In the second stage the company has grown to a professionally managed system. Managers realize the need to put systems in place to get organized. People with special skills such as human resources, logistics, or computer technology are hired to professionally manage each of the special functions. This is an effective method to pull the business process together. It is important for the congruence of your story. The story often found in a professionally managed company centers around performance. Words such as high performance, teamwork, and best of breed are commonly bantered about.
The story is replete with examples of heroism in getting the job done under adverse conditions. It attracts people who seek challenge, want a well-run machine, and are professional in word and deed. This professionally managed stage also creates passion within employees. In this case the passion stems not from the vision, as in the entrepreneurial stage, but rather from the challenge to accomplish great deeds. To create passion, build your story around educated, skillful people doing the right thing for the customer. Portray a company that puts professional competence in the limelight. In the words of Tom Peters, “Hire for talent, train for whatever.”
The story befitting an entrepreneurial company is usually one filled with hopes, dreams, and hard work. It is about sweat equity and the promise of big rewards in the future. A charismatic leader who holds people in sway tells the story with passion generated from the depth of his or her personal convictions. People are sucked into the vortex. The story and its passion generation are what attract people to a start-up company.