Science Park Graz

[Sector]

Build High-Performing Teams by Treating Your Employees as Partners

Martin Mössler / Managing Director at Science Park Graz, ESA Space Solutions Austria General Manager and Head of Board ESA Space Solutions

Startup incubator

One element that investors, mentors and successful entrepreneurs say is crucial to the success of any company is the team. But for founders to find, hire and keep this team happy is a difficult task. For Martin Mössler, managing director of Science Park Graz, building a high-performing team comes from how founders engage with their employees – starting by treating them as partners rather than employees.

“If you want to be disruptive, make a difference, bring change to a sector or industry, you need to go full circle, and that includes a different approach to human resources management,” says Martin. “That means you don’t think of humans as resources but as partners.” He adds that this is crucial for startups to embrace due to their vulnerability during the first years.

Martin became managing director of Science Park Graz in 2016 and built up the team from four to twenty people by 2021 while working with over sixty startups per year. “My role in managing Science Park Graz is to ensure that the whole team is able to work freely and with a clear mind,” he says. He also scouts and works directly with the early-stage startups in the incubator while also building relationships with external businesses and investors.

Martin explains that founders can afford only an approximate ten percent margin of error within the company’s first hires if they are to succeed. To de-risk the hiring process, he suggests founders look to their existing networks of friends, classmates and former colleagues. “You need to know more than just a CV; you need to know how these people are in the workplace,” he says. Additionally, he suggests founders have a one-week trial period during the hiring process to see how the prospective hires connect intellectually and socially with the existing team.

Most important tips for startups:

Have a clear vision. Even if your startup is only at MVP stage, it’s paramount to have a clear idea of the types of products and services you want to create in the future.

Find people who work together well. The success of a startup depends on the first hires, but more importantly on how well they work together. Having a trial working week is one way founders can make sure the team will work smoothly.

- Treat people as partners. Provide people with the freedom to perform at their best, and you’ll be surprised by the results.

- Create a cooperative working environment. Making sure that everyone in a startup’s team can work cooperatively is crucial to your success. Competition should be what unites your team rather than divides it.

Once a new hire joins a startup, founders will need to provide them with the freedom to perform at their best. Martin adds that changing the management mindset to one that embraces freedom over control can be difficult for founders who have spent years working in large companies. To combat this, he suggests founders identify how some superiors made them feel happy and appreciated, and incorporate this leadership into their company’s culture. Additionally, founders should align their company culture to their vision to help guide the team through the challenges startups face during the first few years. “This vision needs to include bringing success and freedom to yourself and the people you work with,” he says.

For founders who don’t have a lot of experience, including recent graduates, being part of an incubator can be very beneficial. “The most important way to de-risk the process is to have a surrounding where other companies are facing similar challenges and where you can see how they solve them and approach the challenges,” he says. Incubators, including Science Park Graz, work with companies for much longer than a few months and provide access to services and consultants who support startups on many topics, including team management, to bring their visions to life.

Beyond financial compensation, freedom and a sense of partnership are non-financial elements of compensation founders should provide, says Martin. “The most important form of compensation is a feeling of appreciation, of being welcome, of being more than a resource.” He adds that it’s common for founders to put aside 10–15 percent of the company’s equity for employees, but he cautions giving away equity too early.

Martin acknowledges that this advice is based on his own experience and may not work for everyone; however, it’s how he has run Science Park Graz since becoming managing director. He treats his team as partners and provides them with the freedom they need to reach their full potential.

About

Science Park Graz is a startup incubator specifically for high-tech and space startups. It works on average for two years with early-stage startups, providing office space, workshops, mentoring, business development, consultancy and initial funding.

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