Welcome to 500 Startups

Design a Healthy Startup: Prevent Burn Out

health

Individual Team Company Environment

So how do I Design a Healthy Startup?

• f (values, behavior, culture) = ?

What do I mean by Values?

• Real company values are the behaviors and skills that we particularly value in fellow employees

What do I mean by Values?

• The real company values, as opposed to the nice-sounding values, are shown by who gets rewarded, promoted, or let go

What do I mean by Culture?

• “the pattern of beliefs and expectations, or norms, that if widely shared and strongly felt can powerfully shape the attitudes and behaviors of people and groups” - Bob Sutton

health

Individual Team Company Environment f (v, b, c) f (v, b, c) f (v, b, c) f (v, b, c)

PRIVATE: NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION

ValuesDesign

Data

Distribution

“Fun at All Costs”

“The Network”

Family style community

Authentic, *real*, Human-Centered

Learn & educate

Creative & Iterative Environment

Ridiculously helpful & awareness of others

Diversity

Openness, Radical Collaboration

“Prototype everything” Culture of Prototyping

Behavior Culture

PRIVATE: NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION

ValuesDesign

Data

Distribution

“Fun at All Costs”

“The Network”

Family style community

Authentic, *real*, Human-Centered

Learn & educate

Creative & Iterative Environment

Ridiculously helpful & awareness of others

Diversity

Openness, Radical Collaboration

“Prototype everything” Culture of Prototyping

Behavior Culture

Jennifer notices that her desk is uncomfortably blocking another person, has a conversation, & re-arranges things

Things are movable & change in our space

PRIVATE: NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION

ValuesDesign

Data

Distribution

“Fun at All Costs”

“The Network”

Family style community

Authentic, *real*, Human-Centered

Learn & educate

Creative & Iterative Environment

Ridiculously helpful & awareness of others

Diversity

Openness, Radical Collaboration

“Prototype everything” Culture of Prototyping

Behavior Culture

Paul notices that John doesn’t wash his dishes, loads them in the dishwasher, runs a cycle, then tells John to clean his dishes.

Everyone is cleanly. Don’t make others clean after you, there’s no maids here.

Team Discussion

• What are unhealthy behaviors you, your team, or company are doing?

• What can you do to prevent those unhealthy behaviors?

• Assign some a responsibility to each person to do 1 thing to promote healthy behaviors in your startup?