In this episode of Entrepreneurship in Latam 101, we invited three entrepreneurs to talk about what it means to be a startup leader. Being at the helm of a company is no easy task, and there are many mistakes that can be made. Communication, resilience, task delegation, and other issues cause concern among entrepreneurs that lead startups.
In this episode, our guests talk in detail about their own experiences as team and project leaders. Among many other tips, they explain that the best way to face leadership is to do it from a human perspective. This means that vulnerability, striving to communicate in a healthy way, and creating a safe space for employees should be a priority for any leader. Listen to this episode to know more about their recommendations and the lessons they learned along the way.
Our guests are:
- Johanna Molina: Co-founder and Head of Impact at Talanta, an edtech that for 10 years has been working to connect talent with opportunities by offering internship programs. The program has impacted thousands of people in more than 150 countries, and more than 40,000 people apply each year to participate.
- Domenica Obando: CEO and co-founder of Talently, an edtech that trains Latin American developers and connects them with international companies. Talently diagnoses the skills they need to accelerate their careers and also offers courses to develop soft skills. So far, Talently has helped 800 professionals get better jobs at companies like Paypal, Nubank, and Mercado Libre.
- Courtney McColgan: CEO and founder of Runa, a startup that offers a complete cloud-based HR and payroll software solution. The company is designed and built for small and medium-sized businesses in Latin America.
Outline of this episode:
- [00:35] – Introduction to the episode
- [01:28] – Introduction to the guests
- [06:58] – What does leadership mean to them?
- [10:41] – Why a good leader is open to change and improvement
- [14:29] – Being a startup leader in difficult times
- [16:13] – The culture of a remote team
- [22:09] – Leading Growing Teams
- [27:15] – The importance of sharing motivation and purpose
- [31:10] – Common mistakes among startup leaders
- [34:25] – Fighting the imposter syndrome
- [39:01] – Other common mistakes
- [42:05] – Final recommendations
Resources and people mentioned: