A compatible team is one that balances personalities, expertise and motivation. It is the single most crucial prerequisite for business success for not just start-ups but any business at varying stages of growth and development.  

Strong arguments can easily be made that a unique idea, blue chip investors, projected market demand, nimble execution are what really matter in a venture's success.   No doubt. However, a strong team can in fact execute towards all these and sometimes transform even a perceived B idea into a top-notch "A" tier proposition. Conversely, a dysfunctional team, with a hot idea can deflate its own potential. It is with good reason that - Team is a critical consideration for discerning investors.

A compatible team is one that comes together organically, aligned towards a collective goal and withstands the inevitable highs and lows of a start-up grind. The need for a synergistic team is exponentially magnified, particularly in early stage ventures.

Here are some of key assessment markers for assembling a synergistic team.

This exercise requires self-analysis and comparative assessment on you with other current team members and potential target resource additions. For early stage ventures these apply to identifying not just for Cofounders but selection of other key team members who might join your journey, a bit down the road.

All these 5 assessment markers are all equally important parameters.

1. Motivation Markers

  a. Examine your own core priorities for being an entrepreneur. How do they compare with your target  resources? Answers may range from a combination of financial goals, accomplishment,fame, recognition, and  power.

 b. The importance placed by each on these priorities deserves some scrutiny. For instance, someone for whom accomplishment is the number one motivation marker may have decision conflicts with a person for whom power and prestige matter the most. Best to have a candid and upfront discussion on practical scenarios that may arise and the process to resolve any conflict, before deciding to team up.

c. The Motivation markers can be good indicators for how best to structure and negotiate comp incentives for resources based on a person’s “hot buttons”. 

2. Personality Markers

a. Analyze all personality data points you find and observe in totality before a decision. Routine Reference checks and endorsements, an online data sweep, can assist you to a certain extent but also rely on your own gut feel, opinions of others in the team, to gauge how personalities can best mesh in a work environment.

b. Working together injects a unique set of dynamics.  Even if you know someone socially for a while, you may find that the work dynamics could be different and problematic. On occasions, meeting a person socially could help gather personality marker data.  I have seen some entrepreneurs even get spouses to meet as part of the decision process to avoid conflicts down the road. In some cultures this can be a key decision factor as well. In contrast, some others strongly prefer to insulate professional relationships from social interactions. Be flexible to such preferences of your target resource but no matter the modality get to mutually know one another until you are comfortable and confident to team up.

     c.Ensure that you ethical values are aligned with the other key team members.

     d. Risk tolerance is an often overlooked  personality factor. Be sure to assess one’s tolerance threshold to funding time horizons. The best laid plans of mice and men do not go as planned. You want to team up with those who can hang in tough with you through uncertain times to minimize “let down” down the road.

     e.Style compatibility – is another key personality factor. It may be frustrating for action-driven type-A person to team up with a team member who is more sedentary. However if team members are geared up towards a collective goal and managed right, it could help mitigate style or motivations marker issues.

     f.Bottom-line - Take your time and carefully mull through some of these aspects personality markers.  Be candid with your concerns and set expectations Discuss meaningful scenarios including conflict resolution modalities upfront. 

3. “Fire in the belly” Marker

 I am referring to the “want” to succeed as a pivotal marker. If the passion and fire intensity are not synched up      among team members, particularly in early stage venture, there is strong potential for some folks to feel that they  are carrying most of the load and that some others are riding on their coattails and leading sweat equity  compensation issues. 

4. Timing-in-life Marker

 Check to see that members in the team are at a point in their personal lives and careers to fully commit and take on the    startup risk. Assess if they have necessary bandwidth to deliver on their commitments particularly if they have other  endeavors, before they can bridge to your venture. 

5. Role & Expertise Marker

a)  Assess what experience and skill does a person bring to the team and how do they stack up against hands-on execution of venture deliverables. 

b)  Look for flexibility in the person to quickly adapt to role scope change and evolution. In return, be prepared to         adjust incentives. A results-based model with incentives that is based on deliverables works best. The role organically develops over time. Be sure to factor in room for diversification and career progression as incentives. Startups have more leeway to provide such incentives than structured bigger companies. 

c) The risk factor remains at different points for early stage ventures until steady state.  As such, in order to attract key talent, it is important for cofounders to recognize not just what has been achieved but factor in milestones to come. This provides strategic and risk-reward parity between passage of time from incorporation and accomplishments todate before the resource joins but factors in future milestones and  contributions to come.

We often hear of funding risk . But Team Risk is equally critical.  As company grows and nears steady state operations, these stakes become higher and as are the expectations to deliver on milestones. Do proactively anticipate resource turnover risk.

Once these Team assessment markers are factored into your ongoing resource selection process, you can hopefully minimize their Team Risk.  Then alone can you have a team that synched up to achieving deliverables. This has a direct impact to increased venture valuation for upcoming funding rounds.

Hence the FoundersClick mantra - Ideas indeed Tick when a Team Clicks.