Do you believe, like Napoleon, that a leader is a dealer in hope?

Bio

Mark's goal is to empower agrifood founders to drive the transformation to a regenerative and sustainable future food system. He is Managing Partner of Rockstart’s €22m+ AgriFood Fund, offering early-stage startups access to capital, market, expertise and community through a customised program and follow-on investments. Mark is Scottish, based between Copenhagen and Amsterdam. He has a background in conventional/organic agriculture, law, early-stage venture and vertical farming, having established some of Europe’s first commercial vertical farms since 2010. Mark is a qualified Scottish lawyer and holds an Executive MBA from Rotterdam School of Management.

Synopsis

We talk about the importance of openness and the need to show vulnerability. We move on to talking about how too much guidance is a bad thing, as a culture needs to spring up at a company. We talk a lot about how employees are people, and the importance of empathy and listening. Personality profiling is something he does, and he reveals what he thinks is important. He mentions “The Myth of Or” and how not everything needs to be perfect. We end with more some personality recommendations, for having on how to have the best team.

" find co-founders for .... enough friction for sparks, but not enough for an explosion...." - Mark Durno

Reflection:
Two things stood out to me. He said that communication breakdowns are the most common reason for failure. He also says that Nurturing can be too much. Some things a startup needs to learn the hard way. People appreciate their own struggles and success more. Some skills we learn through practice, failure or trial and error. I think it shows how there’s got to be that spark between people at the beginning. Going into business with people you have a good relationship with, and finding that sweet spot again and again. It is hard work, but essential. Maintaining work relationships working from home may be more difficult, but it is crucial, especially in startups.

Links for Mark Durno
https://www.rockstart.com/agrifood/agrifood-2021/    
https://www.rockstart.com/blog/founders-faqs/  
https://twitter.com/MarkLDurno  
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-durno-b192b744/