Building a unicorn means first creating a unicorn-worthy team.
But how do you build a Unicorn team?
When I ask Ingeborg van Harten this question, she sighs. “We could probably spend three episodes on this.” And she’s right. There is much more that comes into play when you’re building a unicorn-worthy team than we could possibly cover in one episode. So, consider this a start.
In episode 74 of Women Disrupting Tech, Ingeborg is our guide as we discover how to build a unicorn-worthy team.
Key Takeaways from the episode
This episode is packed with practical insights, whether you want to build a unicorn or not. You’ll discover:
– How to attract top talent.
– How to shape a culture where people feel valued.
– Why inclusion is key to sustainable growth.
Are you ready to make your startup a magnet for talent? Press play below and get inspired by Ingeborg’s journey and advice.
The Guide to Building a Unicorn Team with Ingeborg van Harten | Ep. 74 – Women Disrupting Tech
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- Key Takeaways from the episode
- Be part of the movement!
- The magic you can expect in this episode 🪄
- Free ways to support Women Disrupting Tech
- What makes this episode magical🌟?
- About Ingeborg van Harten
- About 7people
- Let me know what you think!
- What’s coming up?
- More episodes like this?
The magic you can expect in this episode 🪄
When you’re building a unicorn startup, having the right team is crucial. It’s the only way to create an irresistible product that customers love.
But how do you make your organization as irresistible as the product itself? How do you attract the right talent? And how do you craft a team that shares your vision?
In episode 74 of Women Disrupting Tech, I sit down with Ingeborg van Harten for the answers to these questions.
Here’s a taste of what you’ll learn:
✨ What makes an organization truly irresistible.
✨ Why showing people they matter can be a game-changer.
✨ How DEI initiatives are foundational to a culture people love.
Plus, you’ll discover why hiring only “A-players” may not be the best recruitment strategy and who to hire instead.
So, when you’re ready to build a team and culture that are unicorn-worthy, click the button below to listen to the episode on Spotify.
Free ways to support Women Disrupting Tech
When you’re ready to support my guests in making this podcast obsolete by the end of 2032, help out by doing these two things:
- Use the share buttons below to share the podcast with friends, family, and co-workers. This way, you give the women disrupting tech the platform they need to make it happen. Use the buttons below to share.
- Rate the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Better yet, leave a review. You can use a rating of one to five stars. This will help other people discover the podcast. And if you leave a review, it will help me improve.
What makes this episode magical🌟?
Before starting 7people, Ingeborg had a very international company, and it shows. This episode offers many lessons from companies, large and small. I’ll mention a few.
On making the right hires in the early stages of a company: the next layer of people you hire after the initial team are not entrepreneurs. They’re happy to work within a company but still strong executors.
On building a high-performance culture: hiring only A-players will not build you a high-performing team. You have to fill it with stable, supporting people who want to do the work A-players generally want to avoid.
On the importance of pay transparency and performance management: Only when it’s transparent can you test if it’s fair. And if you cannot explain differences in pay based on objective criteria like seniority and output, it’s likely unfair.
Want more magic? Click the button below to listen.
“Creating more inclusive organizations all starts with individual behavior. So, don’t look at someone to do it for you.”
Ingeborg van Harten, Chief People Officer and Founder of 7people
About Ingeborg van Harten
Ingeborg van Harten is the Chief People Officer and Founder of 7people. Prior to founding 7people, Ingeborg spent 15+ years in global HR roles, working for corporates and scale-ups across four continents.
Living in six countries on four continents, she gained unique insights into what it takes to build successful teams with the right people and culture. She is an advisor on Techleap’s Rise program and a trusted advisor to many founding teams in the Netherlands. You can connect with Ingeborg on LinkedIn.
About 7people
7people is an HR consultancy company that helps progressive businesses thrive. It helps these businesses develop strong HR foundations and drives sustainable growth by creating exceptional employee experiences.
So far, they’ve contributed to the success of more than 75 companies, including Fairphone, GoodHabitz, and Ticketswap.
You can learn more about their services on their website. And I invite you to follow their journey of working for the most promising European scale-ups on LinkedIn or Instagram.
On 21 November, they’ll organize a special event about absenteeism and sick leave. Although we don’t discuss these topics during the episode, managing them is absolutely part of building an irresistible organization. To learn more, check out the event on Eventbrite.
Let me know what you think!
Please let me know your thoughts and observations in the comments below this post.
Also, if you have questions about people-related topics in your company, put them in the comments, and I will forward them to Ingeborg.
If you would like to suggest a guest that I absolutely must have on the podcast, please let me know via email or send a DM on LinkedIn.
What’s coming up?
Next week on Women Disrupting Tech, it’s time for the season finale. In episode 75, we hear from Lieke Hölscher how she built an irresistible tribe of financial crime fighters at Rabobank from scratch. This episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the EWPN Annual Conference in Amsterdam.
And I can tell you: it’s magical.
After that, we’ll move straight into season 4 with another magical episode. Stacey Engle is my guest as we learn how she helps to build legacies with AI-powered digital twins.
So stay tuned for two inspiring Women Disrupting Tech!
With that, I wish you a wonderful day. And until we meet again in the next episode, keep being awesome!
More episodes like this?
It’s always difficult to compare, but if there are two episodes that I’d like you to listen to it’s these:
– In episode 45, Alexa Lane talks about her experiences working in HR at fast-growing companies, giving you a playbook for getting started in HR.
– In episode 42, Renske Melchers-Vermolen and Elena Zhebel explain how you can create a safe space in your team (and your company).
Women Disrupting Tech | The Podcast 