I recently came across a startup CEO who is big on PR and making big claims about its product. But she has no appreciation for having good people policies in place to attract the right people and once they are in, to get them to stick to the company.

The startup fired its HR manager for some dumb mistake. When the Head of HR expressed her dislike for the episode and resigned they played it down.

These are the kinds of startups that are destined for mediocrity.

If you are a startup founder here are some pointers for you to avoid falling in the mediocrity loop.

# Startups are games but the ones you are using time of your life to play, so play a good one that is enriching for you and of those whose lives are intertwined with yours.

# If you were a good employee or are a good salesperson, developer or designer this does not mean you will be a good CEO or a manager. Get someone who is good at managing things to help you.

# Don’t discount the importance of a good people person (Head of HR) to help you recruit and build the culture. Here is what First Round Capital’s Partner Rob Hayes advises first-time founders when they ask him, “What should I be doing right now?”

Through this experience, he’s narrowed down his answer to three things.

Hiring the right people. (First and the most important of all)
The other two are don’t run out of money and always have a North Star.

# Make sure that you are creating an environment for your employees to thrive that includes training, hand holding, constructive feedback, and giving them challenging but still achievable goals.

# Last but not the least surround yourself with capable people who can deliver and then give them the autonomy to make decisions and do what you brought them to do.

Hope you’ll pay some heed to these ideas and leverage them to grow your startup and save it from mediocrity and extinction.