Anton Osika’s Post

We all know that companies hustle to bring in top-tier talent. The aim? To drive strategy and hit those quarterly targets. 🎯 But let's not forget, culture isn't a side dish; it's the main course. I was once part of a team with exceptional talent. Everyone was at the top of their game, but something was off. We had the skill but not the spirit. Long story short? We missed our targets, not because we lacked expertise but because the culture was fractured. ✨ 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀: 💎𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝘁 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀: Leaders are the captains of the ship. 🚢 They guide the team, set the course, and most importantly, shape the culture. When you bring in leaders who align with your values, you're setting up a cultural framework that everyone can get behind. 💎𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗙𝘂𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀: Sure, a game of Kahoot or a team lunch is great for bonding. 😁 But culture is an everyday thing. It’s in the way we communicate, how we treat each other, and how we solve problems. Make sure your culture reflects your core values. 💎𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝗴𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Numbers matter, yes. 📈 But let's not forget, targets are met by people. Burnout is real, and if you ignore well-being, morale can plummet. When people feel valued and supported, they don't just meet targets; they smash them. 💎𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝘀, 𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹: Did a team member go above and beyond? Celebrate it. 🎉 Did your team hit a minor milestone? Acknowledge it. Appreciation fuels motivation. So, take the time to say thank you. Trust me, it goes a long way. Bear in mind that a single rotten apple can spoil the whole barrel. It's crucial to pick new hires carefully. Look for cultural fit, along with skills and experience, because one misaligned team member can undo the work of dozens. Culture is the invisible thread that ties us all together. Make it strong, make it vibrant, and watch how it elevates your strategy to new heights. #technology #startups #ProductManagement #ProductManager #product

Let’s talk about company culture. A few years ago. I was interviewing for a VP of Sales role. I met: ✅ the exec team ✅ spoke to a handful of customers ✅ spent time board members/investors There were a few 🟨 flags. I was concerned with the turnover of a few department heads/employees. I was questioning the cross-collaboration and communication between the Founders and the rest of the org. I started digging in. What I found was a ‘it’s my vision and my way’ mindset from the founders. 🤔 Ok, nothing new here. We hear about this all the time. Founders at startups can be hard-headed. I was invited to meet the founders in-person. Lovely conversations, great meals. My last day, I was presented an offer to join. Most things we discussed I was aligned with. Then I asked, two questions: 1. Why are you building X? 2. How do you approach culture and performance? First answer- ‘We are building something special. We want you to be part of the legacy.’ 😬 Second answer - ‘We are a family. We take care of each other and expect everyone to work hard. We want you part of the family.’ 😑 I turned down the offer. Pushing your ‘legacy’ on someone else is an absolute 🚩. This creates misalignment and unrealistic expectations for folks joining the team. Please, for the love of everything, companies are NOT families. Stop saying that nonsense. This is a whole conversation here. Companies are teams. We support each other like a team, we hold each other accountable like a team. And just like a team, the owner/founder can cut people at anytime. Pretending to be a family, creates a toxic environment where people will feel betrayed and disrespected if things don’t go well. And founders are frustrated because people are not performing. 🎬

I’m seeing a lot of founders say “I only work with A players”, which seems to be yet another nonsensical startup trope that doesn’t work once you scale beyond like 5 people (and sometimes before that because you and your cofounder aren’t even A players yourselves) What is an A player? It’s 90th percentile. Just like there’s no NFL team with 53 Pro Bowlers, it is also impossible to build an organization with only top 10%ers. In reality, a high performing team is going to have a mix of A (stars), B players (contributors), and even an occasional C+ (roleplayers) player. Your A player is going to be a C in some things, and your C player might be an A in another. It’s your job as a leader to build a culture where your stars, contributors, and role players are all fully bought into the mission, deployed in accordance with their strengths, and giving an A+ effort day in and day out. That’s what comprises a high performing team.

This is one of the hardest parts for Founders to navigate. Your brand takes off and sales start to ramp and you want to take people with you. But there is more to this than just getting stock in and selling it. You Don't Know What You Don't Know. What most don't know or realise is how much money you can leave on the table or burn on the dumpster if you don't even smell smoke let alone manage to put out the operational fires that will start to burn. #ecommerce #scalingup #operations

“Don’t Ask Permission, Ask Forgiveness Later” This age-old adage is one of my favorite leadership philosophies to employ. It captures the essence of early stage companies where moving fast is paramount, while also remaining open and empathetic to mistakes. Trust — At the core of this philosophy lies the foundation of trust. By empowering the team to make decisions, it’s not just accelerating the pace of innovation; it’s also instilling a deep sense of trust. This trust signals to every individual that their judgement and skills are valued and that they are an integral part of the company’s growth journey. Innovation — In a startup, especially in the early stages, the hierarchical structures of larger corporations don't exist. This flat structure allows and often requires team members to take on multiple roles and make decisions quickly. Here, asking for permission at every turn isn't just impractical; it's an innovation killer. Navigating Mistakes — In a culture that encourages proactive decision-making, mistakes are inevitable. I view these moments not as time to reprimand, but as an opportunity to strengthen trust. By addressing errors openly, learning from them, and moving forward together, it reinforces the culture of trust and builds the team's confidence even further. For anyone looking to embrace this philosophy, I’ve found talking through a few simple guiding principles with the team goes a long way: 🔹 Set the guardrails — Empower with clarity on roles and expectations, ensuring everyone feels responsible for their contributions. 🔹 Teach how to gauge impact — Before making a decision, show how to consider the potential impact on the team, the project, and the clients. 🔹 Maintain continuous dialogue — Maintain an ongoing conversation about decisions, encouraging feedback and collective learning. 🔹 Don’t be afraid to fail — When things don't go as planned, we don't point fingers. We learn, we grow, and we move forward. The payoff to this is the effect it has on culture. When the team is motivated, engaged, and knows their contributions matter, healthy culture spreads like wildfire! 🔥 #startupculture #techleadership #innovatetogether

One of the biggest struggles in setting a culture for early-stage orgs is misunderstanding how people WANT to work. Especially in the new manifest destiny version of SAAS from the last decade or so. "I never want to work after I'm *Insert extraordinarily young age*." "I want to learn, grow, and eventually lead a company that goes public." "I want this or my next one to be the last job that I have to have." If you've had 1:1's with reps or been in conversations with high-performing (and highly promoted) folks, then you've heard some iteration of those sentences. However, one of the most damaging things you can do for an emerging company's culture is assume that everyone who jumps on has that same mentality. If you haven't read Radical Candor by Kim Scott, she talks about it as "Superstars vs. Rockstars" Superstars = the person above. A change agent for rapid growth - personally AND professionally. Rockstars = solid, stable performer on a gradual trajectory, or perhaps content exactly where they are. You need both at your company to be successful. Flat out. BUT, more than that, you need to invest in a culture that allows for both to thrive to be successful for longer. Nothing will make your superstars leave faster than being confined. Nothing will make rockstars leave faster than being put in positions they never wanted to be in. Develop a culture that allows for people to thrive in the same role for years - consistently adding value, becoming SMEs at the position, and moving at the pace they (and the life they live) allows them to. Develop a culture that allows for superstars to have a growth path to move into higher comp/responsibility roles - being top performers, personalized development plans, investing in their personal AND professional coaching. If you wait to develop this culture until your team is asking for it, it may already be too late.

The Founding Team is Not Forever.............. In my career and now as the founder of IMPACT EVOLVE, I've had the privilege of working alongside some incredibly passionate founding teams. We've all been there—burning the midnight oil, creating the first iterations of a vision that keeps us awake at night. The loyalty and emotional attachment to those early teammates are honest and run deep. However, there's a pivot point that many founders dread. It is a moment where it becomes painfully clear that some team members, often those you're closest to, can't leap to the next phase of growth with you. What do you do then? In my experience, especially when consulting on operational organisational designs, the cracks often appear first in operations. While the focus is naturally placed on brand and marketing, I've seen operational complexity quietly spiral out of control, often leading to bottlenecks that stunt growth. Let me be direct - Operations need the same strategic investment and focus as your sales and marketing. If you overlook this, you are trying to win a Grand Prix with a go-kart. My advice? If you see operations starting to lag, treat it as a critical issue. Your duty isn't just to the people who helped you build the company; it's also to the organisation's future. Difficult decisions around team composition are inevitable but also a necessary part of growth. Be as uncompromising about your operations as you are about your ambition, anything less is a compromise you can't afford. Grow your Operations in line with the rest of your business. #IMPACTEVOLVE #operations #supplychain

Culture feels like a squishy term. There’s thousands of books, podcasts, speeches, and perspectives on what makes a good or strong culture. In a year marked by layoffs, postponed promotions, consolidated roles, and reorganized teams, it’s a tempting conclusion to believe strong cultures have cratered under the weight of market adversity. Let me encourage you to think otherwise. Today, Will Reed is releasing its 3rd Annual Top 100 Award honoring Seed and Series A companies. This is a competitive award that requires founders to submit a thoughtful application that’s reviewed by a panel of industry judges. To apply at all, companies must meet a number of criteria that simply by data puts applicants in the top 5% of startups. You’ll find on this list, companies that have shown tremendous resiliency, often leaning into timely (and courageous) pivots, attracting and winning “wartime” leaders, with renewed commitments to mission, and helmed by self-aware founders that are doing the personal work to show up every day and give it their best. Most Top 100 companies are seeing tremendous commercial success with exciting rounds and growing ARR despite headwinds. Even if you don’t know their name now, you’ll know it soon. Pay attention, folks. That’s been true of many winners on our past 2 lists as well. 🎉 I believe that with time, we’ll be able to show with data that an early emphasis on culture is an outsized market advantage. But, let’s also be honest… Early-stage is tough — you make bets on markets that may or may not be ready for your product. You may need funding in a timeline that does not work. Most early-stage companies are led by first-time founders and mistakes are inevitable. That said, this list reflects founders and ventures that are leading with heart and will leave a legacy in their alumni, customer impact, and dare I say, a group of fantastic founders that will be second-time founders when they build again. Keep an eye on all of them. This list represents a group of leaders that we want to build our future. I am very proud that Will Reed hosts this award! 🥇 See website in the comments for the full list! #WillReedTop100

Only 2% of employees reported receiving daily recognition. 😮 In the startup space, ‘Thank You’ is hard to come by. Startups are a rollercoaster - no two days are the same. It's not for everyone and you’re not always seeing success, but that doesn’t mean hard work isn’t being done. Next time you connect with your team, try one of these phrases: 👏 Hey [Name], I loved what you did in that team meeting last week. Thank you for taking action on that in the X way you did! 👏 [Name], received feedback from the client, and they loved the deliverable. Thanks for you for showing up and showing X values! 👏 Hey [Name], I'm seeing improvements with X since you joined the company or X event. I'm impressed and know the team is as well. I appreciate you! Constructive criticism can also be in the form of Thank You, for example… ✅ Hey [Name]! Thanks for getting that project to me. I can see you really cared about the customer when you did X. What do you think about doing it this way next time [insert feedback]. ! On that note, Radical Candor feedback happens when you show someone that you Care Personally while you Challenge Directly, without being aggressive or insincere. Radical Candor is HIP: Humble, Helpful, Immediate, In person, Public praise/Private criticism, not Personalized. What are some ways that you recognize your employees? #performance #feedback #hiring If you like this content, follow Adam Gellert 🦛 and hit the follow 🔔. I coach companies with 1-250 employees on how to hire the most exclusive talent in Canada.

Stepping onto the stage with a message for leaders and startups: Building a team from scratch isn't just about gathering talent; it's about creating a culture. When you're piecing together a new team, the foundation isn't the skill set—it's the mindset. The first brick? Trust. Without it, even the most skilled teams can crumble. Cultivating an environment where mistakes are seen as growth opportunities is key. And as for navigating the waters of inter-departmental relations with a team still finding its footing? Empathy. Understanding that every department has its battles helps forge alliances, not just connections. I'm gearing up to share these insights and more at an upcoming open mic session for team leaders and company execs. My journey with multicultural, start-from-scratch teams has been a rollercoaster of learning and unlearning. I'm keen to hear your stories too. How have you built your teams? What worked, and what would you do differently? Stay tuned for a deep dive into my presentation post-event, where I'll share my experience and learnings. Let's start a conversation. Share your team-building stories or strategies below. Together, we can redefine what it means to build a team from the ground up.