10 Lessons Startups Can Learn From Superheroes
A few weeks back I grabbed a drink with Sean Whitely, the VP of Operations for Slingshot Labs. He gave me some great advice on establishing “Core Values” for employees. His were: 1) We Get it Done 2) We Ask Questions 3)We Like Our Job 4) We Over Communicate 5) We Prove Ourselves Everyday
This got me thinking, what should the core values for our company be? And being a HUGE comic buff, I asked everyone on our team to pick which superhero they would be, and we went around the room and everyone had to explain why they picked that hero (the hilarity from that meeting will be a follow-up post).
I took this as the opportunity to frame our mission and values within the metaphor of an epic adventure. So here is the list of our core values, based on 10 Lessons Startups Can Learn From Superheros. (substitute “Superheros” for “Your StartUp Company”)
Superheroes Never Give Up
Like Batman, you have to keep pressing on to the very last breath. Challenges are overcome by wholeheartedly committing to unrelenting persistence.
Superheroes Always Get the Job Done
There are no excuses if you don’t save the girl from the burning house. There are just results, not reasons, you either save the day or you don’t. Gray area is for Kafka not comic heros.
Superheroes Are the Best at What They Do
Flash is the fastest and we all know it. . If you’re the back end developer, you are the best developer in the world, and everyone on your team knows it. Let great talent excel in areas where their superpowers are most needed.
Superheroes Are Crystal Clear of their Purpose
Captain Marvel may be a cheeseball, but he knows what he stands for. Startups die when they are not clear on their mission.
Superheroes Are NOT Flawless
Superheros have flaws, every member of your team will also. The goal is not perfection, it’s the pursuit of perfection.
Superheroes Do Not Seek Glory…But They Get it Anyway
Don’t do it because you want the attention.
If you do it right, you’ll get it anyway
Superheroes Help Others
Superheroes help people by solving problems. Startups should be obsessed NOT with themselves, but with how they are going to help other people and solve their issues.
Superheroes Can Do it By Themselves But Are More Powerful in Teams
You always have to have each other’s back. Its you vs. the world and brining together your own team of superheroes, and the mutual respect, loyalty, and camaraderie of that team is vital.
Superheroes’ True Strength Comes From Their Character
No matter how super you think you are, you’re strength comes from your character not your talent. Be courageous, be respectful, be honorable, be selfless.
Superheroes Accomplish Huge Feats
The same effort it takes to start a lemonade stand or college club, is the same raw effort it takes to change the world. Your goal is not to build a product or get traffic… Your goal is to accomplish the most amazing feat imaginable. Make the Product, Save the World.
September 24th, 2008 at 12:37 am
i can relate with the spiderman post. i always tell my buddies that in a startup, everything is working against you. there’s never enough time, money, or people. but nobody cares unless you deliver results because regardless of your reasons, the girl died.
thanks for your 7 tips yesterday. i joined twitter last night, how do i ping you to get that list?
September 24th, 2008 at 12:46 am
just send me an email to jason at docstoc, thanks for the comment
September 24th, 2008 at 1:00 am
Awesome, tell Sean I said hi next time.
Very awesome analogies….
We should make a motivational poster
j
September 24th, 2008 at 1:53 am
love it. reminds me of a post we did on which superhero you are:
http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/12/29/what-superhero-are-you/
September 24th, 2008 at 2:00 am
Great post; really love it.
I couldn’t agree more
September 24th, 2008 at 2:17 am
i love this post, dude.
Really well done!
September 24th, 2008 at 2:24 am
“Make the Product, Save the World” - haha. Saving the world one client at time
September 24th, 2008 at 2:41 am
Great post, I think it really could bring out different personalities with in a team, strengths and weaknesses. Superheros never let their weaknesses get the better of them and always come up with a solution.
September 24th, 2008 at 6:07 am
This is a truism in a time when the longtail is bound to flourish. The net in this social network scene provides the collaboration for small businesses to flourish, the sharing mentality to be able to provide value, help others and continue interating and growing. Suddenly it seems like the start-ups are no longer an island. There’s a wealth of knowledge and like-minds willing to help each other along. Thanks so much for validating this.
September 24th, 2008 at 8:52 am
[...] September 24, 2008 — aargenz1 I just read Jason Nazr’s Blog Post “10 Lessons Startups Can Learn From Superheroes” and loved it! [...]
September 24th, 2008 at 11:23 am
Great Post. I am going to keep up with you.
September 24th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
[...] a really cool article today about what Startups can learn from Superheroes. It is a neat little blog post that shares a lot of the same values we have around here, basically: [...]
September 24th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
[...] be paralleled with super-hero qualities. I thought this was quite a funny (albeit cheesy) look at how start-ups should position and identify [...]
September 24th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
[...] I happen to stumble onto Jason Nazar’s Blog and I saw this post titled, “10 Lessons Startups Can Learn From Superheroes” and I was quite taken at the parallels he was making between the two. Some of the analogies were a [...]
September 25th, 2008 at 4:56 am
enthonna ethu. kure cartoons kaanichu super heros aarennu padippikkunno? adyam manushyan nannakaan para. ennittu hero aakaam.
September 25th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
[...] Jason Nazar, co-founder and CEO of DocStoc (and friend) visited the Dealmaker Media office yesterday - and he gave us his thoughts about Startonomics based on his own experiences as an entrepreneur. He has an awesome blog post about Superheros - which provides an entertaining and education read as we get nearer to the event… You can view the original post here. [...]
September 27th, 2008 at 12:10 am
[...] Jason Nazar’s Blog » Blog Archive » 10 Lessons Startups Can Learn From Superheroes [...]
November 12th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
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November 25th, 2008 at 2:24 am
Hey Jason!
Nice post. From my personal experience, I can tell that this post is absolutely relevant in a startup like ours.
Good luck, cheers!