Startups succeed because of one thing: execution. But what drives execution? It's your team, the people who build, iterate, and execute the vision day in and day out.
You can have a brilliant idea, perfect timing, even funding, but if you can’t build and sustain a strong team, you won’t make it. Good leadership is more than bringing together smart people;; it’s about getting them to perform at their peak—consistently.
Much as we at Stone & Chalk create spaces for startups to grow—as a founder, you are responsible for shaping your startup team. You’re setting the tone, shaping the culture, and building the systems that will allow your team to win.
Below are nine traits you need to cultivate to build a team that dominates the startup rollercoaster.
9 traits for startup founders
1. Selflessness
You want a high-performing team? Then you can’t be in it just for yourself. It sounds obvious, but a surprising number of founders get this wrong. You need to lead with the company’s goals in mind, not your own personal agenda.
The best leaders know their success is a byproduct of their team’s success. So, put your ego aside and focus on the bigger picture. The people following you will notice, and they’ll bring their A-game when they know you’re invested in them—not just your career.
It’s tempting, especially early on, to micromanage or make everything about your vision. But in reality, what you want is for your team to take that vision and run with it. The less it’s about you, the more they will own their roles and the outcomes.
2. Empathy
Startups are a pressure cooker, and if you can’t feel what your team’s going through, you’re not going to get very far.
Empathy means understanding your team’s challenges and creating the conditions for them to thrive. It’s knowing when to push, when to pull back, and when to give them space. It’s celebrating wins—even small ones—and being there during losses.
Most importantly, empathy builds trust. And when your team trusts you, they’ll feel safe taking risks. That’s when creativity happens. It’s not enough to tell your team what to do—you need to understand what they need to succeed.
3. Precision
Being a startup leader means you’ve got to be sharp. Every decision you make can be the difference between “we made it” and “we’re done.” But here’s the thing: you’ve got to be fast and accurate.
That means doing your homework: get the facts, analyse them, and make the call. And when it’s time to pivot, don’t hesitate. Precision isn’t always about knowing the right answer—it’s about knowing how to ask the right questions too.
A common mistake we see founders make is getting bogged down in indecision.
In the early stages of a startup, being wrong is often better than being slow. You can always course-correct later. What you can’t do is sit still while the market moves.
4. Support
High-performing teams don’t need dictators. They need supporters. Your job as a leader isn’t to bark orders—it’s to remove roadblocks and make sure your team has everything they need to succeed.
Be their guide, not their micromanager. When your team feels supported, they’ll move mountains for you. When they feel stifled? Well, good luck getting anything done.
The best founders know that their role isn’t just to steer the ship but to create the conditions for the crew to thrive.
That means giving them the resources, tools, and freedom they need to do their best work. And when they hit a roadblock, your job is to clear the way.
5. Resilience
Startups are, by nature, unpredictable. You’re going to hit bumps, setbacks, maybe even some brick walls. A resilient leader takes it all in stride and keeps moving.
Failure isn’t fatal. It’s an opportunity to learn. Your team’s watching how you handle those tough moments, so make sure they see someone who bounces back stronger every time.
But resilience isn’t only about pushing through. It’s about knowing when to pivot, when to let go, and when to double down. Your ability to recover quickly and keep the team moving forward often determines whether the startup survives.
6. Ability to let go
Control freaks, beware! Nothing kills a team’s spirit faster than a leader who can’t delegate.
If you want to build a high-performing team, you have to learn to step back. Let your people own their work. Trust them to do their jobs without hovering over their shoulders.
When you do this right, you’ll see creativity and productivity soar. You might even be surprised at how much better things run without you micromanaging every little detail.
Founders who can’t let go often end up being the bottleneck in their own companies. The best founders learn early to delegate, and they delegate not just tasks but real ownership of outcomes. That’s how you get a team that’s fully invested.
7. Alignment to your vision
No one likes working in a vacuum. If your team doesn’t know the ‘why’ behind what they’re doing, they’ll lose motivation real quick.
As a leader, it’s your job to make sure everyone knows how their work ties into the company’s bigger mission. When your team feels like they’re part of something meaningful, you’ll get focus, commitment, and high performance.
Alignment means making sure everyone understands the bigger picture. When people know how their work impacts the company’s goals, they become more engaged, and they start to take ownership.
8. Accountability
A high-performing team is built on accountability. And that starts with you. If you’re not holding yourself and your team to a high standard, guess what? Things start slipping.
You don’t need to be toughest person out there—far from it. You just need to make sure everyone’s pulling their weight and delivering results.
Accountability creates a culture of ownership, and when people own their work, they go the extra mile. Every. Single. Time.
When you lead by example and hold yourself accountable, it sets the standard for the rest of the team. They see that you take your responsibilities seriously, and they follow suit.
9. Openness
The startup world changes by the minute, and if you’re stuck in your ways, you’ll get left behind. The best leaders are always learning, always adapting.
Be open to feedback, new ideas, and even failure. When your team sees you’re open to their input, they’ll feel empowered to take risks and innovate.
You must be willing to course-correct when necessary and listen to the people around you—especially when they tell you something you don’t want to hear.
Final thoughts on leadership traits for founders
Your startup team is one of your biggest assets.
Great teams don’t just happen. You have to seek out the right people—and once you find them, you have to create a space that makes them want to stay.
Then to build it, you do need to set clear expectations about how people treat each other, how they work together, and what success looks like.
This starts with strong leadership. The results you see in your team are really a reflection of your own effort. Show up every day, and over time, your team will start hitting their goals.
If you don’t actively shape your company culture, it will shape itself—and that’s a risk. Set the tone early, and reinforce the behaviours you want to see in your team.
And when that happens, there’s no limit to what you can achieve.
