tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7660844861872909261.post262437184795081709..comments2023-03-28T18:30:05.613-04:00Comments on Reaction Wheel: On being an assholeJerry Neumannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11869373074132369401noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7660844861872909261.post-42615850162567945092013-03-05T09:58:38.423-05:002013-03-05T09:58:38.423-05:00@Jim
Yes. I don't think they are bad people, ...@Jim<br /><br />Yes. I don't think they are bad people, just misguided. In some environments you can succeed by applying extrinsic motivation because you will always be there to continue the extrinsic motivation. The armed forces, corporations, any hierarchical organization, really.<br /><br />But founders need to have the intrinsic motivation to get things done. Otherwise they're just employees.Jerry Neumannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11869373074132369401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7660844861872909261.post-11719411247520785782013-03-05T09:42:50.592-05:002013-03-05T09:42:50.592-05:00Great post. If success in an idea/venture was obvi...Great post. If success in an idea/venture was obvious, someone else would have already done it. As a former intrapreneur, the 'assholes' you mention remind me of 'corporate antibodies'. Yea, they can be assholes, but sometimes they are well meaning folks perpetuating corporate innovation incompetence, which fortunately leaves many opportunities wide open for true entrepreneurs to capitalize on.Jim Vitekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04755670577077830369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7660844861872909261.post-37405412914280039052013-03-04T16:51:59.095-05:002013-03-04T16:51:59.095-05:00Jonathan--
You're right, but it's a bit l...Jonathan--<br /><br />You're right, but it's a bit like your dad beating you so you can learn how to take a beating, isn't it? It might motivate you to be a big man, but I still disagree with it.Jerry Neumannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11869373074132369401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7660844861872909261.post-81913116227998095692013-03-04T16:40:53.493-05:002013-03-04T16:40:53.493-05:00I've always thought dealing with assholes is s...I've always thought dealing with assholes is some sort of right of passage for testing the mettle of an entrepreneur. Actually, it's a right tof passage for life too. Most people you meet with power are jerks. It's the rare exception to find someone in a position of power that handles themselves with class and dignity. <br /><br />But I'm going to challenge the notion that "criticism in entirely useless." <br /><br />Many successful people have used criticism as a motivational tool to succeed. History is littered with stories of the guys who were told they were "too small to play in the majors" and used that as motivation. There's nothing wrong with having a chip on your shoulder. Entrepreneurs by nature MUST prove people wrong and if I was a VC, I would be looking to invest in just those people.<br /><br /><br />Jonathan Mendezhttp://www.yieldbot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7660844861872909261.post-69071100044757834302013-03-04T16:23:01.985-05:002013-03-04T16:23:01.985-05:00Thanks for this honest post. As a corollary, I fin...Thanks for this honest post. As a corollary, I find that I'm most disappointed when a fellow founder engages in criticism rather than critique. This rarely happens, but when it does, it really does sting.Balu Chandrasekaranhttp://about.me/balunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7660844861872909261.post-33685419419627018502013-03-04T13:53:00.629-05:002013-03-04T13:53:00.629-05:00Timely: http://www.fabricegrinda.com/quotes-speech...Timely: http://www.fabricegrinda.com/quotes-speeches/be-a-doer/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7660844861872909261.post-83807112555755972662013-03-04T11:17:09.996-05:002013-03-04T11:17:09.996-05:00Jerry - this is exactly right. The act of creating...Jerry - this is exactly right. The act of creating something from scratch is chaotic, energetic, passionate, frightening, angst-ridden, euphoric, and incredibly incredibly incredibly hard. The assholes have no idea. No idea of the sacrifice that comes with starting anything from scratch. No idea how painful their comments can be. No idea how hard it is to push through the down times. I once had a CEO brought in to "lead" a startup I had created laugh and say sarcastically, "I have no idea why someone would start a company - it's so much easier to show up and run it later." And yes, he was an asshole.Eric Picardhttp://springload.comnoreply@blogger.com