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> 3. Grow up with a family that is as steady and secure as possible. "I was having lunch with a friend who is a retired venture capitalist and we drifted into

by wololo 14y ago

> 3. Grow up with a family that is as steady and secure as possible. "I was having lunch with a friend who is a retired venture capitalist and we drifted into a discussion of the startups she funded. We agreed that all her founding CEOs seemed to have the same set of personality traits – tenacious, passionate, relentless, resilient, agile, and comfortable operating in chaos. I said, “well for me you’d have to add coming from a dysfunctional family.” Her response was surprising, “Steve, almost all my CEO’s came from very tough childhoods. It was one of the characteristics I specifically looked for. It’s why all of you operated so well in the unpredictable environment that all startups face.” I couldn’t figure out if I was more perturbed about how casual the comment was or how insightful it was." --http://steveblank.com/2009/05/18/founders-and-dysfunctional-families/ http://steveblank.com/2009/05/18/founders-and-dysfunctional-...

anildash 14y ago
There's no doubt that many high achievers have some sorts of dysfunction as motivators; I always point to the paternal failings of the fathers of (say) Bill Clinton or Michael Jackson. But even granting that pattern, you'll generally find a stable presence within people's broader family, and examples from Bill Gates to Mark Zuckerberg show a much more common pattern of extremely supportive parents providing a strong foundation for success. I would love to see research about the families of a cohort of YCombinator participants, for example.
- wololo 14y ago
  "My hypothesis is that most children are emotionally damaged by this upbringing. But a small percentage, whose brain chemistry and wiring is set for resilience ..." This relentlessness, stress immunity, etc. -- these are "positive" characteristics of primary psychopathy. And it is associated with having a rough childhood. Maybe that's what he's referring to? On the other hand, it's such a small fraction of the population, maybe it's irrelevant?

by wololo 14y ago

anildash 14y ago

There's no doubt that many high achievers have some sorts of dysfunction as motivators; I always point to the paternal failings of the fathers of (say) Bill Clinton or Michael Jackson. But even granting that pattern, you'll generally find a stable presence within people's broader family, and examples from Bill Gates to Mark Zuckerberg show a much more common pattern of extremely supportive parents providing a strong foundation for success. I would love to see research about the families of a cohort of YCombinator participants, for example.

wololo 14y ago
"My hypothesis is that most children are emotionally damaged by this upbringing. But a small percentage, whose brain chemistry and wiring is set for resilience ..." This relentlessness, stress immunity, etc. -- these are "positive" characteristics of primary psychopathy. And it is associated with having a rough childhood. Maybe that's what he's referring to? On the other hand, it's such a small fraction of the population, maybe it's irrelevant?