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DON'T WORK WITH PEOPLE YOU HAVE A BAD FEELING ABOUT: I can not stress how dogmatically this should be adhered to enough.

GolfyMcG 12y ago
Maybe it's the optimist in me, but I would change this to be "Work with people you have a good feeling about." Though, the underlying difference is that the original phrase implies that everyone is fine to work with until you've eliminated them, whereas I'm saying that I assume no one is good enough until I've cleared them.
- tacos 12y ago
  Let's add "Don't work with pedantic people for whom anything outside absolute positivity is a trigger." Many a startup has been killed by this sort of up-with-people go-getter, who, with a (usually dumb) smile undermines this useful advice: "Don’t deceive yourself about whether or not your users actually love your product." "Ignore what the press says about you, especially if it’s complimentary." IT'S NOT ABOUT NEGATIVITY OR POSITIVITY; IT'S A MATTER OF ACCURATE ASSESSMENT.
pan69 12y ago
This is probably the biggest piece of non-advice in the entire article. Feeling is bullshit. If I had followed this advice throughout my career... I've been introduced to people who I'd instantly hated but a weeks later had become my best mates and I've been introduced to people who I'd loved at first sight (oh, so social, funny and well spoken..) and they turned out to be completely useless. It often takes time to get to know someone, don't let a first impression be a lasting but judge on the second, third and forth instead. You'd might be missing out.
- tomasien 12y ago
  It's not about first impressions - it's about people you have a bad feeling about but work with anyway because you assume it's going to be worth it. Don't do that. That's not what you're describing.
  - pan69 12y ago
    It's exactly what I'm describing, I've worked with people in the past who I'd initially greatly disliked (i.e. had bad feelings about) who then turned out to become great friends.
- jqm 12y ago
  I think there is a difference between "liking" someone and "feeling good about them" (i.e. believing they will help advance your cause). There are a lot of people I "like" who I wouldn't let within 10 miles of any working or financial endeavour. But great to have a beer with. I've also noticed that when your priorities shift, so do your likes.
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
- defenestration 12y ago
  I have learned that little things in a start of a relationship will multiply over time. If somebody is just a bit dishonest early on, the relationship might explode in a couple of years due to lack of trust. With the people who have the same core values as me, I have the best long-term relationships that are good for both of us.
MichaelGG 12y ago
And get anything, no matter how small it seems, in writing. Even if the people involved seem like the nicest people you know and you have BBQs at their house every weekend. Just assume that at some point, though matters outside of anyone's control, they turn into agents that only seek your demise. Hopefully you won't need those provisions, but even for a few hundred K, it's surprising what people will do or turn into.
- cubano 12y ago
  > Hopefully you won't need those provisions, but even for a few hundred K, it's surprising what people will do or turn into. I've seen it happen for less than $1000.

GolfyMcG 12y ago

Maybe it's the optimist in me, but I would change this to be "Work with people you have a good feeling about." Though, the underlying difference is that the original phrase implies that everyone is fine to work with until you've eliminated them, whereas I'm saying that I assume no one is good enough until I've cleared them.

tacos 12y ago
Let's add "Don't work with pedantic people for whom anything outside absolute positivity is a trigger." Many a startup has been killed by this sort of up-with-people go-getter, who, with a (usually dumb) smile undermines this useful advice: "Don’t deceive yourself about whether or not your users actually love your product." "Ignore what the press says about you, especially if it’s complimentary." IT'S NOT ABOUT NEGATIVITY OR POSITIVITY; IT'S A MATTER OF ACCURATE ASSESSMENT.

pan69 12y ago

This is probably the biggest piece of non-advice in the entire article. Feeling is bullshit. If I had followed this advice throughout my career... I've been introduced to people who I'd instantly hated but a weeks later had become my best mates and I've been introduced to people who I'd loved at first sight (oh, so social, funny and well spoken..) and they turned out to be completely useless. It often takes time to get to know someone, don't let a first impression be a lasting but judge on the second, third and forth instead. You'd might be missing out.

tomasien 12y ago
It's not about first impressions - it's about people you have a bad feeling about but work with anyway because you assume it's going to be worth it. Don't do that. That's not what you're describing.
- pan69 12y ago
  It's exactly what I'm describing, I've worked with people in the past who I'd initially greatly disliked (i.e. had bad feelings about) who then turned out to become great friends.
jqm 12y ago
I think there is a difference between "liking" someone and "feeling good about them" (i.e. believing they will help advance your cause). There are a lot of people I "like" who I wouldn't let within 10 miles of any working or financial endeavour. But great to have a beer with. I've also noticed that when your priorities shift, so do your likes.
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
defenestration 12y ago
I have learned that little things in a start of a relationship will multiply over time. If somebody is just a bit dishonest early on, the relationship might explode in a couple of years due to lack of trust. With the people who have the same core values as me, I have the best long-term relationships that are good for both of us.

MichaelGG 12y ago

And get anything, no matter how small it seems, in writing. Even if the people involved seem like the nicest people you know and you have BBQs at their house every weekend. Just assume that at some point, though matters outside of anyone's control, they turn into agents that only seek your demise. Hopefully you won't need those provisions, but even for a few hundred K, it's surprising what people will do or turn into.

cubano 12y ago
> Hopefully you won't need those provisions, but even for a few hundred K, it's surprising what people will do or turn into. I've seen it happen for less than $1000.