Ep132 The Bonfire Moment, with Martin Gonzalez, Google HQ Org Dev

Manage Self, Lead Others: Emotional Intelligence and Leadership for Managers

Most startups fail not because of a bad product, poor timing, or mismanaged cash, but because of people problems: conflicts over strategy, decision-making, and team culture.

Martin Gonzalez co-authored ''The Bonfire Moment'' with Josh Yellin; the book launches today. Get it here: https://www.bonfiremoment.com/

View the video version on Spotify or HERE: https://youtu.be/C3wWCPEKNA0

Even the smartest entrepreneurs have been derailed by soft problems:

• How do you fire a loyal friend who’s not up to par?
• How do you motivate your team to give their all?
• What happens when egos and emotions overpower facts and reason?

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7 key strategies are cornerstones of The Bonfire Moment feedback structure:

1 Treat people like volunteers

2 Protect the team from distractions

3 Invite disagreement

4 Minimize unnecessary micromanagement

5 Preserve interpersonal equity

6 Keep pace with expertise

7 Overcome discouragement

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4 TRAPS –

The trap of Speed

The trap of the Inner Circle

The trap of the Maverick Mindset

The trap of Confidence

Why maverick ideas can lead startups into trouble?

What are the 6 most common maverick beliefs?

1. The myth of equal equity: Co-founders should receive equal equity in return for

equal commitment and equal contributions.

2. The myth of shared command: Power and decision-making should be shared equally among cofounders.

3. The myth of scaling without hierarchy: Layers of management should be

avoided as the company grows, because they create bureaucracy and slow progress.

4. The myth of structural harmony: Disputes between functional roles represent

a failure point that should be fixed.

5. The myth of conflict-free growth:

A strong culture should be able to minimize or even prevent all interpersonal conflict, even as the team grows.

6. The myth of sustained heroics: Heroic extra effort is necessary for the long

haul, not just during the startup’s earliest months.

The Bonfire Moment has proven effective with hundreds of teams of all sizes around the world—from the smallest startups to large organizations—significantly improving their cohesion, focus and effectiveness.

Now this book teaches leaders the principles behind The Bonfire Moment and how to run the workshop on their own. It’s ideal for anyone who needs a committed and resilient team to achieve big goals.

LINKS:

To access assessments:

https://assessments.bonfiremoment.com/request-assessment

Effective Founders Project report:

https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/entrepreneurs/effective-founders-project/

ABOUT MARTIN GONZALEZ

Contact Martin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinjosegonzalez/

Martin Gonzalez is co-founder with Josh Yellin of Google’s Effective Founders Project, a global research program using people analytics to uncover what makes the best startup ‘’founders’’? succeed.

A frequent lecturer at Stanford, Wharton and INSEAD on organization design and people analytics, Martin has been at Google for 10 years and currently is a principal of organization and talent development, shaping team culture.

Qualified in organizational psychology and behavioral science at Columbia University and London School of Economics, Martin co-authored with Joshua Yellin the brand new book, The Bonfire Moment.

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