A startup team is like building an army. It has defined must-have virtues and must-not-have vices as the first level of filtration, something we, as founders, tend to forget because of building fast and fundraising. In the short run, this gets us funding or a product, but as the company grows, it bites us on multiple fronts.
An army or a team requires a culture to imbibe. There is a saying: monkey see, monkey do. We humans are similar. In the early days, from the very top if the culture is not well aligned, the team will suffer and overall productivity will be affected.
We were sold 10X engineers, their fast development skills and founders were okay paying them loads of money and taking their shit. With time many of those companies realize the toxic work culture the organization has become. It has become the individual’s ego, contribution VS working together as a team and shipping.