Of Generals and Entrepreneurs
eas...@pryvateer.com
George Washington the commander in chief of the continental army, a
role we was naïve about and untrained for, was placed in a situation
that conflicted with his personal values and character.
A man of bold and decisive action and guided by his greater angels, he
almost lost everything. He did not understand that the key to winning a
revolution was the preservation of the army. Our fledgling republic
could survive anything except a decisive defeat of the army in the
field.
It attacked his personal honor to strategically run from a larger,
better equipped, and trained army. In Brooklyn Heights, the battle of
Long Island, he exposed our cause to immediate defeat and dissolution
because he could not adjust to the realities of the role.
Once he understood that his army was the one thing that would end the
war (in victory or defeat), then fighting a 'battle of posts' was
the only formula for success regardless of personal feelings.
His second to last victory was at Monmouth Heights in 1778, it would be
3 years before Washington won another battle - Yorktown and won the
war. Imagine 3 years without a win!
This taught Washington the order of things: survival first, success
second. It gave him the understanding of the success's virtues:
personal courage and organizational fiscal frugality. Courage to make
and implement the right decision regardless of personal feelings and
the fiscal wherewithal to implement and sustain the strategy.
Courage also meant understanding oneself and doing what is
uncomfortable, what is painful. Unlike most entrepreneurs, Washington
did not sacrifice the noble cause because of unwillingness to grow. Why
do only 7% of startups succeed after 5 years? It is called the founder
trap.
A company, like an army, takes on the idiosyncrasies of the founder.
Many times these early virtues are in the end mortal flaws.
Are you willing to grow beyond yourself? Because if not, your dreams
will remain fleeting moments surrounded by desperation.