The majority of our staff are females which is unheard of for a financial services company. Finally, we have made a real effort to recruit outside of our industry to bring in new ideas. You need diversity to shake up very traditional industries that look within themselves for ideas. This is precisely why they don’t innovate and you have a real chance.
• Transparency rules
I think it is critically important that when building a team you are transparent about the risks and not just the rewards. Don’t take for granted that every employee may not be as well versed as you when it comes to market and financing risks you will surely face.
・透明性ルール
チームを構築する時、報酬だけではなくリスクにも透明性を持つという事が非常に重要だと思う。貴方が直面するであろうマーケット及び金融リスクに関しては従業員は必ずしも貴方ほど精通していないという事を当然だと思うべきではない。
・透明性が物を言う
チームを組むときには、報酬だけでなくリスクについても明確にするということが非常に重要だ。あなたがきっと直面するであろう市場や資金調達のリスクについて、部下の一人一人があなたほどよくわかっていないかもしれないということが、日常茶飯事になってはならない。
It works to your advantage to be transparent because anyone that does not have a certain level of risk tolerance does not belong in the startup world. Try to mitigate the perceived risks with facts and always be honest. You are after all dealing with someone’s livelihood and everyone should enter the relationship with eyes wide open. I also am a big advocate of being transparent with business progress, both good and bad. We display our key real-time metrics across four ceiling-mounted plasma screens in our office. Withholding information breeds uncertainty and I would rather everyone feel unified and secure that we are all in this together.
• Equity, equity, equity
One of the biggest disparities between Silicon Valley and Asia is the lack of equity culture in Asia. Beyond the founders you will find people are much more concerned about their salary, heath benefits and security than with long-term equity. Just because employees may not ask for equity it does not mean you should not grant it. My suggestion is to tie it to a concrete goal that everyone on the team can get behind. For us, the goal is the first full quarter of profitability.
Once that is achieved we will issue stock to all of the employees and have stipulated that in our shareholders agreement with investors. I don’t think its especially helpful to grant equity up front as it has unclear value (so employees will not value it all) and it should be used as a tool to reward real achievement and loyalty.
I leave you with this thought. Building and motivating a team will be the hardest work you do. Again, build a foundation for what you want your company to look like in the future and not what it is today. Your product will take you only so far and it is your people that will be the ultimate factor in success or failure of your startup. As always, good luck! I am pulling for you.
この考え方を伝えておこう。チームを構築し、モチベーションを与えることはあなたがすべき最も難しい仕事であろう。もう一度言うが、今日の自分の会社の姿ではなく、将来こうあって欲しいとあなたが思う姿へ向けた基礎を築くのだ。あなた自身はある程度までしか成果にはならないが、成功の究極の要素となりうる、あるいはスタートアップの失敗となりうるのは従業員達なのである。常に幸運を祈る！私は応援している。
この考えを貴方に残しておこう。チームを構成し動機付ける事は最も大変な仕事となる。繰り返すが、今日ではなく将来、どういう会社に見えるようにしたいかを考え作っていこう。貴方の製品は今のところは良いが、貴方が企業した会社が成功するか失敗するかの究極の要因は人になる。いつものようにグッドラック！支援している。
