I usually think about this in terms of entrepreneurs versus managers, or creators versus optimizers and maintainers.
One is not more important than the other.
Entrepreneurs are cowboys in this analogy. But it's more than just being willing to figure things out on the fly. An entrepreneur sees something that doesn't exist yet and breaks all the rules in order to bring that thing into reality.
Think of any successful startup. Or think of Steve Jobs or Bill Gates. They're bullshit artists with a penchant for finding talent who can make reality match their lies so that they're not lies anymore. Without them, the word would be a very stagnant place.
But, for every successful Jobs, there is a Tim Cook. For every Bill Gates, there's a Paul Allen.
The problem with the visionary entrepreneurs is they make for terrible managers (drones). They're great gamblers, great at taking big risks, but they just keep doubling down until eventually things blow up in their face, unless they're constrained by an excellent manager.
Look at SBF or Liz Holmes. I truly think they're cut from the same cloth as Jobs and Gates in terms of being willing to bullshit their way to the top. But they never appreciated why they needed "drones" (talented managers) to keep things in check and tell them "no" when their visions were truly batshit.
I'm not sure anyone is truly great at both. Being great at one tends to blind you to the other.
One is not more important than the other.
Entrepreneurs are cowboys in this analogy. But it's more than just being willing to figure things out on the fly. An entrepreneur sees something that doesn't exist yet and breaks all the rules in order to bring that thing into reality.
Think of any successful startup. Or think of Steve Jobs or Bill Gates. They're bullshit artists with a penchant for finding talent who can make reality match their lies so that they're not lies anymore. Without them, the word would be a very stagnant place.
But, for every successful Jobs, there is a Tim Cook. For every Bill Gates, there's a Paul Allen.
The problem with the visionary entrepreneurs is they make for terrible managers (drones). They're great gamblers, great at taking big risks, but they just keep doubling down until eventually things blow up in their face, unless they're constrained by an excellent manager.
Look at SBF or Liz Holmes. I truly think they're cut from the same cloth as Jobs and Gates in terms of being willing to bullshit their way to the top. But they never appreciated why they needed "drones" (talented managers) to keep things in check and tell them "no" when their visions were truly batshit.
I'm not sure anyone is truly great at both. Being great at one tends to blind you to the other.