11 Tips for Ensuring Project Success

It's a common tips but very simple and straight forward about project success. It has been said that nearly 80% of all projects either fail completely or never get to completion. This is a very big statement to make, but Sabrina John said in her article that She has found that if you stick to the 10 tips given below, you will most definitely always deliver a quality project, on time and within budget.

0. Handover. (This is Nico Story)
The project started before kick off. It is when the pre-sales activity ends. When is it end? It is ends when the winner is announced or the project executor has been appointed (from Customer point of view) and hand-over process to project team (from Internal point of view). The project team have to make sure that they understand what are the objectives of the project, the expectations and all of the things agreed in the pre-sales activity.

During my career, I have experienced 2 kind of roles. As the project team member, I have experienced not clear process of handover that make my team more struggling to fight (work) in the middle of our battlefield (project). We have to cover (fix) all the "sin" that rise in the middle of project. It was something that already expected by my customer during the pre-sales activity and translated into another sentence that was uncertain. It could be translated to several meaning and at that time it made us work harder.

The other role I had and my current roles is as pre-sales consultant. I won't tell you about all the job descriptions but only about the hand-over process that must be done. It's mandatory to do hand-over process. I always be honest with the project team member about things that showed up during the pre-sales activity whether it was good or bad. Pre-sales always try to maintain customer expectation and of course limit the scope in the agreement to eliminate uncertainty that will make loss to both party. Mostly it's happy ending, but there were some cases that challenging and made the project a bit stormy. Anyway it's very helpful and increase the success rate if the hand-over process is conducted correctly.

1. Project kick off. 
When you start your project, the most important thing is to ensure that you obtain the requirements in as much detail as possible. You will then be able to exactly understand what needs to be delivered, by when and to whom. This business case document will form the basis of your project.

2. Timeframes. 
As far as possible, keep timeframes as short and realistic as possible. Do not commit to long term deliverables, but rather split these up into mini projects or separate phases of an overall encompassing project.

3. Milestones. 
Create milestones for every phase or piece of work in your project. Add delivery dates to these and stick to them. If you are going to miss a deadline, communicate this to you client as early as possible.

4. Deliverables. 
Deliverables should not be confused with milestones. Once every deliverable has been completed, it must be formally handed over to the client, who should sign an Acceptance Form to confirm it has met their expectations as per original requirements.

5. Clients. 
Understand your client and involve them right through the entire project, from planning to implementation. Communicate to them on a regular basis to ensure you get their buy-in in the project.

6. Scope. 
Document the scope of the project up front, including what is in and what is out and have this signed off by the client. Any future scope changes must be re-evaluated and agreed by all stakeholders against the original scope. A formal change management process will go a long way to assist with this.

7. Quality. 
Quality on any project should not be a negotiable factor and must always be of the highest possible. Ensure that you implement a clear quality management process, ensuring constant review throughout the project. This should include peer reviews so that team members review each other's deliverables.

8. Risks and Issues. 
Risks and issues must be formally documented and discussed and reviewed at least every week. Ensure that these are prioritized, responsible persons assigned to each and actions have due dates.

9. The Team. 
It is very important to assemble the best team possible to deliver the project. Require the best you can afford. Your role would be to lead and motivate the team and ensure they work well together.

10. Communication. 
Make sure that a formal communication plan is drawn up, which will communicate the correct information to the correct audience at the correct intervals, from daily team meetings right up to the executive level of dashboard reporting to senior management.

Applying these ten tips to every project you manage should put you on the right track to deliver projects of high quality, on time and within budget, every time.


Source: Sabrina John via LinkedIn

Invest More For Your Future

“Do not save what is left after spending, but spend what is left after saving.” – Warren Buffett

Like the quote above, most people including me choose the wrong life choice. I always spend the money first, buy things, hang out and after all of them have been satisfied finally I put some money for saving. This become my habit since in high school. At that time, my parents always give weekly "salary". Not the real salary, but pocket money.

At the college, it was getting worst because my parents gave me monthly pocket money like regular working people got transferred every month. The only different thing was mine was transferred at the early of month, not like the regular worker. Although it was getting worst, indeed I could save more money because I had another income at the time.

When I started to work few years ago, my bad habit was not changed. Spending first, save later. Save what is left after I satisfied spend it by bought new gadget, hang out, etc... Lately I start to change my habit. I start to follow my girlfriend advice to save the money at the moment I receive the money, exactly like the quote from Warren Buffett.

I cannot tell you what are the results for now. But 1 thing for sure, I am start to spend the money left in my account carefully. I become more wise and discipline. So, the next question? What are savings for? Of course, what I mean here is not the real saving but more like what Warren Buffett do, more investment. Invest more for your future. Below is more quotes from Warren Buffet. Cheers :)

Perbedaan Badan Usaha PT dan CV

#Sumber: Ipan.web.id

Perbedaan mendasar CV dan PT sebagai berikut:

1. PT merupakan badan hukum sedang CV bukan badan hukum.
2. PT berbadan hukum sehingga kedudukannya sama dengan orang per orang dari sisi hukum, misal nama PT dapat digunakan untuk nama rekening bank seperti layaknya orang. PT juga dapat bertindak di muka pengadilan layaknya orang. CV tidak memiliki akses dan hak seperti klausa di atas.
3. PT dapat memiliki harta kekayaan terpisah dari pendiri/pemiliknya.Sedang CV , kekayaan pendirianya tidak terpisahkan dari kekayaan CV. Ini penting. Misal ketika ada kebangkrutan.
4. PT memiliki aturan jelas untuk modal minimal, yaituRp. 50juta. CV tidak terikat dengan besarnya modal minimal.
5. PT dalam proses pendiriannya wajib menyetorkan modal dasar ke Perseroan minimal 25%, sedang CV tidak terikat.
6. Dalam mendirikan PT komposisi setoran modal masing-masing pendiri tersebut jelas dalam anggaran dasarnya, sedang CV tidak perlu penyebutan komposisinya.
7. Dalam PT  perlu menyebutkan klasifikasi saham, hak-hak yang melekat pada saham, nomisal saham. Dalam CV itu tidak ada.
8. CV didirikan minimal oleh 2 orang, yang salah satunya selaku persero aktif yang mengurusi, dan sekaligus menjadi Direktur, dan persero pasif atau disebut Persero Komanditer.
9. Persero Aktif bertanggung jawab atas tagihan/hutang pihak ketiga termasuk menjaminkan harta pribadinya.

Dalam mengikuti tender proyek pemrintah atau bantuan asing, bank dunia dll. Ada syarat tertentu berkaitan dengan nilai kontrak tender, misal nilai kontrak 10 milyar, haruslah usaha dengan klasifikasi PT yang boleh mengkuti, CV belum memenuhi syarat. Ini hanya contoh dan akan saya bahas lebih mendalam pada tulisan berikutnya. Yang terpenting anda sudah memahami sedikit perbedaan CV dan PT, mengingat perbedaan CV dan PT tidak hanya dalam bentuk perusahaan bisnis namun juga dalam perlakuan hukum.

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#Sumber: Lawindo.biz

Masing-masing bentuk perusahaan atau badan usaha memiliki banyak perbedaan baik kelebihan atau kekurangan disesuaikan dengan usaha anda. Walaupun demikian ketiga bentuk badan usaha ini selalu menjadi pilihan utama yang banyak digunakan oleh pengusaha di Indonesia dengan berbagai alasan dan pertimbangan sebagai landasan untuk dapat melakukan kegiatan usaha di berbagai bidang. 

Bentuk Perusahaan:
PT

• Bentuk Perusahaan Nomor 1 yang paling populer di Indonesia
• Banyak digunakan untuk kegiatan usaha Kecil, Menengah atau Besar
• PT adalah bentuk perusahaan yang berbadan hukum 

CV

• Bentuk perusahaan Nomor 2 yang banyak digunakan oleh UKM-usaha kecil dan menengah
• CV adalah badan usaha bukan badan hukum seperti PT

Dasar Hukum:
PT

• Pendirian PT harus sesuai dengan Undang-Undang PT Nomor 40 Tahun 2007 tentang Perseroan Terbatas 

CV

• Belum ada Undang-Undang yang secara khusus mengatur tentang Pendirian CV 

Pendiri Perusahaan:

PT

• Jumlah pendiri perseroan terbatas  minimal 2 (dua) orang
• Para pendiri Perseroan adalah Warga Negara Asing
• Warga negara asing dapat menjadi pendiri untuk Perseroan yang didirikan dalam rangka Penanaman Modal Asing (PMA)
• Para pendiri harus mengambil bagian saham pada saat perseroan terbatas didirikan
• Setelah PT mendapatkan status sebagai badan hukum sesuai Undang-Undang yang berlaku, maka segala resiko yang timbul menjadi tanggung jawab perusahaan dan bukan menjadi tanggung jawab pribadi para pendiri perusahaan 

CV

• Jumlah pendiri perseroan komanditer minimal 2 (dua) orang
• Para pendiri Perseroan adalah Warga Negara Indonesia
• Para pendiri terdiri dari Persero aktif dan Persero Diam (komanditer)
• Persero Aktif adalah pesero pengurus dengan jabatan sebagai Direktur yang bertanggung jawab penuh melaksanakan kegiatan usaha termasuk menanggung segala resiko harta pribadinya
• Pesero diam (komanditer) hanya bertanggung jawab sebatas besarnya jumlah modal yang disetor ke dalam perusahaan

Nama Perusahaan:

PT

• Pemakaian Nama PT diatur dalam pasal 16 Undang-Undang PT nomor 40 tahun 2007
• Nama Perseroan harus didahulukan dengan frase PERSEROAN TERBATAS atau disingkat PT
• Nama Perseroan Terbatas tidak boleh sama atau mirip dengan nama PT yang sudah ada dan berdiri di wilayah Republik

CV

• Tidak ada Undang-undang atau peraturan yang secara khusus mengatur tentang Pemakaian Nama Perseroan Komanditer atau CV
• Artinya; Adanya kemungkinan kesamaan atau kemiripan nama perusahaan

Modal Perusahaan:

PT

• Berdasarkan Undang-Undang No. 40 Tahun 2007 modal perseroan terbatas  ditentukan sebagai berikut;
• Modal dasar minimal Rp. 50.000.000 (lima puluh juta)
• Ketentuan minimal modal dasar tersebut dapat ditentukan lain oleh Undang-undang atau Peraturan yang mengatur tentang pelaksanaan kegiatan usaha tersebut di Indonesia
• Dari modal dasar tersebut minimal 25% atau sebesar Rp. 12.500.000,- harus sudah ditempatkan dan disetor oleh Para Pendiri Perseroan selaku Pemegang Saham Perseroan
• Sumber Modal: Pemilik modal dapat bersumber dari swasta (individu, badan usaha), dari pemerintah pusat, pemerintah daerah, warga negara asing, badan usaha asing atau pemerintah asing

CV

• Didalam Akta CV tidak disebutkan besarnya Modal Dasar, Modal ditempatkan atau Modal disetor
• Artinya; Tidak ada kepemilikan saham didalam anggaran dasar CV. Besarnya penyetoran modal ditentukan dan dicatat sendiri secara terpisah oleh para pendiri
• Bukti penyetoran modal oleh para pendiri yang terdiri dari Pesero Aktif dan Pesero Pasif dapat dibuat perjanjian sendiri yang disepakati oleh masing-masing pihak
• Sumber Modal : Pemilik modal adalah Swasta Didalam Akta CV tidak disebutkan besarnya Modal Dasar, Modal ditempatkan atau Modal disetor

Bidang Usaha:

PT

• PT dapat melakukan semua kegiatan usaha sesuai dengan maksud dan tujuan sesuai jenis perseroan, seperti;
• PT non Fasilitas meliputi kegiatan usaha: Perdagangan, Pembangunan (Kontraktor), Perindustrian, Pertambangan, Pengangkutan Darat, Pertanian, Percetakan, Perbengkelan dan Jasa
• PT Fasilitas PMA
• PT Fasilitas PMDN
• PT Persero BUMN
• PT Perbankan
• PT Lembaga keuangan non PerbankanPT Usaha Khusus meliputi kegiatan usaha; Forwarding, Perusahaan Pers, Perfilman dan Perekaman Video, Radio Siaran Swasta, Pariwisata, Pengangkutan Udara Niaga, Perusahaan Bongkar Muat, Ekspedisi Muatan Kapal Laut, Ekspedisi Muatan Kapal Udara dan Pelayaran

CV

• CV hanya dapat melakukan kegiatan usaha yang terbatas pada bidang; Perdagangan, Pembangunan (Kontraktor) s.d Gred 4, Perindustrian, Perbengkelan, Pertanian, Percetakan dan Jasa.
• CV memiliki keterbatasan dalam melaksanakan kegiatan usaha, karena beberapa bidang usaha ditetapkan dalam peraturan harus berbentuk Perseroan Terbatas

Pengurus Perusahaan:

PT

• Pengurus Perseroan Terbatas minimal 2 (dua) yang terdiri dari seorang Direksi dan seorang Komisaris, kecuali untuk Perseroan Terbuka wajib memiliki paling sedikit 2 (dua) orang anggota Direksi
• Apabila Direksi dan Komisaris lebih dari satu orang maka salah satu bisa diangkat menjadi Direktur Utama dan Komisaris Utama
• Pengurus dapat juga sebagai Pemegang Saham Perseroan, kecuali ditentukan lain
• Pengurus perseroan diangkat dan diberhentikan berdasarkan RUPS

CV

• Pengurus Perseroan Komanditer minimal 2 (dua) orang yang terdiri dari Pesero Akta dan Pesero Pasif
• Pesero Aktif adalah orang bertanggung penuh melaksanakan kegiatan perusahaan, termasuk kerugian yang harus ditanggung oleh harta pribadinya
• Pesero Pasif adalah orang yang bertanggung jawab sebatas pada besarnya modal yang diberikan kepada perusahaan

Proses Pendirian Perusahaan:

PT

• Pemakaian nama PT harus mendapatkan persetujuan Menteri terlebih dahulu untuk bisa digunakan
• Minimal didirikan oleh 2 (dua) orang atau lebih
• Proses Pendirian PT harus dibuat dengan Akta Otentik yang memuat anggaran dasar perseroan dan dibuat oleh Notaris
• Akta Pendirian PT harus mendapatkan Pengesahan Menteri Hukum & HAM RI

CV

• Pemakaian nama CV tidak perlu mendapatkan persetujuan dari Menteri
• Minimal didirikan oleh 2 (dua) orang atau lebih
• Proses Pendirian CV harus dibuat dengan Akta Otentik yang memuat anggaran dasar perseroan dan dibuat oleh Notaris
• Akta pendirian CV cukup didaftarkan ke Pengadilan Negeri setempat

Perubahan Anggaran Dasar Perusahaan:

PT

• Setiap perubahan anggaran dasar harus berdasarkan RUPS-rapat umum pemengang saham
• Setiap perubahan anggaran dasar wajib mendapatkan Persetujuan Menteri Hukum dan HAM RI

CV

• Setiap perubahan tidak perlu RUPS
• Perubahan anggaran dasar dan perubahan lainnya tidak perlu mendapatkan Persetujuan Menteri

Plan Do Check Act / PDCA - Overview

PDCA is an iterative four-step management method used in business for the control and continuous improvement of processes and products.

PLAN : Establish the objectives and processes necessary to deliver results in accordance with the expected output (the target or goals). 
Plan : Identifying and analyzing the problem.

DO : Implement the plan, execute the process, make the product. Collect data for charting and analysis in the following "CHECK" and "ACT" steps.
Do : Developing and testing a potential solution.

CHECK : Study the actual results (measured and collected in "DO" above) and compare against the expected results (targets or goals from the "PLAN") to ascertain any differences. Charting data can make this much easier to see trends over several PDCA cycles and in order to convert the collected data into information. Information is what you need for the next step "ACT".

Check : Measuring how effective the test solution was, and analyzing whether it could be improved in any way.

ACT : If the CHECK shows that the PLAN that was implemented in DO is an improvement to the prior standard (baseline), then that becomes the new standard (baseline) for how the organization should ACT going forward (new standards are enACTed). If the CHECK shows that the PLAN that was implemented in DO is not an improvement, then the existing standard (baseline) will remain in place. In either case, if the CHECK showed something different than expected (whether better or worse), then there is some more learning to be done... and that will suggest potential future PDCA cycles.

Act : Implementing the improved solution fully.

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Source 1 : Wikipedia

Source 2 : Mindtools

50 Most Common Interview Questions - By Glassdoor

When it comes to the interview process, research and preparation for the interview can often times determine your chances of making it to the next step. One of the best ways to get ready for a job interview is to practice your responses to any and all interview questions – even the downright weird.

To help you get started, Glassdoor sifted through tens of thousands of interview reviews to find out some of the most common interview questions candidates get asked during recent interviews. So, if you have a job interview lined up, practice in front of a mirror or ask a friend or family member to listen to your answers to the following questions so you’ll be ready to put your best foot forward.

Most Common Interview Questions

1. What are your strengths?
2. What are your weaknesses?
3. Why are you interested in working for [insert company name here]?
4. Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years?
5. Why do you want to leave your current company?
6. Why was there a gap in your employment between [insert date] and [insert date]?
7. What can you offer us that someone else can not?
8. What are three things your former manager would like you to improve on?
9. Are you willing to relocate?
10. Are you willing to travel?
11. Tell me about an accomplishment you are most proud of.
12. Tell me about a time you made a mistake.
13. What is your dream job?
14. How did you hear about this position?
15. What would you look to accomplish in the first 30 days/60 days/90 days on the job?
16. Discuss your resume.
17. Discuss your educational background.
18. Describe yourself.
19. Tell me how you handled a difficult situation.
20. Why should we hire you?
21. Why are you looking for a new job?
22. Would you work holidays/weekends?
23. How would you deal with an angry or irate customer?
24. What are your salary requirements? (Hint: if you’re not sure what’s a fair salary range and compensation package, research the job title and/or company on Glassdoor.)
25. Give a time when you went above and beyond the requirements for a project.
26. Who are our competitors?
27. What was your biggest failure?
28. What motivates you?
29. What’s your availability?
30. Who’s your mentor?
31. Tell me about a time when you disagreed with your boss.
32. How do you handle pressure?
33. What is the name of our CEO?
34. What are your career goals?
35. What gets you up in the morning?
36. What would your direct reports say about you?
37. What were your bosses’ strengths/weaknesses?
38. If I called your boss right now and asked him what is an area that you could improve on, what would he say?
39. Are you a leader or a follower?
40. What was the last book you’ve read for fun?
41. What are your co-worker pet peeves?
42. What are your hobbies?
43. What is your favorite website?
44. What makes you uncomfortable?
45. What are some of your leadership experiences?
46. How would you fire someone?
47. What do you like the most and least about working in this industry?
48. Would you work 40+ hours a week?
49. What questions haven’t I asked you?
50. What questions do you have for me?

Source : Glassdoor

The 10 Company Culture Metrics You Should Be Tracking Right Now - By Entrepreneur

Everyone loves company culture.  And everyone loves metrics.  However, business leaders have had a hard time putting the two together in a meaningful way. Culture has long been regarded as a “soft” topic -- too intangible, subjective and elusive to measure and track. This has made it challenging to know how to align culture with business success.

After 15 years as an entrepreneur and business leader, diving into academic and professional research, and interviewing hundreds of companies, I’ve chosen to dedicate my career to understanding what makes companies tick. In simple terms, company culture is the set of behaviors that determine how things get done in a company. Therefore, when searching for culture metrics, it makes sense to follow the lead of companies that have had consistent financial and operational success, or in business jargon, high-performance companies.

In the most recent company that I founded, CultureIQ, a business providing company culture-management software, we have identified 10 qualities that are shared by high-performance companies. While each company has its own style of approaching the 10 elements, they are the ingredients of a strong culture. Using these qualities as metrics to track, business leaders can finally understand whether their company is on the path to culture success.

1.  Communication
In companies with strong communication, employees are able to communicate their thoughts and suggestions to leadership, while leadership effectively communicates necessary information to employees. Assess if your current channels of communication are effective at helping everyone in the company send, receive and understand information.

2. Innovation
As an entrepreneur, innovation is one of my favorite subjects. It is closely related to communication, because it comes down to whether employees have the ability to move ideas through the organization and how much your company is open to new ideas. When measuring innovation, remember that it comes in many forms, such as resources, processes, behaviors and the product itself.

3. Agility
Agility is key to staying competitive in the market. While leadership might feel that they are adapting well to internal and external changes, other employees will be the ones to feel the effects of whatever falls through the cracks. Therefore, keep tabs on your company’s agility by regularly soliciting feedback from employees at all levels.

4. Wellness
Workplace wellness encompasses the mental and physical health of employees. Not only does wellness lead to happier and more productive employees but this metric also has an important ripple effect. According to a study in Health Affairs, medical costs and absentee costs fall about $3.27 and $2.73 respectively for every dollar spent on wellness programs.

5. Environment

While it’s certainly exciting, you don’t need to have a trendy or themed office to have an effective work environment. What is most important is that the workplace provides for comfortable, productive employees. For instance, small details, such as the temperature of the office, could be resulting in big losses in productivity. Focus on employee comments related to the workplace, and you will find some of the easiest and fastest ways to improve their performance.

6. Collaboration
Collaboration has many layers, and once again, employee feedback is the key to getting to the bottom of them. Your marketing team might work splendidly together but struggle working with other departments. To fully measure your company’s collaboration, look for collaboration within teams, as well as collaboration between teams.

7. Support
Employees should feel supported by the overall company, their manager and peers. According to a study in Harvard Business Review, middle managers are the most disgruntled group in the workforce, possibly because they are lacking the support they need to be successful. By digging into this metric on an individual and group level, you are able to expose important trends in engagement.

8. Performance focus
Everyone should understand what determines success in their role, and they should be rewarded or recognized accordingly. Larger rewards do not necessarily make for a stronger culture. Instead, take time to understand if employees feel they are appreciated and how they would like to be recognized.

9. Responsibility
Responsibility encompasses employee accountability for actions and results, as well as the ability to make decisions regarding their work. While it seems like an individual metric, these behaviors should be promoted and assessed on a company-wide level. And believe me, you’ll find that employees are eager to report back on their experience in this area.

10. Mission and value alignment

The first step is having a mission statement and company values, and that’s the easy part. You should also keep regular tabs on if employees know your mission and values, understand them, and live by them. This process starts during recruitment, so don’t let this metric fall to the wayside during periods of high growth.

...

So there you have it; finally, culture and metrics can live happily ever after. The unique way in which you approach these qualities is what I like to call the “personality” of your company. These metrics won’t capture the specifics of your personality, but they will measure if it is working for your employees. They will help you understand if your culture is contributing to a happy, engaged, and effective workforce. 

Source : Greg Besner - Via Entrepreneur

36 Cara untuk Memotivasi Karyawan Anda - oleh Startup Bisnis

Editor’s Note : Artikel ini ditulis oleh Bryan J. Zaslow, Founder / President / CEO dari JBCStyle / JBCconnect / JBCPlatform. JBCStyle adalah sebuah full-service recruiting agency dengan fokus utama pada industri fashion, beauty, action & sports, retail dan home industries. JBCconnect adalah perusahaan penyedia creative staffing. JBCPlatform adalah perusahaan penyedia temporary staffing untuk berbagai macam industri seperti hospitality, catering, administrative, dsb.

An employee who enjoys coming to work is a worthy investment.

Pekerjaan yang bagus memang sulit ditemukan, namun setiap entrepreneur tahu bahwa karyawan yang bagus lebih sulit lagi untuk dipertahankan. Seorang entrepreneur harus memastikan perusahaannya memiliki karyawan yang lebih mementingkan pekerjaannya lebih daripada gajinya.

Selama bertahun-tahun, saya merasa mudah untuk memotivasi karyawan, yang perlu saya lakukan hanya menjadi leader yang layak untuk diikuti dan memberikan pekerjaan yang bernilai untuk dikerjakan. Namun setelah hampir 7 tahun berada di perusahaan, Saya masih mencari cara-cara baru untuk mempertahankan produktivitas dan memberikan setiap individu hal yang mereka perlukan untuk melakukan yang terbaik.

Inilah cara-cara yang saya lakukan :

1. Mendukung ide-ide baru

Ketika seorang karyawan datang kepada Anda dengan sebuah ide atau solusi untuk suatu masalah yang mereka percaya baik bagi perusahaan, itu tandanya mereka peduli. Mendukung ide-ide baru dan memberikan masing-masing individu kesempatan untuk menjalankannya adalah sebuah motivasi, meskipun pada akhirnya ide tersebut tidak berhasil

2. Berikan wewenang pada setiap individu

Setiap individu berkontribusi pada bottom line perusahaan. Membuat mereka mempunyai peran dalam pekerjaan mereka, besar atau kecil, akan membuat mereka mempunyai ‘sense of ownership’ yang akan membuat mereka mempunyai performa yang melebihi ekspektasi.

3. Jangan biarkan mereka bosan

Saya mudah merasa bosan, jadi saya berasumsi bahwa karyawan saya juga mempunyai short attention span. Seperti kontes membuat cupcake, merencanakan happy hour, membuat kontes push-up di tengah-tengah kantor pada hari rabu, atau membiarkan orang yang berbeda untuk menjalankan meeting mingguan supaya tidak monoton.

4. Rayakan setiap momen penting

Sekitar 7 tahun lalu, ketika perusahaan hanya mempunyai kurang dari 10 karyawan, kami merayakan ulang tahun setiap karyawan, work anniversary, pertunangan, dan juga kejadian-kejadian penting pribadi mereka. Sekarang, sebagai perusahaan yang mempunyai lebih dari 100 karyawan, kami masih merayakan kejadian-kejadian penting tersebut.

5. Mengenali setiap pencapaian professional mereka

Setiap orang ingin diakui kehebatannya. Pengakuan dan pujian dari para manajer tingkat atas atau owner dari perusahaan akan sangat berarti bagi seorang karyawan, lebih dari yang Anda bayangkan.

6. Dengarkan mereka

Ini mungkin adalah hal termudah dan juga kadang tersulit  yang dapat Anda lakukan untuk karyawan Anda. Meluangkan sedikit waktu setiap harinya untuk mendengarkan ide karyawan Anda tidak hanya membuat mereka senang, namun juga akan memberikan Anda wawasan lebih pada bisnis Anda dari orang-orang yang membantu Anda menjalankannya.

7. Mendorong adanya persaingan yang sehat

Lingkungan yang kompetitif merupakan lingkungan yang produktif. Mendorong karyawan untuk berpartisipasi pada kompetisi atau tantangan merupakan hal yang sehat dan bahkan akan meningkatkan persahabatan.

8. Luangkan waktu Anda

Meskipun Anda mempunyai jadwal yang sangat padat, Anda perlu meluangkan sedikit waktu, mungkin beberapa menit setiap harinya untuk mengobrol dengan karyawan Anda. Meskipun mungkin hal tersebut tidak ada di kalender jadwal Anda.

9. Memberikan reward pada suatu pencapaian

Jika menepuk pundak atau melakukan tos tangan tidak cukup, Anda dapat memberikan insentif keuangan akan membuat mereka terkesan atau intangible reward seperti training yang valuable.

10. Buatlah sasaran yang dapat dicapai

Membuat sebuah target adalah hal yang penting, namun memastikan bahwa sasaran yang dibuat tidak terlampau tinggi akan membantu Anda menentukan tercapai atau tidaknya target pada evaluasi akhir tahun.

11. Berikan pengakuan pada mereka yang berhak mendapatkannya

Meskipun para karyawan datang ke kantor untuk menyelesaikan pekerjaan yang telah ditetapkan untuk mereka, jika mereka melakukannya dengan baik, hal itu juga merupakan sebuah pencapaian. Beri tahu semua orang di perusahaan tentang kerja keras mereka.

12. Dorong mereka untuk menjadi dirinya sendiri

Setiap orang tidaklah sama. Mendorong berkembangnya kepribadian setiap orang akan menciptakan kultur yang dinamis dan beraneka ragam. Selain itu juga akan tercipta lingkungan kerja yang lebih terbuka dan dapat menerima perbedaan. Kami mempunyai banyak karakter orang disini di JBC, semakin banyak semakin meriah.

13. Jadilah leader yang layak untuk diikuti

Ini adalah hal yang pasti saya lakukan. Jika karyawan saya tidak menilai saya sebagai pemimpin yang layak, bagaimana saya bisa mengharapkan mereka untuk percaya

14. Berikan contoh

Berikan sebuah contoh, atau mungkin 2 atau 3 contoh. Saya tidak dapat mengharapkan karyawan saya untuk melakukan suatu hal jika saya tidak melakukannya juga. Saya selalu bertanya pada diri saya apakah ekspektasi saya untuk karyawan saya sebanding dengan ekpektasi yang akan saya tetapkan untuk diri saya sendiri.

15. Buatlah segala sesuatu menjadi menarik

Melakukan hal-hal kecil dengan berbeda atau melakukan sedikit hal-hal gila atau tidak jelas dapat mencairkan suasana kerja.

16. Mendorong untuk belajar skill baru

Waktu terus berjalan. Memastikan bahwa setiap karyawan mendapatkan kesempatan untuk belajar ilmu baru atau memperbarui ilmu lama akan menguntungkan semua orang yang terlibat di dalamnya.

17. Mengenali kelebihan masing-masing karyawan

Kemampuan untuk mengeluarkan kemampuan terbaik dari karyawannya adalah bakat yang harus dikuasai setiap entrepreneur.

18. Membuat hubungan yang lebih personal

Ini memang merupakan hal yang cukup tricky, karena ada suatu batasan yang tidak boleh kita lewati. Namun, menunjukkan kepedulian dan ketertarikan pada kehidupan masing-masing karyawan akan cukup berguna.

19. Buatlah sebuah jenjang karir yang jelas

Mengetahui apa yang akan dicapai kedepannya adalah motivasi yang utama. Karyawan yang telah mempunyai jalan untuk mencapai promosi, akan bekerja menuju target itu. Hal ini akan meningkatkan komitmen para karyawan.

20. Membuat sebuah tradisi

Acara Thanksgiving tahunan kami sangat ditunggu-tunggu hingga beberapa karyawan membatalkan liburannya untuk berpartisipasi. Setiap musim liburan, kami mengadakan acara “toy drive” untuk sekolah-sekolah di Bronx. Karyawan-karyawan di US terbang ke sana untuk ikut berpartisipasi. Maka, mulailah sebuah tradisi dan terus lakukan.

21. Kenali tim Anda secara individu

Setiap orang berbeda, namun ada beberapa orang yang sangat berbeda sehingga mereka butuh management style yang lebih personal. Memahami karyawan Anda secara individual adalah satu-satunya cara untuk mengelola mereka secara efektif.

22. Miliki pikiran yang terbuka

Saya tetap terbuka pada ide-ide baru dan metode-metode baru. Segala sesuatu yang baru patut dieksplorasi dan dipertimbangkan.

23. Miliki kesabaran

Entrepreneur cenderung hanya tertarik pada hasil. Kesabaran akan mencegah Anda untuk berekspektasi terlalu awal dan terlalu tinggi, sehingga akan membuat karyawan untuk menyelesaikan tugasnya dengan baik.

24. Rangkul perubahan

Melawan perubahan lebih sulit daripada merangkul perubahan. Saya telah mengalami hal tersebut baru-baru ini dalam hal media sosial dan hidup di jaman digital. Saya juga mendorong karyawan saya untuk melakukan hal yang sama.

25. Membuat lingkungan kerja yang positif

Tidak ada tempat untuk pikiran negatif untuk mencapai kesuksesan. Sebuah lingkungan kerja yang positif merupakan cerminan dari pemimpin yang positif.

26. Mengembangkan kreativitas

Lingkungan yang kreatif adalah lingkungan yang mudah berkembang. Doronglah kreativitas, buatlah “thinking out of the box” menjadi kewajiban, dan lihatlah bisnis Anda berkembang

27. Mengijinkan mereka membawa hewan peliharaan

Dua anjing saya datang ke kantor setiap hari, dan semua karyawan saya dibebaskan untuk membawa hewan peliharaan mereka ke tempat kerja. Hewan peliharaan dapat membuat orang-orang merasa senang dan membawa rasa persahabatan ke kantor.

28. Buatlah ekspektasi yang jelas

Tentukan ekspektasi atau harapan yang jelas, sehingga Anda dapat menetapkan hasil yang spesifik.

29. Buatlah karyawan merasa memiliki perusahaan

Kesuksesan suatu bisnis berada pada ‘ownership’. Ketika karyawan merasa mereka mempunyai investasi di perusahaan, produktivitas akan meningkat.

30. Mempromosikan kesatuan

Setiap karyawan perlu untuk mampu berdiri sendiri, namun mampu untuk bekerja dalam tim juga sama pentingnya. Mempromosikan kesatuan akan membantu karyawan untuk mencapai sasaran individual dan tim.

31. Membuat mereka tertawa

Tertawa adalah hal yang menular, jadi bantulah menyebarkan kebahagiaan.

32. Jadilah fleksibel

Segala sesuatu tidak berakhir sesuai yang direncanakan, namun jika karyawan melihat Anda cukup terbuka dan berlapang dada untuk mengikuti alur, ketegangan akan menurun dan produktivitas akan tetap konstan.

33. Tawarkan insentif

Mengetahui akan adanya hadiah $500 atau mendapatkan hari libur tambahan akan membuat mereka lebih terdorong untuk mencapai target.

34. Berikan keseimbangan pada waktu kerja

Sebuah lingkungan kerja yang hidup memang baik, namun menjaga keseimbangan antara waktu kerja dan refreshing juga penting untuk mempertahankan tingkat produktivitas dan juga kesehatan jiwa para karyawan.

35. Sambutlah dengan terbuka metode-metode baru

Seperti yang kita tahu, jaman digital telah merubah banyak hal pada hidup kita. Merangkulnya daripada menghindarinya akan lebih baik. Metode-metode baru akan memastikan bisnis Anda dan para karyawan tetap

36. Berikan mereka alasan untuk datang bekerja setiap hari

Datang bekerja setiap hari dan kesiapan untuk melampaui ekspektasi, membutuhkan semangat juang yang tinggi untuk mencapainya.


Sumber : Startup Bisnis

Happy Birthday HubSpot! 9 Lessons From Our First 9 Years by OnStartups

1. Don't defer the hard co-founder questions for later. They only get harder.

Have the important conversation(s) with your co-founder early.  Topics might include long-term goals, fund-raising, equity allocation, vesting, etc. I've written an entire article with some of the questions co-founders should ask each other. In our case, one of the reasons my relationship with Brian Halligan (co-founder/CEO of HubSpot) has worked out so well is that we talked through these things early and made sure we had agreement and alignment.  One of the top reasons for startup failure is co-founder conflict.  You can't mitigate that risk completely, but you can reduce it significantly simply by some candid and direct conversations just as things are getting started.

Oh, and no, the best way to avoid co-founder conflict is not to not have any co-founders.  I think that's sub-optimal.  Your odds of success go up if you have a co-founder.  

2. An imperfect decision today is better than a perfect decision some day.

Some decisions will be impossiblly hard to make and you'll debate them for months (and in our case years).  Most decisions you'll need to make in a startup are based on imprecise and incomplete data. Get used to it.  Make the decision and move on.  Sometimes, you'll need to cycle back and "course-correct" decisions that are wrong and significant (the wrong, insignificant ones you should learn to ignore).

Let me give you an example of how not to do it.  In the early years of HubSpot we were trying to make the (very hard) decision about whether to focus on the very small business market or the mid-market (larger businesses with 10-2,000 employees).  We debated this one for years.  There were good, strong arguments on both sides.  We spent many days locked up in a conference room, promising ourselves we wouldn't leave the room until we had made a decision.  But, the decision still didn't get made.  We should have made the decision sooner, because regardless of which path we picked, we likely would have made it work.  

3. Don't be distracted by the "Press Release Hire".

When building the early team, don't get hung-up on how people look on "paper" (i.e. how experienced someone is).  Brian (my co-founder) calls these kind of hires the "Press Release Hire".  Litmus test:  Imagine you hired this person.  Would you issue a press release to let the world know that you brought this awesome person on board?  If so, you're probably more focused on what they've done instead of what they will do for you.  Don't get me wrong, if you can get someone that's a great fit and they've accomplished something in the past, and you think that'll translate to doing great things at your company, go for it -- and may the force be with you. But remember, that past successes at really big companies doesn't guarantee future success at your company.  The context is very different.  Also don't ignore talented future stars because they lack experience and nobody has heard of them.  At HubSpot, in those early years, we were all relatively unqualified for the roles we were in.  Some might argue I'm still unqualiifed for the role I'm in.  But, we were hungry, willing to learn and most importantly -- we cared. 

4. If you don't love your customers, you're more likely to lose.

You better really love your customers.  If not, pick a different idea or industry.  Life is short.  Startup success is both about solving a problem you care about and solving them for people you care about (or at least don't hate).  If you find yourself making fun of or disparaging your customers when they're not around, something's wrong.  It's not impossible to build a business this way (there are entire industries where it seems that every company hates their customers).  It's not impossible, but it's harder -- and less fun.  On the flip side, there's something immensely gratifying about genuinely helping people and caring.  If you love your customers, several good things happen.  One, they'll know it, and will stay longer (yay,lifetime value!).  They'll refer other customers.  You'll be able to recruit and retain better people onto the team.  So, overall, your odds of success go up.

5. Even micro-investments in culture can yield mega returns.

If you know me or know HubSpot, you probably know that we are obsessed  with culture.  As many people likely know HubSpot for it's culture as it's product (I could argue that the culture you create is part of the product).  But, it wasn't always that way.  In our early years, we didn't talk about culture much.  We hadn't documented it all.  We just built a business that we wanted to work in.  And, that was great.  But the real return on culture happened when we started getting more deliberate about it.  By writing it down.  By debating it.  By taking it apart, polishing the pieces and putting it back together. Iterating. Again. And again. And again. If you're interested in learning more about how we think about people and culture at HubSpot, you should check out our Culture Code deck -- embedded below for your convenience.

Slideshare of HubSpot Culture Code

Now, I'm not suggesting you drop everything and go create a 128-slide treatise on culture for your company.  But make some small investments.  For starters, have some conversations about the who.  What kind of people do you want on the team? Try to avoid platitudes.  Make a list of attributes and traits that other companies avoid, but tend to work for you.  And vice versa.  Write this list down, even if it's just a simple email to the team.  Once you start writing your culture down, a couple of surprising things will happen:  1) You'll realize you got parts of it wrong (because people will tell you).  2) You'll increase the chances of hiring for "culture fit" without falling into the trap of toxic homogeneity where you just hire people like yourself under the guise of "culture fit".  Short rant on that topic:  No company should be able to skip over candidates for lack of "culture fit" unless it has at least a minimal clue of what that culture is.  

One of my regrets about culture at HubSpot is that we didn't wake up to the value of diversity until much later in our evolution.  And, though I'm in good company, that doesn't make me feel that much better.  If you're just getting started, take my advice:  Be mindful of diversity super-early and beware the homogenity traps.

6. Don't just think bigger -- think better.

Since time t=0, one of the decisions Brian and I made early on was that we were going to take our best shot at building a big, successful company. We specifically talked about not building a company that was "built to sell".  In fact, many of our early decisions and actions reduced our chances of being acquired.  That was OK, because it's not what we were after.  Instead, we made sure that we pushed each other to think about scale.  To keep thinking bigger. 

Here's my theory:  Most big, spectacularly successful companies (which I hope HubSpot will become some day) did not get that way by accident.  Rarely does an entrepreneur, wake up one morning, drink her morning coffee and exclaim: "Hey look!  I accidentally built this super-successful company!  Yay me!"  Yes, that happens every now and then, but it's super-rare.  99.9999% of the time, success is built through deliberately deciding to build something big -- and then working super-hard, taking risks and persevering through the hard times.  

But, what worked for us wasn't just making the numbers go up and to the right.  It was about thinking about every part of the business and trying to figure out what would make it better.  Yes, we're a software company, and I'm proud of our product team.  But, it's not just about the product.  We try to be equally maniacal about making every part of the business better.  Every. Single. Part. 

Fun, inside story:  We do NPS (Net Promoter Style) surveys on a crazy number of things.  You might know NPS as a way to measure customer happiness.  The standard two questions are:  1) On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend this product/service? 2) Why that score? Like many other companies, we've been sending NPS surveys to our customers regularly for years.  But, unlike many other companies, we also send out NPS-style surveys to all of our employees every quarter.  The question is slightly tweaked to: "On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend HubSpot as a place to work?".  We also do NPS for our alumni.  We're working on doing it for job candidates that interview with us ("How likely are you to recommend HubSpot as a place to interview?").  We've done it for our company meeting.  After the meeting, we ask: "How likely are you to recommend this meeting?" (Learned lots of interesting things on that one).  OK, so that might be a bit OCD.  But in our experience, once you can start measuring something and getting qualitative feedback it's much easier to make that thing better. No big revelation there, I think the business world has known that for years.

What was a revelation (at least to me) was how all the parts of a company are so inter-connected.  It's impossible to build something really great by just focusing on one part of the system.  You need to simultaneously work on every part of the system -- and make it better. 

7. Don't obsess over competitors.  Obsess over customers. 

I'll confess.  I'm likely more guilty of watching our competitors too closely than anyone at HubSpot.  But, the good news is that though I watch them closely, I try not to follow them.  Knowing what your competitors are up to is good.  Doing what your competitors are up to is bad.

Take the calories you would have spent worrying about your competitors, and spend them on your customers.  You'll be better off (and will sleep better too).  

8. Don't minimize dilution, maximize impact.

This one might come off as controversial.

If you go out and raise outside funding, resist the temptation to worry too much about valuation (and minimizing dilution).  In the grand scheme of things, as long as you're getting a fair deal, marginal differences in dilution won't matter.  What will matter more is the degree to which you can have an impact (however you measure that).  You're probably going to be happier owning 5% of something great than 25% of something not-so-great.  

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that every company should go out and raise funding.  I advise entrepreneurs (especially first-time founders) to defer fund-raising. The reason is that once you start raising funding, you're often shifting your focus from solving customer problems to solving investor problems.  You're better off working on the former -- because that makes the latter much easier.

In any case, if you're going to raise funding, raise funding.  Pick a great partner, get fair terms and don't sweat the dilution too much.

One more thing:  The other way you dilute is by sharing equity with your team.  Here too, don't worry too much about minimizing dilution, get the best people and try to maximize impact. 

9. Don't be satisfied with sales, seek LOVE.

This one might come off as a bit weird.

If you're reading this, there's a decent chance that you're human.  (If you're a robot, and you actually understood this article so far, I submit to your kind's superior intellect and ask that you forgive us humans our foibles).  Anyways...let's just assume you're human.  And, because you're human, you probably seek love. It's natural.  We spend a fair amount of time and energy looking for love (hopefully in some of the right places).  I'm going to posit to you that you need to carry that sentiment to your startup. I'm not talking about the crazy, desperate call at 3am kind of "love", but the hope to find someone that "gets you" and "likes you for who you are and what you believe".

Yes, I know that  sounds a bit strange.  But it's not that strange.  Chances are, there are some companies or brands that you love. All I'm saying is that as a startup, you need to seek that love.  

Let me explain by telling you how we do this at HubSpot.  Like most growing companies, we want to get people to buy from us and become customers.  But, unlike most companies, for us, deep-down inside, that's not enough.  We don't just want people to buy from us.  We want people to love us.  We want them to love what we love and respect what we do, even if they don't buy from us.  Even if they are unlikely to ever buy from us. Because what we believe is that the more people that love us, and want us to succeed, the more likely we are to do so.

...

Thanks for all the love and support over the years.  
-Dharmesh via OnStartups

Important Questions Startup Co-Founders Should Ask Each Other by OnStartups

One thing I have learned in my experience with startups is that if you are not careful, you are as likely to experience as many challenges with your co-founder(s) as you are with the business itself.   

The following are some of the most important questions that should be resolved as early in the process as possible.  In most cases, these issues only get more difficult over time. 

Top 10 Critical Startup Co-Founder Questions 

1.  How should we divide the  shares?  
There are actually multiple parts to this.  Here, I’m primarily interested in the economic impact.  Basically, the question is really simple:  Who gets what percentage of the company?  This question is often the most difficult to answer (and the right answer is rarely “divide them equally amongst the co-founders”).   
  
2.  How will decisions get made?  
This is often tied to the number of shares (from #1 above), but not necessarily.  You can have voting and non-voting shares.  You can setup a board.  You’ll need to decide what kinds of decisions get made by the board, and which ones don’t.  Common areas to address are decisions around capitalization, executive hiring/firing, share issuance (dilution) and M&A. 
  
3.  What happens if one of us leaves the company?  
Though it may seem like a bad idea to be talking about this when you’re starting the company – it’s not.  In the evolution of any startup, there will be good times and bad times and there will always be times when one or more co-founders are simply not happy and not committed.  You should decide how to treat this situation early (when it is easier and everyone is at least semi-rational).  The last thing the company needs is a co-founder that is no longer engaged but is hanging around out of guilt or ambiguity. 

4.  Can any of us be fired?  By whom?  For what reasons?  
Yes, that’s right.  Even co-founders can be terminated.  Too many people mix the notion of being a shareholder in a startup and having an operating role.  These two things should be thought of as somewhat separate and distinct.  The company should have a mechanism for gracefully terminating the operating role of a co-founder if that’s the right thing to do.  This is often not fun, but should be discussed up front. 
  
5.  What are our personal goals for the startup?  
Though this can change over time, its helpful to at least get a sense of what each of the co-founders wants to get from the company.  If you have one co-founder that wants to build a sustainable business that is spinning off cash and run it forever and another one wants to shoot for high growth and some type of liquidity, it’s better to get that out in the open early and talk it through. 

6.  Will this be the primary activity for each of us?  
Lots of co-founder conflict can stem from misunderstandings around how committed everyone is.  Will one of the co-founders be keeping her day job until the company gets off the ground?  Will one be working on another sideline business?  

7.  What part of our plan are we each unwilling to change?  
Not all startups need to change their plans during the course of their evolution.  Just the ones that want to survive and succeed.  Having said that, there may be elements of the plan that you don’t want to change.  This could be around the product being built, the market being addressed or some other aspect of the company.  For example, if one startup is fanatically obsessed with wanting to create an enterprise software company, then friction may be created if the model needs to shift to a consumer product.  
  
8.  What contractual terms will each of us sign with the company?  
One of the best examples of this is a non-compete agreement.  Will each of the co-founders be signing some sort of contract with the company (outside of the shareholder agreement)?  If so, what will the terms of this be? 

9.  Will any of us be investing cash in the company?  If so, how is this treated?  
It is very likely that one or more co-founders will be putting in some cash in the early stages of the company.  It is critical to decide up front how this cash will be treated.  Is it debt?  Is it convertible debt?  Does it buy a different class of shares?  

10.  What will we pay ourselves?  Who gets to change this in the future?  
This can be a touchy issue.  Risk tolerance varies by individual, and it is a good idea to factor this into determining the compensation plan for the founders.  The issue can be clouded sometimes when one of the founders is investing significant cash into the enterprise.  (Though in theory, it shouldn’t matter where the cash came from when determining comp. plans). 

...

What have I missed?  What other types of things should co-founders be discussing in the early days of a startup and getting clarity on?  Would love to hear your thoughts.  If you’re a first-time entrepreneur (or thinking about becoming one), I’d bookmark this page and save it for future reference if I were you.  By keeping this checklist handy, you’ll save yourself and your co-founders a lot of angst. 

...

Some more things to think about ... 

(a) Pre-money, before you get VC investment, you may be buying stuff for new company. Is this money considered to be an investment in the company (what accountants call paid-in capital) or will you claim it on an expense report and be reimbursed from the proceeds of your first round of financing? Either strategy is acceptable, but you need to give shares in return for paid-in capital in some fair way. Discuss this. Either way, DILIGENTLY KEEP TRACK OF EVERY DIME YOU SPEND. (And DON'T buy each other fancy dinners and fine wines and attempt to claim it on your expenses or treat it as paid-in capital.)

(b) What fraction of the company's ownership will you set aside for employee stock options? Why?

(c) Will you have the same terms of employment as your future employees? That is, are you and your partners willing to sign the same exact non-disclosure and non-compete agreements as you'll ask your employees to sign? If you will vest employee options over four years, are you willing to sign something agreeing to sell a pro-rated fraction of your shares back to the company if you leave before four years have run out? (Savvy employees will care about this issues.)

(d) When you work before having any investor money or revenue, you'll be working for cheap or for free. How much of this do you expect to be repaid as deferred salary, and how much is plain old non-reimbursable sweat equity? Hint: savvy VC's DETEST paying for deferred salaries with their investment capital. 

(e) What non-disclosure or non-compete agreements does each partner have with former employers or any other company? Are any of your partners expecting to bring source code, customer lists, or other intellectual property to your new company from a previous employer? If so, does your new company have the unambiguous right to use that intellectual property? Do you all understand and agree on the hazards of misappropriating the intellectual property of previous employers? 

(f) What is your attitude towards wealth? If you get VC investment,you'll have a big check in your hands (a wire transfer actually) and all of a sudden you'll find bankers, furniture salespeople, stockbrokers, and other people treating you like one of Warren Buffett's daughters. Ask yourselves, "are we capable of resisting this kind of flattery?" In other words, can you be suspicious when somebody tries to get you to use your investors' money to buy Aeron chairs or other symbols of conspicuous consumption "because you deserve the best?"

Source : OnStartups