Let’s Be Honest: Not Everyone Can Grow at the Same Pace as a Startup
Disappointment results from misaligned expectations.
Most people realize this, but few are honest about its implications. And this is especially true for hiring.
I’ve tried to avoid that pitfall. In the early days at BenchSci, I interviewed everyone we hired (I stopped when we reached about 50 people). When I did, I always had a frank conversation with everyone we planned to make an offer.
The conversation centered on one theme: the likelihood that they or the company would outgrow the other. It was uncomfortable but only fair to set people up for success in a startup doubling in size each year.
Be open about growth gaps
I call this the “growth gap.” It’s a function of a company and team member’s growth rates. If there’s a difference in those velocities, one side will outgrow the other and inevitably want to part ways.
I assume that if you’re about to make an offer to a potential team member, everyone’s in complete alignment on the fit between the role and the team member’s capabilities. As time passes, however, one of three things can happen:
Scenario one: Team member outgrows company
Here, the team member’s skills and abilities increase faster than the company’s growth.
Scenario two: Company outgrows team member
Here, the company’s growth exceeds the speed at which the team member can improve their skills and capabilities.
Scenario three: Company and team member grow together
Here, the team member and the company grow at a similar pace, with the team member’s improvement matching the company’s expansion.
Without having the conversation, you’ll soon part ways
While scenario three is ideal, it doesn’t happen in most cases. Usually, scenario one or two happens, and you end up parting ways.
For this reason, I learned that discussing the growth gap early and showing the charts above really help set new team members up for success. It puts the onus on you to grow the company and on them to keep pace with their skills and abilities.
From my experience, this doesn’t only help increase retention. It also prevents you from making offers to the wrong people in the first place.
One final point, this is also true for CEOs and founders. Being a great CEO for a 50 person company does not mean you will be a great CEO for a 500 person company. You may not scale and grow with your company as well. This is something I made clear to every candidate I interviewed. The growth gap applies to me as well.
