Chris Heivly writes about authority vs. responsibility
"If you want to lead a start-up community, don’t chase authority. Chase responsibility," Heivly advises.
Chris Heivly is described as one of the leading experts on launching start-ups and has been dubbed the “Startup Whisperer.” He co-founded MapQuest, is an angel investor, ran a corporate venture fund and two micro venture funds, and was most recently Senior Vice President of Innovation at Techstars.
In an article titled “Start-up Communities: Where Everyone Is In Charge and Nothing Seems To Get Done,” Heivly writes about two competing forces: authority and responsibility. It was published last week by Techstars.
He puts the two words in terms that founders will understand.
- Authority is saying, “This is my start-up community.”
- Responsibility is saying, “These are the three things I’m going to do this month to support founders.”
Heivly says that the best community leaders focus on:
- Collaboration – Bringing people together instead of keeping tight control.
- Giving First – Asking, “What do you need?” instead of “What can I get?”
- Storytelling – Sharing wins and lessons from the entire community.
- Inclusion – Making sure leadership opportunities are available to more than just the usual suspects.
- Celebrating – Showcasing the founder successes over their organizational successes.
“If you want to lead a start-up community, don’t chase authority. Chase responsibility,” Heivly writes.
The full article can be found here.
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