I was having an interesting discussion with my father last night. We were talking about why people do certain things and what is it about most people that causes them to be intently afraid of the truth? You see this all the time from personal relationships to business people who consistently make poor decisions. And as an entrepreneur I have a front row seat to this folly, since entrepreneurs tend to wear many, many hats, we get to see this fantasy/role playing behavior from all different angles.
Why am I commenting on this and what does it have to do with running and growing a business? Well, everything. In my discussion with my father it became evident that being accountable to the truth is one of the greatest things about being an entrepreneur. I realized in my discussion that is why I love starting companies, because there is no room for fantasy: either you won the account or you didn't, either the money is in the bank to cover payroll or it's not, either the product works or it doesn't. And you are the final one responsible.
Entrepreneurship is pure: Very much like Hollywood or Wall Street. The intentions of these industries are right out there for everyone to see (Hollywood: We love you as long as the grosses don't go down, Wall Street: We love you as long as you are highly profitable ... otherwise go away). This Truth in Entrepreneurship is what makes being an entrepreneur so great. As the leader and business owner there is no place to hide. No big organization where you can stuff your failings under the desk and point to Bob in the next cubicle and say it was his fault. Even if the failings are not directly caused by you, they are still your responsibility as the driving force in the company. "It's beautiful man" (sorry, couldn't help myself).
So what does all this truth have to do with running a company ... well that's in my next post ... Truth, Justice ... and selling the American way.
See you on the wire.
Steven Cardinale
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