Life Is a Startup  ## Metadata - Author: [[Noam Wasserman]] | [[3. Resources/Authors/Noam Wasserman|Noam Wasserman]] - Full Title: Life Is a Startup - Category: #books - Kindle: [Open in Kindle](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HY95RB2) - Document Tags: [[Leadership]] ## Document Notes ## Highlights - We are naturally drawn toward collaborators who are similar to us, often to our peril. ([Location 122](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07HY95RB2&location=122)) - the best founders relentlessly take stock of their own weaknesses and recruit people with skills and viewpoints that differ from their own, even if that makes the founders uncomfortable. ([Location 124](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07HY95RB2&location=124)) - The reality is that few collaborators—whether cofounders or couples—truly contribute equally, and I show how pretending otherwise can be counterproductive or even destructive. ([Location 132](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07HY95RB2&location=132)) - The three pillars can be summarized by the following three questions: What type of customer do you target in your present job—are you selling to consumers, businesses, governments, or even a board or committee? What type of product—such as consumer goods, enterprise software, marketing services, or your unique insights—are you selling to that customer? Finally, what’s the main challenge you face on a day-to-day basis? ([Location 710](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07HY95RB2&location=710)) - Enter into your dating with eyes wide open, not just about your potential mate but also about how well the situation approximates the full situation you eventually hope to face. ([Location 818](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07HY95RB2&location=818)) - Fearing small failures, we create big regrets. ([Location 987](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07HY95RB2&location=987)) - • Do you hesitate to seize intriguing opportunities for fear of not succeeding at them? • Much like the young piano player who avoids practicing a new piece in front of others, do you avoid situations in which you will have to do something new in public? • If you think about the worst situation you might face if you had failed, how hard would it have been, really, to recover from that failure? • If your worries have prevented you from pursuing a goal, do you have any regrets now about not pursuing it? ([Location 989](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07HY95RB2&location=989)) - Do we view our path through life as an obstacle course, or as a treasure hunt? ([Location 1264](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07HY95RB2&location=1264)) - From the beginning, set modest expectations to make it easier to consider potential pitfalls. Force realistic viewpoints on yourself to protect yourself from outside hype based on best-case scenarios. Proceed gradually, breaking big decisions into a series of smaller ones, and when moves go poorly, develop a habit of actively reflecting, learning, and adapting. ([Location 1383](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07HY95RB2&location=1383)) - Try to shape your future—but be aware of the biases that can get in the way. ([Location 1460](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07HY95RB2&location=1460)) - Aggressively Bolster Your Support When analysis shows that you are missing the skills needed to continue leading your project, committee, or company, your first reaction shouldn’t be to leave the scene. The intangibles you bring to the endeavor will be sorely missed, and you will probably miss the impact that you could have had if you had stuck around. Similarly, when you get into that academically demanding dream school, don’t let anxiety lead you to turn down your admission. Instead, focus on identifying the challenges for which you are not prepared and then explore how you might be able to bolster your support in those areas. ([Location 1478](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07HY95RB2&location=1478)) - Note: where are the areas that should be firmed up with those skilled in that area? - Successful founders’ ability to hear unsettling advice without surrendering to disappointment is related to their tendency, mentioned at the beginning of this chapter, to doubt only their assumptions, not themselves, when they hit setbacks. ([Location 2017](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07HY95RB2&location=2017)) - Recognizing this, the best entrepreneurs strive for a diversity of opinions rather than initial harmony, often breeding frustration in the short term but generating better outcomes in the longer term. ([Location 2149](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07HY95RB2&location=2149)) - the most effective founders learn to raise tough issues without delay. ([Location 2165](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07HY95RB2&location=2165)) - “go ugly early. If your partner can see you at your worst—and still love you—you know you’ve got a keeper.” ([Location 2167](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07HY95RB2&location=2167)) - Effective founders also learn how to have “good” fights. They avoid what John Gottman, one of the pioneers of modern marital counseling, calls the “four horsemen” of relationship failure: criticism, defensiveness, contempt, and stonewalling. ([Location 2168](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07HY95RB2&location=2168)) - it pays to pause and step back from the day’s immediate conflicts and take a longer view. ([Location 2826](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B07HY95RB2&location=2826)) ## Related - [[3. Resources/Readwise/Articles/Inside the Founder’s Mind|Inside the Founder’s Mind]] ## Book Review - [[4. Archives/Book reviews/Life is a Startup|Life is a Startup - Book Review]]