I’ve been lucky enough to meet a number of founders and fund managers over the years. Many of which I probably have no business of meeting and getting to know. And I count myself fortunate every day to have the opportunities to do so.
Nevertheless, and as an FYI, all of this is completely anecdotal. Maybe at some point I’ll find data to support this. Hell, maybe there’s already data on this. But as is the perk of this blog, I get to write about just things on my mind.
Per some recent conversations with friends, having already shared with them, thought I’d share the below. Some telltale signs I’ve noticed in founders and fund managers that are world-class before the rest of the world knows it:
- Highly responsive. It’s insane to think about this given their busy lives. But the folks I’ve been lucky to invest in and (gosh darn it) passed on who’ve gone on to create hundreds if not thousands of jobs respond remarkably fast. Sometimes within minutes of me sending them a message/email. But on average before half the day is over. I will say I’m personally slipping here a bit as of late. But I guess, that just means I’m not world-class by my own definition. Many seem to be night owls, at least when they’re still hustling. I’m not personally sure if they’re working deep into the night, but at least, they’re responding to me at 2AM, and I’m trying to figure out what they’re doing then.
- They exercise in the morning, or have a morning routine that they do every day without fail, even when on vacation. It could be writing, journaling, making that morning cup of espresso just right, or making breakfast for their kids EVERY morning. It’s ritualistic, so that they perform just as well on the first meeting of their day as they do their last.
- Operationally disciplined. They’re really good at saying no. They set clear boundaries. Often times, boundaries that most people have not heard of. And many, even after hearing them, may find bizarre or strange. But in an odd way, they make a lot of sense if you give them the time of day. I was calling a friend recently on this, and he was sharing that he’s not the kind of friend that most people want. He doesn’t show up at birthday parties or celebrations. He also doesn’t post to socials regularly to congratulate friends on promotions or otherwise. But he aimed to be, and ends up being the first call friends make when shit hits the fan. And because of that practice, he can be laser focused on his priorities every day.
- They’re really good at using analogies. In many ways, it’s the classic 7-year old test or the grandma test. They’re extremely high context individuals in a lot of different disciplines. And if I were to define it (not original, but I forget the attribution, might be Tim Urban), high context individuals are those that are well-versed on a given subject. Low context folks are those are out of the loop. For example, a PhD in neuroscience is high context on how different reward systems affect dopamine, but possibly low context on Marvel Cinematic Universe lore. And when someone is high context in not just one area but in a lot of areas — in other words, people might call them polymaths, or at the very least, well-read — it’s easy for them to pull analogies in ways that best help relay what they want to say to the other person’s ears. Like a crypto founder (probably one might be able to guess who) who once described to me one-way hash functions as putting fruits in a blender. Or Josh Wolfe who describes the battle of ethics in a company a battle between intentions and incentives. Or that society is a constant battle between deception and detection.
- They ask really good questions. Questions you’ve likely never heard asked before. And many can get to proficiency on any subject quite quickly. Largely, probably because of how they think and how they eventually arrive at an answer.
- Words are used intentionally and with specificity, and rarely, if ever, use amorphous terms and superlative adjectives. Like success, community, unique, compelling, unfair advantage, best, better, and so on. And if they do, they are quick to define what they personally mean when they use those words.
Photo by Linhao Zhang on Unsplash
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The views expressed on this blogpost are for informational purposes only. None of the views expressed herein constitute legal, investment, business, or tax advice. Any allusions or references to funds or companies are for illustrative purposes only, and should not be relied upon as investment recommendations. Consult a professional investment advisor prior to making any investment decisions.
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