Staffing & Team Effectiveness

Staffing can be a startup’s magic wand or its black hole. Some founders hesitate to hire even a peon, others blow up funds on Rockstar CXOs who deliver little more than LinkedIn glamour shots. This survey nudges you to reflect — are you building a lean, effective team, or accidentally feeding your own staffing nightmare?

Do you unknowingly use the “Salary Mirror” when deciding pay?; 👉 Think back to your first hires: did you peg their salary to what you always wished you were paid in corporate life, rather than what the role actually delivers?

How do you approach “Star Hires”?; 👉 Imagine being offered an MNC hotshot for a fat CTC in year one. Tempting trophy, but can your startup stomach it?

Are you guilty of “Fear of Hiring”?; 👉 That phase where you try to do accounting, delivery, sales, and chai-making yourself, just to avoid payroll.

What’s your treatment of interns?; 👉 Be honest: do you see them as cheap labour, or as seeds for your future talent pool?

Do you measure Delivery vs CTC?; 👉 Ever hired someone expensive, then realized later they’ve delivered less than your driver?

How do you handle salary benchmarks?; 👉 Do you fall for WhatsApp rumours (“AI engineers are ₹20L minimum”) or do you research?

How do you see headcount growth?; 👉 Do you boast, “We’re 100 people now!” — or do you celebrate delivery?

What’s your view on loyalty?; 👉 Do you assume early hires will stick just because you gave them a chance?

How do you balance equity vs cash in pay?; 👉 Equity makes staff owners, but many want cash for EMIs.

Q10. Do you pause before every hire?; 👉 The golden three questions: What will this person deliver in 6 months? Does the value justify the cost? Am I paying for output or insecurity?

Staffing is not a headcount contest. It’s a sanity check. A startup’s real asset isn’t payroll size but people’s pulse — aligned, purposeful, and measured by delivery.