Working Styles in Venture Companies: Project-Based vs. Routine-Based
In new business projects,
all sorts of things happen.
You might run out of people and need to hire,
worry about cash flow and have to create a financing plan,
or the CEO might be on the verge of burnout, requiring a task inventory and reorganization...
Today, I had a recruitment consultation with a client company.
Both the content of the work and the way it proceeds are fluid.
In venture companies, the work content seems defined, but it isn't,
and the people involved increase or decrease...
The premises for what was said last week have already changed.
Both the work content and the way it proceeds change constantly.
Project-Based vs. Routine-Based
Work in the world can be broadly divided into two types.
Project-Based (creating your own rules in a world without a single right answer)
Routine-Based (continuing to improve while following rules)
Come to think of it, I've only ever done project-based work.
Routine-based work doesn't suit my personality, so I've gracefully avoided it.
I realized that recently (lol).
That's why I can quickly handle project proposals and operational design,
and I can't understand people who can't.
Conversely, I could never do something like diligently entering data into slips.
It's a difference in experience and common sense.
What kind of talent is sought by venture companies?
Thinking about it that way, what venture companies need is
someone with project-based experience.
For example, someone who was enthusiastic about the school festival when they were a student.
A background as a school festival executive committee chair might be highly valued lol.
Someone who can create their own right answers in a world without them,
and someone who can decide for themselves and take action.
Ability to grasp the big picture
Even if you decide things for yourself, teamwork is important, so
first, grasp the current situation
you also need the ability to identify issues, such as where the problems lie
and then organize the priorities of those issues
Grasp the overall purpose, goals, and policies, and
ensure everyone is on the same page
The ability to take a bird's-eye view of the whole
a sense of stability that remains unshaken no matter what happens
leadership that is trusted by everyone
and so on, also seem to be related
Communication skills (dialogue and confirmation)
Among communication skills, dialogue skills are particularly important
Understanding the other party's intentions
accurately conveying your own intentions
mutual understandingis a key factor
To achieve this, it is important not just to convey information one-way, but to
check whether it was understood and if there are any doubts or concerns by
asking specific questions and thoroughly confirming the other party's level of understandingis important
Dialogue skills and confirmation skills—these are necessary as foundational skills
Planning and proposal skills
In the sense of creating rules,
planning and proposals could be called daily tasks
Since new things happen every day,
devise and shape mechanisms for overall optimization on a daily basis
Instead of just responding to problems,
proactively create mechanisms so that problems do not occur
For example, when creating a management table for inquiry responses...
don't just create a simple list in Excel
categorization, and even propose definition tables for the categories and how to update them
create a report page where the overall situation can be seen at a glance
make it so that graphs showing trends by inquiry type are updated automatically
We talked about how it would be great if you could think about what is needed, organize functional requirements, and even
go ahead and implement them
There is no single right answer, so trial and error is the foundation.
Even if things don't go well, don't get discouraged; keep making improvements.
Sometimes, you have to rebuild from scratch.
People who find that way of working exciting!
are the kind of talent sought after in venture companies.
As I was writing this, I started to worry, 'Does such a person even exist?' lol
Even if they aren't perfect,
I want them to possess some of those elements.
At the very least, I've realized that the bar is surprisingly high, as you can't handle the job unless you can respect the people working hard in such an environment and engage in friendly dialogue with them.
This article was written by
Shigeki Kawahara, a 'Future Realization Partner' who helps increase revenue pillars
https://mousoubiz.com/
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