Author: Cindy Rautenbach
In today’s fast-moving and diverse business environment, especially for start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), hiring the right people can make or break company growth.
Being successful in a startup or SME often looks very different from thriving in a large, structured organization. Startups are fast-paced, resource-constrained, and constantly evolving.
They often have fewer buffers for mistakes, so competencies and skills that directly drive impact, efficiency, and innovation are highly valued. And it’s not always Technical Skills that matters, Behavioural skills are becoming increasingly important for company success.
So, what are those sought after Behavioural Skills? From our/my experience working with start-ups and small companies scaling, here are the top 5 Skills/Competencies and why they matter:
| Competency | Why it matters to start-ups and SME’s |
|---|---|
| Adaptability & Agility | Small companies needs to pivot quickly and employees must be comfortable with change and uncertainty. They must adapt when priorities shift |
| Problem-Solving & Critical Thinking | Directly impacts on operational efficiency and innovation |
| Communication & Collaboration | In smaller teams this is vital to ensure alignment and the prevention of miscommunication |
| Initiative & Ownership Mentality | They need to treat the company’s success like their own and think about their impact and not just their tasks |
| Innovation & Creativity | Always looking for ways to improve ensuring that the company keeps up with industry shifts to bring fresh ideas. |
| Resilience & Stress Management | The Ability to work under pressure and bounce back effectively. Handles pressure, long hours, and occasional setbacks and keep pushing for solutions even when it’s tough. |
In summary, the ideal employee that will help a start-up and SME growth is one that:
- Can Wear multiple hats (multi-skilled)
- Takes initiative to Solve problems and own the task
- Has a strong sense of Commercial Acumen and understands how their contribution can drive revenue or operational efficiency (even if you are in a supporting role like HR)
- Collaborate effectively and adapt to change quickly
- Always willing and wanting to learn
How do you know if your current, or potential future employees have these skills? Easy, ask the right questions during the interview and back up their answers with the use of objective assessments like Psychometric Assessments!