Managing Staff in a Startup — What Works (and What Doesn’t)

Once you’ve hired great people, how do you actually manage them? Startups operate in chaos, but leadership doesn’t have to.

1. Don’t Imitate Big Business Management

What works for Google or Atlassian might be overkill for your 5-person team. Focus on clarity, communication, and accountability.

What to do instead:

• Weekly check-ins > formal performance reviews

• Clear priorities > long-term planning decks

• Slack + Notion > bloated software tools

2. Set Expectations Clearly and Often

In a startup, roles change fast. Regularly revisit job scopes and OKRs. Keep performance feedback continuous and lightweight.

Tip: Use a shared doc to track goals and progress. Update it weekly with your team.

3. Build Culture with Intent

You don’t need bean bags or perks—what you need is psychological safety, shared rituals, and founder visibility.

Quick wins:

• Celebrate small wins publicly

• Encourage honest retros

• Be transparent about company direction

Conclusion:
Early-stage leadership is about communication, context, and consistency. At Adair Consulting Group, we help startups build scalable people strategies from the ground up.