If it was about judging if a team can execute and if an idea has merits, that's one thing. If its about judging if they fit into a culture you are cultivating that is fine too.
But if its about judging character...This filters out the humble people and curates the narcissistic.
I guess I am saying that most good people don't go around thinking how good they are...and the better a person is the more likely they will take responsibility for everything in their lives, which may lead them to think less of themselves.
Whereas, someone who is narcissistic thinks he is a good guy, and is actually really bad.
I still think they should filter for culture fit and even ethical fit, but they should not publicize it, and definitely should not proclaim they are gifted at it and very accurate in their assessments.
I can think of lots of good guys who would never want to be judged on their character in 10 minutes by someone the valley looks up to and who proclaims they almost always accurate when reading people.
I know my own shortcomings. I am afraid Jessica will see right through me and see how rotten to the core I know I am. But who knows... maybe I am just hard on myself and I really am a great guy. I guess I would rather not find out for sure :)
>But if its about judging character...This filters out the humble people and curates the narcissistic.
Good judges of character can see through narcissism and appreciate humility. You seem to be assuming that anyone judging character will be easily fooled.
Oh. It wasn't very clear. Also I think you're mixing up humility and low self-esteem. Humble, in the positive sense of the word, just means modest. And modest people can be confident about themselves.
Your definitions are correct when it comes to measuring your own abilities but not when it comes to judging your own character. Truly humble people won't perceive themselves as humble and be confident about how humble they are.
To your point about low self esteem and humility. These aren't mutually exclusive...many good people have a low self esteem but are still confident in their abilities and achieve success.
We all drew the same conclusions. It is clear their goal is to keep the BSers out. I was just wondering if her writing this post will cause some good founders who are insecure to never apply in the first place.
It's a valid point. That said, if someone is insecure enough that this blog posts puts them off applying, will they be able to run a startup? A startup is a giant leap into the unknown.
I believe every skill needed to emotionally deal with running a startup can be learned on the job. I just don't buy this claim that only some sort of people are cut out for starting a start up. If you start a startup you just proved you have what it takes...If you didn't you would never get started.
It's like founders think they have a monopoly on dealing with difficult emotional circumstances and somehow since they coped they are super human.
You bring to the table who you are and you figure it out as you need to. There is no reason someone who is insecure can't adapt on the fly to coping with the circumstances.
In fact, I find that people discover deep strength they never knew they had when they have no choice but to cope...who you are today is not a reason to think you can't handle a startup.
But if its about judging character...This filters out the humble people and curates the narcissistic.
I guess I am saying that most good people don't go around thinking how good they are...and the better a person is the more likely they will take responsibility for everything in their lives, which may lead them to think less of themselves.
Whereas, someone who is narcissistic thinks he is a good guy, and is actually really bad.
I still think they should filter for culture fit and even ethical fit, but they should not publicize it, and definitely should not proclaim they are gifted at it and very accurate in their assessments.
I can think of lots of good guys who would never want to be judged on their character in 10 minutes by someone the valley looks up to and who proclaims they almost always accurate when reading people.
I know my own shortcomings. I am afraid Jessica will see right through me and see how rotten to the core I know I am. But who knows... maybe I am just hard on myself and I really am a great guy. I guess I would rather not find out for sure :)