A Startup Guy

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What do you call your peeps? i mean the ones who work with you and for you? Most companies call them employees. I have a long time dislike of that word. Employees are people who show up to a job to do work and collect a paycheck. I want a TEAM! Team members buy into the shared mission of your group. They show up to build something great. The paycheck is a result of the work they do to accomplish the mission. It’s not the reason they show up.

I actually listen to companies and how they talk about (and to) the people who work for them. Large companies usually address their people as “employees” because, in truth, that’s what they have. They have worker bees who show up to do tasks. The entrepreneurs I admire most generally have team members. Their team buys into the vision of the business and they’re on a mission together. Sometimes, you’ll find entrepreneurial people within an “employee” company who consider and work with their people as a team. They’ve defined a vision within their own group and everyone has caught fire for making that vision come true.

What’s most entertaining is there is a noticeable difference in the environment of the two types of companies. “Employee” companies expect and get worker drones. They turn out good products and services. But “team” companies get people on fire for the mission. They frequently turn out remarkable stuff.

So, does your company have employees or a team?