dark side

All blogs on entrepreneurship will tell you how great it is to start a start-up. You will be told of all the flowery details, the stats, the growth curve of the company, but not one will tell you about the dark side of experiences that come with it. So here we give you a complete picture of both the rosy side and the thorny side. 

Much like the dark side of the force, no one wants to visit the dark side of start-ups. Just like the dark side of the Force is characterized by anger, hatred and aggression, the dark side of start-ups is characterized by never-ending debates, tense partnerships and flaming e-mails.

It is a known fact that about 20% of start-ups fail to strive in the market because of internal disagreements, and/or a partner leaving. While a healthy conflict is always good for your team, repetitive patterns of disagreement are always a point of concern.

The most common conflicts:

The eventual outcome – The first dark side

More often than not, a budding start-up has to deal with the questions “What are we working for?” or “What do we want to achieve out of this?” Unless the founding team has a very clear perception of the company’s goals, this could very well lead to a conflict. Uncertainty and disagreement reign, and you find yourselves in the midst of a conflict debating whether to follow the tried and tested formula, or to take the road not taken. Uncertainty while starting up is a constraining problem and needs to be dealt with very sensibly. Here’s how you can deal with it. 

Personality factor – The silently killing dark side

“Whenever you are in a conflict with someone, there is one factor that can make the difference between damaging your relationship and deepening it. That factor is attitude.” William James

Though it may seem like a trivial thing, a person’s attitude is actually a very deal. How someone communicates, how they see the world, what their values and behavioral patterns are – all these are deterministic factors in crisis situations.

You obviously can’t expect instant personality makeovers to suit your needs in dealing with a situation. Instead assessing each team member’s weaknesses and strengths, and reassigning tasks so as to play to each one’s strengths can be a key factor to improvement and resolving conflicts.

Ownership and equity – The paramount factor

This issue comes into the play either in the very beginning of establishing the business or a few months into it. Money by itself has the potential to drive great start-ups into conflicts. The share of each partner in the company is a matter best resolved through discussions and negotiations. Of course all of it has to be revised in the event of a new partner or one partner leaving. Fair treatment for all, role and involvement of each person in the company, are factors to be considered. Sometimes conflicts may turn for the worse and you may be forced to consider firing your co-founder.  Here is how and why you can do that.

Substantive disagreement – The evil in disguise!

Are you skilled in one area of the business while your partner in another? In such cases, deciding on the course to follow, making decisions is an easy task in your own field. But what about those situations in which both of you are well-versed or none of you know anything about it? These situations can very easily drive a rift between you two when you differ in opinions. It’s a well known fact that one can’t master all the skills at one time and hence finding a cofounder for your startup is also necessary. Things need to be dealt with patiently and there has to be some compromises from both the ends.

The simplest solutions to all the problems

“Conflict is inevitable, but combat is optional” – Max Lucado

Conflicts have a way of destroying the company from within. It is up to you and your partners to reach a consensus regarding such disputes. What I suggest is RESOLUTION: a resolution to resolve the conflict.

R – Respect the right to disagree

It is human nature to disagree with each other. You might not always see eye-to-eye with your partners, but you have to respect their view point and work with them to find a solution you all agree on.

E – Express your real concerns

So you think the company is doomed? You don’t see the company making any profits any time soon? These are all concerns you need to talk about, instead of bottling them up and releasing your anger and frustration over it on your co-founders.

S – Share common goals and interests

Having common goals and interests is really beneficial for your company. In case of a conflict of interest, or indecisiveness on the course to follow to reach the mutual goal, you and your partner can arrive at the solution much faster.

O – Open yourself to different points of view

Many a times, it might so happen that your business partner doesn’t feel heard. Acknowledge their view point on the matter even if you don’t agree with it. Just being heard, gives your partner the feeling that his opinion is valued.

L – Listen carefully to all proposals

Listen. Listen. Listen. A good businessman listens to all proposals, assesses everything, and does what is right. By listening carefully, and giving thought into future steps, you can avoid future conflicts, business losses, and strengthen your company further.

U – Understand the major issues involved

Any conflict that arises has a few issues at its root which are never discussed. Get to the root and focus on solving those first.

T – Think about probable consequences

How you arrive at a particular solution and how you implement it can have varied effects on you, your team as well as your company. Think about each consequence in detail, before finalising any plan of action.

I – Imagine several possible alternatives

Can’t work your way out of a conflict the conventional method? Have you already tried the unconventional method? Think of a possibility of bring in a third impartial party to consult with on the matter. Sometimes, things we can’t work out on our own can be easily solved by the involvement of a third person.

O – Offer some reasonable compromises

When both parties refuse to compromise on their values, their ideals, their goals and their ideas, conflict are bound to increase further. Be the bigger person in such a situation, and offer to compromise on some of your ideals. This not only lightens the situation, but also aims to put an end to the debate.

N – Negotiate mutually fair co-operative agreements

Don’t want to be the only one to compromise? That is totally understandable. So try to work out an agreement that favors all, and hurts no one in the process. After all, everyone’s view point is of paramount importance.

All the above mentioned ways are an ultimate on how to maintain a proper working environment in your startup. This doesn’t only help to preserve the understanding between you and your cofounders but also helps to retain your valuable employees. These steps can surely help you to avoid the dark side of startups. Employees are an integral part of any startup and you can read more here on how you can retain your right employees.

Use conflict constructively

Once you’ve resolved your crisis, it’s time to assess what you learned and gained from it. As a team, you’ve faced challenges and overcome them. In the process, you’ve gained a stronger bond to each other, fostered a better understanding of what each person’s goals, ideals and fears are, and also enhanced the communication in your start-up.

Did you ever face such conflicts in your startup? Also, how did you resolve them? Share your experience with us. I would love to hear from you.