How to work for young entrepreneurs?
Young, smart people with the right connections will always create opportunities for themselves. They are quick at spotting trends and moving on to the next big thing. We, the employees, in the meantime, need to be correctly oriented to work with them and
ISOMI DAS
have a lot of respect for enterprising young people. Who go out into the world and create opportunities for themselves and others. Who are quick to spot emerging trends and smart enough to turn them into money-making ventures. In a country where a majority of youngsters are wasting away their best years preparing for over-hyped government jobs, these individuals are a breath of fresh air.
But, if you work for one, please tread with caution. You need a certain kind of mental fortitude to survive in the world they create. You may feel working for a start-up would be more exciting compared to working for a large corporate entity. Having worked in both settings in my decade-long career in the media and communications space, I can tell you an established entity is far better at honouring your rights as an employee than a start-up. But, you can feel incredibly lost in the former. Both have their pros and cons. The foremost thing to watch out for is the story your employer is telling you. Entrepreneurs are good storytellers. They will make you believe that there is real value in the idea they have and that it serves a larger purpose. Just like religious evangelists and colonialists needed a moral framework to expand their empire, the new-age entrepreneurs would like to convince you that you have a moral obligation to honour their ideas, for it makes the world better. Beware of the moral strand of the bargain.
You have no moral obligation to buy their story or make their vision your life's mission. Make it clear from the beginning that what you are exchanging are your skills and not your ability to think as an individual.
Entrepreneurs like to project that they are democratic in their decisionmaking process. Having worked with a few, I can tell you for certain, that most of them harbour dictatorial tendencies and are adept at couching it in the language of care and opportunity. They pretend to have a collaborative spirit. But collaboration is the last thing on their mind. So, do not dream about ideas-jam. Be prepared to make loads of productivity charts. When it comes to responsibility, you will be given an illusion of power, but when it comes to real executive powers you will always find your hands tied. Most entrepreneurs are not looking for amazing ideas. They already are in love with the one they have built their enterprise on. Keep your ideas and feedback to yourself. They are looking for good managers. Up your management skills to survive in these places.
Since most of these entrepreneurs are pretty young themselves, it is unlikely that they have had exposure to working as an employee in big organisations for long periods. Be prepared fiercely for your competence. Don't expect handholding or mentoring. You are pretty much on your own. Again, it provides fertile ground to pick up new skills and learn to solve problems by yourself. Also, you will be missing a coherent work culture and an organisational value system. If you are a team leader, try and craft one for your juniors. Protect them against the chaos of a structure-less place.
Initially, I had thought I would frame the column as an open letter to young entrepreneurs who are running their small ventures with a ragtag team. But that you see wouldn’t be fruitful. Young smart people with the right connections will always create opportunities for themselves. They probably also know what they are doing. They are quick at spotting trends and moving on to the next big thing. They wrap things up with the same enthusiasm of starting one. If, today, it is a fitness app they are interested in or an ed-tech company they want to invest in, next they would be doing something around cryptocurrency. We, the employees, in the meantime, need to be correctly oriented to work with them. They need you as much as you need them.
(The writer is a mental health and behavioural sciences columnist, conducts
art therapy workshops and provides personality development sessions for young adults. She can be found as
@the_millennial_pilgrim on Instagram and Twitter.)