Richard Valdez’s Post

Do you want your startup teams to thrive? Then everyone needs to feel like they belong. Without belonging, it is hard to build trust and safety. And without trust and safety, individuals on a team are hesitant to share their best ideas and their insights. Their contribution is stunted. This is a big problem for startups. One of a leaders most critical jobs is to create an environment that fosters belonging and allows the whole team to feel supported. Some ways to enhance belonging: - Build a shared vision - Create positive feedback loops - Support employees showing vulnerability - Be intentional about inclusion How do you support a sense of belonging in your company?? #leanstartups #techleadership #leadership #cameo

What do you stand for as a leader? What are you about? These are questions every startup leader faces, yet answering them is anything but easy. Finding your authentic leadership approach as a startup leader is tough. The pressure to deliver, the eyes on you, the internal critic—it can feel relentless, especially when you’re trying to stay true to yourself. Recently, I reconnected with Kyle Maloney, co-founder and CEO of Proper Finance (YC W22). He shared insights into his journey of shaping a leadership style that felt right to him while navigating the high stakes of startup life. Kyle led Proper Finance from early days in Y Combinator’s accelerator to acquisition by Intuit—a path that demanded both resilience and clarity about who he wanted to be as a leader. For startup leaders, Kyle’s story is a reminder: effective leadership starts with authenticity. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it. #foundersblend #startups #leadership #authenticity

As someone who started her career at a startup and still has her whole life revolve around startups, I think I can safely claim that your growth at a startup is directly proportional to how proactive you are! You may have the best mentors / managers but chances are, they might be too occupied to directly support your skill development, hence, there’s immense value in informally observing others in the organization. Just watching others, paying close attention to how leaders I admired conducted themselves, shaped me in ways unfathomable. I even adopted the strategies that resonated with me. When you're proactive (in a startup and in life) and don't wait for others to create perspective-expanding experiences for you, you consciously create your own! 🙌 #Proactive #Leadership #StartupLife

Leading High-Performing Teams 💪 Creating a culture of excellence in a startup isn't just about having great ideas—it's about fostering motivation and connection. Here are some tips to help you lead your team to success: 1️⃣ **Communicate Clearly**: Make sure everyone knows the goals and their role in achieving them. 2️⃣ **Recognize Achievements**: Celebrate wins, big or small. It boosts morale and keeps everyone motivated. 3️⃣ **Encourage Growth**: Provide opportunities for learning and development. 4️⃣ **Build Trust**: Be authentic and open. Trust is the foundation of a strong team. Join the Community to connect with other startup COOs and share your experiences! 🌟 #Leadership #StartupSuccess #TeamMotivation #startup #leadership

🚀 Navigating the Growing Pains of a Scaling Startup 🚀 As startups grow, they often face a tough transition—founders must share leadership with newly hired executives. While fresh expertise is essential, it can also spark power struggles and cultural clashes, leaving the senior leadership team struggling to gel. 👉 Is your leadership team struggling to align? 💥 Tensions between founders and executives hindering progress? 🤝 Lack of trust and collaboration slowing growth? These growing pains are common, but they don’t have to derail your success. If this resonates, I may have a solution that can help get your team back on track. DM me to explore how to build a cohesive, high-performing leadership team. #StartupGrowth #LeadershipChallenges #TeamAlignment #ExecutiveCoaching #LeadershipDevelopment #Trust #Communication #Connection

"Nothing happens in December. Everyone's on holiday." But here's the thing: businesses don’t stop. I've been having meetings with clients non-stop! The thing is that while some people are on holiday: 😎 Leaders are hiring top talent to prepare for the new year. 💡 Founders are forming partnerships to drive growth (chapeau to those early-stage startups embracing the beauty of fractional leadership). 👏 Teams are taking a step back to think creatively and set strategies in motion. December is a month of opportunity, not downtime. So, while the rest of the world waits for January to get started, let's bake something delicious! 😋 #FractionalTeams #FractionalLeadership #ProductLeadership

Founders, stop calling yourselves "visionary leaders," especially if you’ve never actually led anyone in your career—or even in your life! This title plastered across countless LinkedIn profiles doesn’t spark interest or inspire curiosity; it just makes me cringe. I want to know what makes you so visionary and what your leadership style really is. And no, anticipating that extra people might show up to the office happy hour and ordering more pizzas doesn’t count as crisis management. Nor does taking the reins on your pitch deck design and content when the person you hired clearly had no idea what they were doing. So please, if you want to be taken seriously as a visionary leader, especially by investors, prove it. #startup #founders  #venturecapital

🌍 Diverse Leadership: The Competitive Edge Your Startup Needs in 2024 🌍 In the rapidly evolving startup ecosystem, staying ahead of the curve is essential. As we navigate through 2024, one trend stands out: the importance of Diverse Leadership. This isn’t just about fairness—it’s about driving innovation and financial success. Diverse Leadership: Startups with diverse leadership teams consistently outperform their peers. Diversity brings a wide range of perspectives, leading to more creative problem-solving and better decision-making. As the business world becomes more inclusive, prioritising diversity at the leadership level will be a key growth driver. In 2024, diversity isn’t just a value—it’s a strategic advantage. If you’re leading or advising a startup, now is the time to build a leadership team that reflects the diverse world we live in. #DiverseLeadership #InclusiveBusiness #StartupSuccess #Innovation #Leadership2024 #DiversityAndInclusion #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship2024 #LeadershipMatters #StartupCulture

📣 Exciting News! 📣 We have just published a new blog post that you cannot miss! It's all about Navigating Success: Leadership Strategies for Startups. 🚀 In this blog post, we will explore some key leadership strategies that can help startups navigate the path to success. From cultivating a strong company culture to fostering innovation, these strategies will empower startup leaders to make informed decisions and steer their teams in the right direction. To dive deeper into these invaluable strategies, click on the link below and get ready to unlock your startup's full potential. Don't miss out on this fantastic opportunity to elevate your leadership skills! https://lnkd.in/dyjUdRRx #leadershipstrategies #startupsuccess #professionaldevelopment #leadershipskills #blogpost #newblogpost

One of the top 5 mistakes first-time founders make is trying to do it alone This is inefficient, often leads to stress, disorganization and ultimately, end up hurting your new venture. Delegation is a simple yet powerful way to get more done. It is one of the core concepts of management leadership and crucial as you start to manage a team of employees. Why aren't you delegating more? #CEO #startup #leadership #performance