So I'm watching Batman Returns right now with Nefarious while we build stuff and draw, and it reminded me I wanted to quote from a business book subtitled “The Link Between (A Little) Craziness and (A Lot of) Successs in America” (since Batman is pretty much the definitive manic/psychopathic entrepreneur). Anyway, the following characteristics were listed, and top entrepreneurs were asked whether they agreed they were characteristics of entrepreneurs such as themselves or not:
- Filled with energy
- Flooded with ideas
- Driven, restless, and unable to keep still
- Channels their energy into the achievement of wildly grand ambitions
- Often works on little sleep
- Feels brilliant, special, chosen, or perhaps even destined to change the world
- Can be euphoric
- Becomes easily irritated by minor obstacles
- Risk taker
- Overspender in both personal and business life
- Acts out sexually
- Sometimes acts impulsively, with poor judgement, in ways that can have painful consequences
- Fast-talking
- Witty and gregarious
- Charismatic and persuasive
- Prone to making enemies and feels they are persecuted by those who do not accept their vision and mission
All of the entrepreneurs (Internet ones in this case) agreed that the description was accurate, even rating themselves “7 out of 5″ on many of the characteristics, although there was some disagreement on the paranoia and sexual acting out issues (but the author suggests that might be because they're “the bad ones” to admit to). I'm pretty much “yes” on all of them, and I've got no problem admitting that I'm also paranoid and sex-obsessed!
What's funny is that the list actually has nothing (directly/officially) to do with entrepreneurs — it's actually the description of someone who is hypomanic, a “medcial condition” a small step away from full blow mania and bipolar conditions, that the author suggests is one of the key characteristics that can prime a person for entrepreneurialism.
Anyway, we're off to the grocery store.
PS. The book is The Hypomanic Edge by John D. Gartner.
Post a Comment