So far on Tales Under the Cat Tree, we've explored quite a number of diverse topics. In episodes two and three, we looked at the impact of AI in software development. In episode four, we took you driving through hazards in Chile and Sri Lanka. In episode five, we looked at the impact of AI in fiction, which I revisited with actual fiction in last week's episode on a very Finnish Midsummer. In episode six, we took a look at entrepreneurship and my migrant story.
This week, I'd like to come back to entrepreneurship. Building teams, ideas, and organizations is near and dear to me. There is something that draws me to these tasks like a worker ant to sugar. In all this, I've met with both success and failure. I've read books and blogs and listened to podcasts. I've talked to mentors who have reached elusive 10x exits, and to those who have failed far worse than I have.
Over the years, I've realized two things.
The first: I have created my own mental models around how I believe things should be done. This, I believe, is absolutely normal. We all do this. These are what people call the "playbooks" that they bring to any work they do, especially at the executive level. When we get hired at companies, our calling cards are our past success and our playbooks.
The second thing I have learned is that my mental models are, pardon my language, pure shit. My mental models continually get challenged, and if I am being honest with myself rather than believing my own hype, each of my mental models or playbooks has a large number of flaws.
I do want to explore more of these models, playbooks, and flaws, as I see them, and hopefully even discuss them with friends and mentors on this podcast or in articles in the future.
For this episode I have to thank Viktor Djupsjöbacka for silly photos of me. He's been compiling blackmail material at Supermetrics for years and was quite happy to share the milder and less incriminating photos and videos.
Share this post