Unlike You, Mark Zuckerberg And Bill Gates Can Go Both Ways
Karch Kiraly is an anomaly. He is the only person to win Olympic gold medals in both indoor and beach volleyball.
Just as Karch is a rarity, so are entrepreneurs who are equally facile at startups and Big Dumb Companies (BDCs). Many of these gifted few are household names, partly because they represent such a rare breed: Bill Gates, Michael Dell, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg. All of these Founders managed their startups from launch to BDC success.
Given the relatively small number of people who are proficient contributors at both startups and BDCs, it is worthwhile to explore the different skills required to succeed in each venue.
In partnership with Docstoc, I created the following video, in which I discuss the characteristics of beach volleyball entreprenuers and BDC indoor volleyball players. You can watch the embeded video below or at YouTube: http://youtu.be/R8I86HxUt7Y
Beach Volleyball
Startups are akin to the fast-paced sport of beach volleyball, while Big Dumb Companies (BDCs) are analogous to the less fluid, more structured game of indoor volleyball.
BEACH VOLLEYBALL INDOOR VOLLEYBALL
Objective Survival Avoid unforced errors
Strategy Simple Complex
Positions Fluid Conscribed
Bench None Plentiful
Visibility Complete Obscured
Results Unequivocal Debatable
Although similar in many respects, significant differences exist between beach and indoor volleyball
Objective – The primary objective in beach volleyball is to keep the ball from hitting the sand. This translates into players diving, running into each other and essentially doing anything necessary to avoid letting the ball hit the sand.
If you ensure that the ball is kept in play, you have an opportunity to score. The same is true at a startup, where survival is the most elemental objective. You must be willing to do anything to keep the ball in play so you can eventually score.
As noted in Founderitis, Founders and other early members of a startup are ideally suited to reacting instinctually and ensuring that the ball stays in play. Such entrepreneurs are comfortable simultaneously playing a variety of roles, just as beach volleyball players are capable of serving, setting, blocking and spiking.
Continued on the next page
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