Being an early hire in a startup is one of the most exhilarating experiences you can have. But it can also lead to disillusionment and disappointment if you don’t recognize the natural trajectory of new companies as they grow. With growth comes changing roles as new and sometimes discordant voices are added. Many early hires experience a sense of loss for the good old days. Preparing for and navigating these changes can help you maintain your commitment and value to the organization. A typical trajectory we often see looks like this:
1. You were one of the first hires and probably found yourself interacting with the CEO and other early hires and doing a little bit of everything, even if your position was a scientific or technical one. These were exciting times with lots of camaraderie and long hours.
2. During those early days you likely played a key role in interviewing and selecting new hires, discussing strategy and even meeting with potential investors. You felt like a member of the leadership team with a tangible stake in the growth of the company.
3. Gradually, as more staff were hired you started doing what you were hired to do. Perhaps you were put in charge of a team focused on a specific project or providing an important technical service. Here is where things began to change for you. As the company grew, and new managers and technical contributors were hired, you found yourself being left out of meetings and not having a voice in decisions that you were previously part of. Even though you understood the necessity behind these changes, you probably didn’t like them.
4. Maybe you became resentful of these changes in your role and involvement. If you thought about it, you might have recognized the origin of your resentment – a natural desire that things revert to the way they were. Recognizing this may have helped you manage your resentment, which if unacknowledged might have resulted in your acting it out. While being disappointed is natural, acting disappointed is not a good look. Ways in which you might have acted out included withdrawing from group discussions, acting resentfully towards those in leadership or being hyper-critical of new hires or peers in order to regain your old influence. All of these behaviors would have been to your detriment, resulting in your no longer being seen as a team player and further distancing you from the centers of power and decision making where you longed to be.
5. What did you do about it? Did you:
a. Accept that roles change with growth and that you will inevitably feel a sense of loss and a lack of control over these changes?
b. Adapt as your role changed so that you could feel as committed as you were in the early days?
c. Learned new skills that enabled you to contribute in ways that the company needs now rather than in ways they no longer need?
d. Never stopped being a supporter of the team and your colleagues?
If you did these things, it is likely that you are as valuable and connected now as you were then. If you didn’t, you’re probably wondering “What happened to my beautiful tech startup?”
Carl M Cohen, Ph.D.
President, Science Management Associates