Create a system where everyone involved benefits. I’m a huge believer in this. I find that the hierarchies where only a couple figure at the top actually reap the rewards of success are not only unsustainable, but they’re also miserable and soul-draining. Creating an environment where people not only feel like they matter (because they actually do) but also feel like you genuinely have their back and will/are doing everything you can to set them up for success and help them become the best version of themselves. Startups (and companies in general) are communities — not machines. Or, I guess the analogy of being like machines actually could be appropriate — where each individual is their own part that, in collaboration, makes the larger entity function. If even one, seeming potentially small, portion isn’t tended to and addressed specifically, the entire machine could end up breaking down. This is why it’s so important to not only make sure that each person can contribute their own unique values to the company, but is also a good fit with the rest of the overall system. A great engine is awesome — but it doesn’t necessarily make sense to put it where a tire should go.