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CEO of Svpply: I have no idea what I'm doing

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Re: CEO of Svpply: I have no idea what I'm doing

#31

Post by dasil003 »

jpk wrote: post #24
rudiger wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Witholding the truth isn't lying.

This is an attitude I've never agreed with. Say you're an investor. Would you rather this CEO put on an I-know-what-I'm-doing face, and imply that he's got this all under control? Or would you rather he be upfront about his lack of experience but determination to get it right by learning and surrounding himself with smart people that can help him? Maybe he fails, maybe he doesn't. At least you know what you're gettin…

> Would you rather this CEO put on an I-know-what-I'm-doing face, and imply that he's got this all under control?

Up front in my office or up front in a public blog? I certainly wouldn't want him scaring off potential deals with over-the-top candor.

> Dishonesty is dishonesty no matter how you cut it.

This is a ridiculous assertion. If you walk around saying every true thing that comes into your mind at best you'll be treated like you have Tourette's, and at worst you'll be a complete pariah. Honesty and integrity tend to fall in the "know it when you see it" camp for most people, but the criteria are far from black and white.

Re: CEO of Svpply: I have no idea what I'm doing

#32

Post by yuhong »

daleharvey wrote: post #16
Meai wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have no idea, and that's my point. I think it will have unforseeable effects. Interaction with future business partners, friends, talks with possible employees who read it and decide not to apply. Everything is coloured from now on.

I agree its impossible to know for certain what effects this will have, but I definitely dont think they will all be negative. Its a slow transition but its becoming acceptable for business to not operate as if they were big brother, and not all communication needs to be double speak, sure the CEO of goldman & sachs isnt going to get away with a blog post like this, but a young bookmarking startup, the only negative…

Yea, the illusion that celebrities are perfect needs to die. It dates back to the days of "legacy" PR which was based on controlling the meesage. Welcome to the PR 2.0 age (one name for it).

Re: CEO of Svpply: I have no idea what I'm doing

#33

Post by mtgentry »

jimbobimbo wrote: post #28

This epitomizes the problem with fresh-out-of-school "founders" who view their startup as some sort of a post-grad experience. The guy mentally still is in a high school, but is supposed to be a responsible adult running a company. Every businessman has challenges running their business, but not every challenge is something that has to be known publicly. Business is supposed to be ran from the quiet office, not from…

The product is great. All is else is secondary. For christ's sake the guy has Zach Klein on speed dial, they'll figure things out.

As as Svpply user, this only makes me want to root for them more. But to be fair, if I were a Svpply employee, my confidence in his vision of the company might waver a tiny bit.

Re: CEO of Svpply: I have no idea what I'm doing

#34

Post by scotth »

kickme444 wrote: post #12

Developer here - If I were about to interview for a dev job at svpply I would surely find this blog post and promptly cancel my interview. No way am I going to go to work for a guy who has no experience doing what he is tasked to do. This is kinda scary.

I would happily work for this guy. Seems like an opportunity to be both a programmer and help out with operations too. Sounds fun.

Re: CEO of Svpply: I have no idea what I'm doing

#35

Post by kerryfalk »

jimbobimbo wrote: post #28

This epitomizes the problem with fresh-out-of-school "founders" who view their startup as some sort of a post-grad experience. The guy mentally still is in a high school, but is supposed to be a responsible adult running a company. Every businessman has challenges running their business, but not every challenge is something that has to be known publicly. Business is supposed to be ran from the quiet office, not from…

No one so self-aware that they can openly discuss their shortcomings and their fears is "mentally still in high school".

Discussing them openly does have consequences, though. Especially for those following you who may not see it in the same light. As shown in the comments of this thread many are vicious against it and see it as weakness. In my experience, though, those who do share the same frame of mind as the OP (Many of whom are very successful leaders) see it as a strength.

So I partially agree in that perhaps it's wise to keep it to close confidants I disagree that this is something that needs to be rallied against.

It's lonely at the top in a startup. Figuring out where to go can destroy you if you let it. It's like guiding a ship through a thick fog (The doubt) and the only thing getting you through it is the lighthouse (Your determination to never give up and belief in the idea) and the skills you've developed to steer the ship away from the rocks to get to the lighthouse. I'd doubt anyone's ability to get through that if they weren't unsure and constantly questioning themselves. Over-confidence is the killer of great performance.

Re: CEO of Svpply: I have no idea what I'm doing

#36

Post by X-Istence »

kickme444 wrote: post #12

Developer here - If I were about to interview for a dev job at svpply I would surely find this blog post and promptly cancel my interview. No way am I going to go to work for a guy who has no experience doing what he is tasked to do. This is kinda scary.

I'd love to work for him. There is an opportunity for me to learn what he is learning, and to even help with ideas and researching.

He is ultimately doing exactly what he wants to be doing and from the looks of it he is working very hard at solving the issue of not knowing.

Re: CEO of Svpply: I have no idea what I'm doing

#37

Post by ditojim »

it isn't smart for a ceo to be publicly open about these weaknesses, but it is brutally honest, and i respect that. you may gain more than you lose from this post, but in general i have found that confidence in your ability to get it done and figure it our means everything, and that telling people you don't know what you are doing creates FUD in an organization.

Re: CEO of Svpply: I have no idea what I'm doing

#38

Post by chc »

kickme444 wrote: post #12

Developer here - If I were about to interview for a dev job at svpply I would surely find this blog post and promptly cancel my interview. No way am I going to go to work for a guy who has no experience doing what he is tasked to do. This is kinda scary.

Then working at a startup for a first-time founder is definitely not for you, and probably not any startup. Which is OK — different people thrive in different environments and different risk/reward levels. You should be thanking this guy for helping you understand where your tolerance lies before you got snookered by somebody less candid.
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