will make sure that your medium sized business will remain committed to the cause.

Your Aunty B.