Creative Reaction

Lean Startups follows up with a Part II to a great post from last Summer, How a foosball table can kill your startup.

At issue is motivating employees, but not in a way that hurts morale or adversely affects work. I agree with everything Apollo says. Focus on teamwork, health, having a life outside of work, and developing relationships with clients.

Every company has its own culture and needs. Maybe a foosball table or an espresso machine makes sense for you. The important thing is to choose what is best for your team members as individuals – people with mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual needs –  and in ways that allow them to be engaged in their work.

Matt Heinz at Blogging Innovation: “I love the idea of employees… thinking of themselves like entrepreneurs.” I couldn’t agree more.

He asks rhetorically, “What constitutes a set of entrepreneurial attributes that employees could emulate?” then answers his own question. I’ve paraphrased (somewhat).

1. Customer-centric thinking.
2. Frugality
3. Creative problem-solving
4. Immunity to fear
5. Acceptance of failure

Imagine having an entire company of people with these qualities. Wow. That’s an engaged workforce.