[newshorts]

Your great-granddaddy sounds like a very smart man.

I think this phrase speaks volumes about the value of these folks (and not just in the startup world).

Even in large companies there are opportunities for improvement everywhere. Once we identify something of interest, wildcards are the folks I can rely on to help prove things out. They are versatile, autonomous and comfortable with ambiguity.

Once the system is up and rolling, it’s time to put in the maintainers and move on. That’s pretty much the game.

The trick, in a big company, is the opportunities usually lie in someone else’s “territory”. Relationships become hugely important, something I’m sure your great-granddaddy had no trouble with :)