The Entrepreneur VS The Operator

The Artist, the entrepreneur is built on failure. That is that their primary job is to try doing something that's never been done before. They ask "What if?" and follow that like a series of dominoes until they start off talking about one thing and suddenly they're talking about something completely different.

But if you're an operator you're flummoxed. Operators keep the trains running on time. They stay the course, they operate. They see the entrepreneurs as breaking all of their well-laid plans, and they think entrepreneurs and artists are wrong almost all of the time so best to keep them as far away from everything important....

Which is true.

See, Artists, Entrepreneurs, we need to expect failure from them, it's part of the gig, it's most of the gig. And to build them a sandbox where that's possible...

Will create the path for the operators. Without entrepreneurs, there is no path for the operator to make well-trodden.

Without the operator, the entrepreneur would have no legacy to speak of.

So this symbiosis can be seen in the majority of great partnerships.

Tim Cook is an incredible operator. And he grew Apple to 5x what Steve Jobs could.

But make no mistake, when the artist leaves the building...

When there are no longer entrepreneurs around...

When the weird, failures can't be tried...

It's the beginning of the end for an organization.

So awareness here is key.

Are you an operator or an artist?

And if you're an artist, can you play well with a manager? Your stability and growth depend on it.

And if you're an operator, can you love your entrepreneurs for who they are? Can you see the "waste" of time and money as an essential part of the process?

Disney created the Imagineers.

Google created its Moonshots program.

But don't forget that the best innovation program was Nasa and the Moon Landing.

The Moon Landing was thought up by entrepreneurs and executed by managers.

That's what happens when you've got the two aligned.

xx David