4 ms·

If all startups need a Greg and there are only so many Gregs to go around, can new Gregs be deliberately created?

by gcheong 10y ago

birken 10y ago
I've only worked at one startup, which was quite successful, and nobody there fit the description of Greg (unless you permute it to be so vague that everybody is Greg). Therefore, you don't need a Greg character for your startup to be successful. Clearly he is a very impressive person with very impressive results and I'm sure I'd enjoy working at a company with him, or people like him. I don't like this myth though. Startups are chaos, and pretending that as long as you have this magical person there solving all your problems that your chaos is somehow incorrect. The startup I worked for was full of normal imperfect humans who got offended, had trouble figuring out the direction of the company, were not world-class recruiters, were not always thoughtful and ran into problems big and small all the time. The company didn't die because there was a group of dedicated, imperfect people, who didn't want the company to die, not because there was one "Chief Optimist" holding it all together. If there was a "Chief Optimist" role, it was a very mobile position based on who was feeling best at that particular moment. This isn't to say you can't and shouldn't actively try to make yourself better [1], you should. But you don't need a perfectly formed person working at your startup for it to succeed. And I want to note, I'm not disputing the existence of superhuman individuals, they exist and I'm sure power a lot of amazing achievements. You just don't need them to succeed, a bunch of normal people can do it too. 1: For whatever definition of better you want, in this context it would probably mean being a better startup founder
striking 10y ago
Startups do not necessarily, specifically need "a Greg." Startups need "at least one person who provides the force of will to make the startup happen", and Greg is an instance of such a person. As long as you believe you can find such force of will within yourself, you too can be a little bit like Greg. But beware: there is only one Greg. Don't try to be Greg, because you are you and will never be Greg. Instead, follow in Greg's example. Learn from Greg. Find the force of will inside you. Practice your communication and empathy skills. And prepare to work your butt off. In other words, be a little like Greg. And maybe you'll find success in the startup world.
ryandrake 10y ago
I'd push back on this idea that there are only so many to go around. My bet is there are a lot of potential "Gregs" out there with the qualities Sam describes, but wasting away under-employed as Mid-Senior individual contributors at BigCorpXyz, like the stereotypical Oscar-capable actress waiting tables trying to get discovered. All it takes is the courage to recognize potential--they can be found!

If all startups need a Greg and there are only so many Gregs to go around, can new Gregs be deliberately created?

by gcheong 10y ago

If all startups need a Greg and there are only so many Gregs to go around, can new Gregs be deliberately created?

I've only worked at one startup, which was quite successful, and nobody there fit the description of Greg (unless you permute it to be so vague that everybody is Greg). Therefore, you don't need a Greg character for your startup to be successful. Clearly he is a very impressive person with very impressive results and I'm sure I'd enjoy working at a company with him, or people like him. I don't like this myth though. Startups are chaos, and pretending that as long as you have this magical person there solving all your problems that your chaos is somehow incorrect. The startup I worked for was full of normal imperfect humans who got offended, had trouble figuring out the direction of the company, were not world-class recruiters, were not always thoughtful and ran into problems big and small all the time. The company didn't die because there was a group of dedicated, imperfect people, who didn't want the company to die, not because there was one "Chief Optimist" holding it all together. If there was a "Chief Optimist" role, it was a very mobile position based on who was feeling best at that particular moment. This isn't to say you can't and shouldn't actively try to make yourself better [1], you should. But you don't need a perfectly formed person working at your startup for it to succeed. And I want to note, I'm not disputing the existence of superhuman individuals, they exist and I'm sure power a lot of amazing achievements. You just don't need them to succeed, a bunch of normal people can do it too. 1: For whatever definition of better you want, in this context it would probably mean being a better startup founder

striking 10y ago

Startups do not necessarily, specifically need "a Greg." Startups need "at least one person who provides the force of will to make the startup happen", and Greg is an instance of such a person. As long as you believe you can find such force of will within yourself, you too can be a little bit like Greg. But beware: there is only one Greg. Don't try to be Greg, because you are you and will never be Greg. Instead, follow in Greg's example. Learn from Greg. Find the force of will inside you. Practice your communication and empathy skills. And prepare to work your butt off. In other words, be a little like Greg. And maybe you'll find success in the startup world.

ryandrake 10y ago

I'd push back on this idea that there are only so many to go around. My bet is there are a lot of potential "Gregs" out there with the qualities Sam describes, but wasting away under-employed as Mid-Senior individual contributors at BigCorpXyz, like the stereotypical Oscar-capable actress waiting tables trying to get discovered. All it takes is the courage to recognize potential--they can be found!