Everyone thinks that being a startup CEO is a glamorous job or one that has to be a ton of fun. That’s what I now refer to as the “glamour brain” speaking aka the startup life you hear about from the press. You know the press articles I’m talking about… the ones that talk about how easy it is to raise money, how many users the company is getting, and how great it is to be CEO. Very rarely do you hear about what a bitch it is to be CEO and how it’s not for every founder that wants to be an entrepreneur. I’ve spent a lot of time recently thinking about what it takes to be a great Startup CEO that is also a founder. Here are some of the traits I’ve found.

Be A Keeper Of The Company Vision

The CEO is the keeper of the company’s overall vision. I’m not talking about the vision for the next few months, but the larger road ahead. The CEO needs to be able to keep things on course for the current quarter to make sure that the large overarching vision of the company can be achieved. The takeover the world vision of a startup usually can’t be achieved in one year or even in some cases, like Google, in a decade. It takes a great startup CEO to keep the company on track to achieve that vision. A great startup CEO will often judge upcoming initiatives to see if they fit in as a piece of the large puzzle for the bigger vision.

Tips to Develop Self – Confidence

You have to believe in yourself, that’s the secret. Even when I was in the orphanage, when I was roaming the street trying to find enough to eat, even then I thought of myself as the greatest actor in the world. I had to feel the exuberance that comes from utter confidence in yourself. Without it, you go down to defeat.
- Charlie Chaplin

Every time I read this quote I am reminded of the importance of confidence in everything we do. Right or wrong, people treat you in a manner that you allow, so, if you walk in fear you are leaving yourself wide open to a myriad of experiences you can easy avoid with confidence.

But, how do you gain confidence? A task seemingly impossible to some and, for others its as easy as getting up in the morning ready for a bright new day. So, how can this human attribute be so easy for some to acquire and for others it just seems downright impossible?

I am in full belief that confidence is not born in man, but it is created by man. In the interest of creating confidence you must believe you are the master of your own thoughts and beliefs. You must realize that controlling these beliefs is the path to creating the life you desire.

Having confidence begins with having a mind full of confident thoughts. A mind that is controlled by you, therefore believing only the things that will bring to you all the things you desire–and deserve.

Anyone can have confidence. And, it is entirely easier than you may have once believed. And, I believe it is a matter of following these 10-easy steps:

1. Stand like you have confidence. Sit like you have confidence. Walk like you have confidence. Ignore your mind for a while and simply concentrate on the physical attributes of confidence. If you maintain a confident stance long enough, your mind will certainly become convinced.

2. Listen to people. Actually smile at them, look them in the eyes and listen intently to determine what you can learn from them. If you truly listen you will soon find that there can be something learned from everyone. Learning from people and knowing people allows you to emulate the confident attributes of others.

3. Forget everything you see on television and in magazines with regard to the perfect body image. Ranking yourself against the buff laden magazine images can lead to a poor body image which is the perfect partner to a low self-esteem. People are much more likely to become friends with you if you are friendly, smiling and approachable in your manner than they are someone who simply fits the mold of a perfect body. You are a unique creation of God and perfect just as you are. Know your best attributes and play them off well. Once you begin to believe you are an attractive person and allow your personality to let it show you’ll realize that the body images you’ve been fed by the media is a bunch of hooey–and you’ll find you’re not the only one who believes it. By all means it is healthy to have a good diet and exercise and once you are the healthiest you, you’ll realize you are the best you that you can be.

4. Put your family and friends expectations of you out of your mind and follow your heart. People are all to quick to tell you how you should live your life when really its just an expression of their own shortcomings. Don’t allow the shortcomings of others to affect your life negatively. No one but you knows your interests and aspirations. Work in the direction of your true loves and ignore everything that enters your consciousness going against your own desires.

5. Set goals. It’s a great idea to keep a “Goals Book” and every time something enters your mind that you’d like to achieve, list it in the book. Soon you’ll begin to see a pattern among all your goals. When you make conclusions about your goals you begin to see simple changes you can make in your life to make your goals a reality. There is no greater joy in life than to realize a goal and nothing builds confidence faster. Remember, no goal is too small to write in your book. In many instances, realizing small goals are as beneficial to your confidence as realizing the big ones.

6. Challenge your beliefs. Examine all of your beliefs closely and determine if they are in line with the life you desire. If they are not, toss them out. You may find it difficult to get rid of some of the deep seeded long standing beliefs, but, with true desire you can abandon negative beliefs about your self and as you do you will realize immense benefit in growing terrific self confidence and self-esteem.

7. Be your own hero. Perform the short exercise of writing down all the attributes that you admire in others. Be it benevolence, honesty, humor, integrity, whatever the case write it down. Go ahead, make it a long list. The more you note the attributes in others you’ll begin to see the type of person that you truly want to be. Begin emulating these attributes into your own life one-by-one until you get through the entire list. Be prepared to enjoy the immense benefits of being your own hero–it feels great.

8. Get into the flow. Keep track of what motivates you and stay near those things. Whether it be reading a motivational book, listening to a lively sermon, or speaking to a loved one find the things that truly motivate you and fill your life with these things. Total immersion in motivation is a quick path to achieving goals, keeping positive thoughts, maintaining healthy relationships and having all the things you desire. Keep that motivational level up and see the miracles happen almost as if by magic.

9. Believe in a power greater than yourself. Determining what percentage of society actually believes in god is fraught with all sorts of room for error. After all, do they really believe? But, I believe it is safe to say that the greater majority of society, in some way, believes in a power greater than themselves. This is a wonderful aspect of human existence, to know there is a power that is governing, and that knows our good. Also, prayer and mediation is among the healthiest practices you can perform as a daily routine to help to get to the root of problems and sort out all of life’s little questions. Knowing a power greater than yourself allows you the feeling that you are not alone and that you can truly believe in the power of miracles. Who couldn’t use a miracle every now and then.

10. Get started. Don’t expect changes right away and have patience in knowing that it takes time be the person you wish to be. There is truth in the old saying that the “joy is in the journey”. The wonderful thing about coming a more self-confident person is that little benefits start taking shape almost immediately and, they keep coming one after the other as long as you continue to keep a positive outlook and display your confidence for everyone to see.

As you achieve confidence, and find little moments of confidence coming closer and closer; you will reach a point very soon where there is an exponential growth in self-confidence that will bring great joy into your life and all the things you desire will come to you easier than you ever imagined.

Lay the foundation before you begin construction. In my experience, the most successful teams invest time in laying the foundation to create a common framework for everyone. The building blocks are in the team infrastructure and team dynamics. You may get started by addressing the following: What is the purpose of the team; their function in relation to the business goals; the actual team goal? I recently posed these questions to a newly formed team of 17 people and got 17 different perspectives. Don’t assume everyone is on the same page until you have the discussion.

Make the team aware of the four stages of development. Those stages are: forming, storming, norming and performing. Explain that the team will progress and digress depending on multiple variables such as turnover and change. Ask the team which stage of development they see themselves and what needs to occur to move to a higher level.

Take a team “pulse.” This can happen in a couple of different ways. One way is through an initial team survey that generates data on how members perceive team functioning and interactions. A survey will include topics such as commitment, trust, communication, and conflict resolution. Administer the survey at least quarterly to determine progress and team development priorities. Another way to take a team “pulse” is to have periodic frank discussions about what is working and what is not. Practice regular, informal conversations that keep communication channels open.

Assess. Identify a tool to assess behavior work style (such as DISC) of each team member. This exercise invariably illuminates each member’s style preferences, their team contributions, and gives everyone information to adapt and work together more effectively. For most people this creates an “ah ha” experience that is pivotal in fostering understanding and communication.

Push Pro-activity. Don’t wait until there is conflict to establish a team charter. A charter, generated by team members, should specify guidelines and behavioral boundaries. This will set expectations and clarify what is acceptable and intolerant behavior. Make it clear that the charter can always be amended. Be sure everyone has a copy. Review it on a regular basis and go through it carefully with a new team member.

Form common skills. Be sure everyone has a common skill base for communication, conflict resolution, problem solving, giving and receiving peer feedback. I find that teams who have these common skill sets are much more productive than teams that don’t. Technical expertise is only half of the success quotient.

Examine Expectations. Are the expectations of team members and the leader clearly communicated? This goes beyond job descriptions. For example, what do people expect to get out of working together as a team, i.e, expression, creativity; what can be expected of their contributions? There is a very user-friendly instrument, Managing Work Expectations, by In-scape Publishing, that be helpful in this process.

Acknowledge unique talents and contributions. Each team member brings value to the team. Point out or showcase various abilities. Take time in a meeting to recognize one or two members. Be sure everyone receives equal recognition.

Build dialogue, extinguish monologue. Aim toward two-way interaction, exchange of ideas, and developing new insights in regular communication. Invite members to ask about others reasoning or thinking and explain how they think of or see a situation. The Ladder of Inference referred to in Peter Senge’s, The Fifth Discipline, is a good starting ground.

Do Some Team-Building. Initially you may consider a series of team sessions that incorporate the suggestions above with team building activities. Once the team is grounded, you may benefit by having quarterly or bi-annual team building sessions. The type of team building you choose, from classroom experiential to rope climbing, needs to match the culture and challenges of the team. There are hundreds of activities that are metaphors for what goes on or doesn’t go on, in the team experience. Whatever you choose to do, be certain there will be valuable learning and fun.

Laugh together. Laughter is a common language the entire team will understand. So legitimize levity among team members and you will likely lessen their stress and build their bond. Create times for people to laugh together and loosen up. This will also stimulate creativity. Consider some of these ideas: start a meeting with a relevant joke or funny story, show a clip of a comedy video tape (or sports bloopers) that pertains to a current challenge; buy everyone a pair of Groucho Marx style nose and glasses.

Celebrate. Provide a continental breakfast or bring in lunch and celebrate for no special reason than to say thank you to the team. Or identify a theme (Mardi Gras, Cinco de Mayo) and ask people to bring in food to share. Play music and decorate the lunch room. Don’t expect employees to gather after work hours. Most people have family obligations and personal commitments.