HOW TO BUILD AND KEEP A PHENOMENAL TEAM — EVEN ON A SCRAPPY BUDGET
You don’t need unlimited funds. You need clarity, intention, and leadership people actually trust.
WHY I KEEP THINKING ABOUT TEAMS
I was riding my bike yesterday — coasting down a long gravel road to a new beach, surrounded by water on all sides. Flamingos off in the distance. Not a single notification in sight. No music. No podcast. No Slack ping. Just the sound of my tires and the occasional bird.
It’s on these rides that I do my best thinking.
And what I got to thinking about was teams — specifically, the teams I’ve had the privilege to build and lead over the past 12 years. What made them work? Why did they feel so strong and cohesive, even without big budgets, flashy perks, or a brand name that carried weight?
I’ve been told I’m good at leading. Which, honestly, still feels strange to write. For years, I brushed it off. Probably because our cultural idea of leadership still looks like a guy in a blazer, ploughing through meetings and taking up all the air in the room.
That’s never been my style.
I ask more than I tell.
I lead quietly.
I prioritise clarity, calm, and context.
And maybe that’s why it’s worked.
When people describe my leadership, they don’t say “commanding.”
They say “trustworthy.”
They say “clear.”
They say “like a partner, not a boss.”
So I wanted to put this down — why I believe I’ve been able to build phenomenal teams on the leanest of budgets. Not because I had the most money, the best snacks, or a VC-backed HR department.
But because I led like a human.
And it turns out, that’s how people actually want to be led.
WHAT A-PLAYERS ACTUALLY WANT (THAT DOESN’T COST EXTRA)
Let’s be clear: top talent deserves to be paid fairly.
This is not an argument for underpaying people or offering “exposure.”
But if you’re operating on a lean budget and can’t offer top-tier compensation, the real question becomes:
What else are you offering?
Because pay matters — but it’s not the only reason people say yes to a role, or choose to stay.
What I’ve learned is this: A-level people will work for a scrappy organisation if they know what they’re walking into. If they feel trusted, respected, and heard. If the mission is real, the expectations are clear, and leadership doesn’t treat them like interchangeable labour.
Here’s what actually keeps great people around — no extra budget required:
CLARITY
They know what success looks like. They know what’s expected. No guessing. No bait-and-switch.
OWNERSHIP
They’re trusted to do their job, use their judgment, and contribute beyond their title.
RESPECT
Their ideas are heard. Their feedback is taken seriously. Their time isn’t wasted in meetings that could’ve been a Loom.
GROWTH
There’s room to stretch. Maybe not a corporate ladder — but meaningful progress and new challenges.
HUMANITY
The people leading the team actually act like people. Empathy. Transparency. Care — not performance cosplay.
I couldn’t offer gold-plated benefits.
But I could offer a place where people were treated like adults, their work mattered, and they didn’t dread Mondays.
That goes a long way.
COMMON HIRING MISTAKES SCRAPPY TEAMS MAKE (AND WHAT TO DO INSTEAD)
When resources are tight, it’s tempting to move fast and “fix it later.”
Nowhere is that more expensive than hiring.
Here’s what I see over and over again:
THE WARM BODY HIRE
You’re drowning. Someone is available. They seem like they might be able to do the job — so you hire them without a process.
Now you’re managing someone who isn’t a fit, but feels impossible to let go of.
WHAT TO DO INSTEAD:
Slow down. Write the role. Define outcomes. Vet candidates — even if they come with glowing personal references. “Good enough for now” usually costs more later.
THE FREELANCER-IN-NAME-ONLY
You want full-time commitment, strategy, and responsiveness — but you’re paying contractor rates.
WHAT TO DO INSTEAD:
Be honest about scope and pay. If it’s a full-time role, hire accordingly. If it’s not, set boundaries. Flexibility is not misclassification.
THE EVERYTHING ROLE
You’ve got five problems and budget for one hire — so you cram marketing, admin, and customer success into one role and hope for the best.
WHAT TO DO INSTEAD:
Prioritise. Hire for what’s essential now. Automate, defer, or contract the rest.
THE UNDEFINED HIRE
You know you need help, but you haven’t clarified what success looks like. Someone joins — and neither of you knows what they’re responsible for.
WHAT TO DO INSTEAD:
If you can’t outline the first 30 days of a role, you’re not ready to hire. Start there.
None of this requires more money.
It requires more intention.
HOW I LEAD LEAN TEAMS PEOPLE ACTUALLY WANT TO BE ON
I’ve led lean teams through product launches, brand builds, and full organisational restructures — across sectors and time zones.
The common thread was never fancy tech or massive budgets.
It was leadership.
Not performative, LinkedIn-influencer leadership.
Just real, roll-up-your-sleeves leadership.
Here’s what that looks like in practice.
WRITE BETTER JOB DESCRIPTIONS — AND HONOUR THEM
A good job description is a blueprint, not a wishlist.
But writing it isn’t enough. You have to stick to it.
Too often, managers pile on new responsibilities without ever removing old ones. Growth is healthy. Endless accumulation is how good people burn out — fast.
And if you’ve never done the work yourself, you probably underestimate how long it takes. That “quick task” is rarely quick. Especially for someone new who’s also learning how to work with you.
Respect the ramp-up.
DESIGN SIMPLE BUT REAL ONBOARDING
Onboarding doesn’t need to be fancy. It just needs to exist.
A shared doc.
Access to tools.
A welcome Loom.
Introductions.
A 30/60/90-day plan.
Your new hire shouldn’t spend week one playing detective. Clarity from day one builds trust that lasts.
GIVE PEOPLE OWNERSHIP
You hired someone because you needed help.
So let them help.
Set direction. Define outcomes. Then get out of their way.
Autonomy is one of the strongest retention tools there is. Micromanagement is how you lose great people quickly.
LEAD LIKE A PERSON
This is where things fall apart most often.
Leaders assume malice when they’re really dealing with overwhelm or miscommunication. Passive-aggressive messages, resentment, and mistrust creep in — and the team feels it.
Most people want to do good work.
If expectations are clear and they still aren’t met, have the direct conversation. Give the feedback. And if it doesn’t change — let them go.
DON’T KEEP TOXIC HIGH PERFORMERS
I once kept someone because their technical skills were exceptional — truly irreplaceable on paper.
But their attitude was awful. Missed deadlines. Low energy. Constant drag on morale.
When I finally let them go, the team visibly relaxed. And productivity went up — because people could rely on each other again.
Culture is compound interest. Don’t mess with it.
COMMUNICATE EARLY, CLEARLY, AND OFTEN
Weekly check-ins.
Clear roles.
Real-time feedback.
Structure doesn’t suffocate people. It frees them.
People stayed on my teams not because of incredible salaries or benefits — but because they felt trusted, understood the mission, and knew their work mattered.
THE TAKEAWAY
You don’t need a massive hiring budget to build a great team.
You do need to lead like it matters.
Write the role — and honour it.
Onboard like you care.
Trust people to do their jobs.
Hold them accountable when they don’t.
Let go of those who damage the culture, even if they’re technically brilliant.
And above all — lead like a person.
Here’s the gut check: if you’re leading well, there should be a small, healthy fear that your best people might leave. Not because you pushed them out — but because you helped them grow.
That sting?
That’s how you know you built something good.
Because even a scrappy, imperfect, resource-constrained team can be a place where people do the best work of their careers — if you build it on purpose.
Leadership is the culture.
Clarity is the retention strategy.
And your team will punch way above its weight when you lead with care.
WEEKLY Q&A
I THINK SOMEONE ON MY TEAM IS BURNING OUT. WHAT DO I DO?
Dear MA,
I’ve got a team member who’s clearly not themselves lately. Slower responses, less enthusiasm, lower energy. I don’t want to overstep — but I also don’t want to ignore it. How do I support someone who’s approaching burnout?
Dear Manager Who Cares,
First: good on you for noticing.
Here’s the move — name it. Kindly. Directly. Humanly.
“Hey, I’ve noticed you seem a bit tapped out lately. I’m worried about you. What’s going on?”
No accusations. No fixing. Just space.
Then look at the environment.
Is the workload actually manageable — or is burnout just math? Too much work, not enough margin?
Clarify priorities. Pause what can wait. Reduce noise. Clean up systems. Structure is relief, not control.
And finally — rest matters. Real time off. No pings. No follow-ups waiting in the wings.
Burnout isn’t solved by motivation. It’s solved by rethinking the work — and leading like you care about the person doing it.
💛
MA
