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ASK PG: when you are saying "energetic" people, do you also mean "passionately convinced"? It's interesting that on one side you try to avoid the pitfalls of your own beliefs (by smartly adopting meta-beliefs and techniques that sidestep the problem, like believing in change and focusing on people)
but at the same time you are suggesting that you somehow accept, or decide to trust, the worldview of "energetic" founders. You might not mean it, but this connection is somehow untold in the classical narrative of the driven founder: there is a fine line between "energetic" and "passionately convinced", which also suggests that they might have and communicate strong beliefs in their success or their idea.
Of course I understand that "strong beliefs" aren't forcefully connected with being an expert, which is your main argument. PG, Where do you stand on this? do you believe in founder's beliefs? Do founders who passionately believe in something convince you? I feel very sympathetic to the argument of your essay, for many reasons, and have grown to use the same meta-belief of believing in change; however, instead of sidestepping the problem, I tackle it heads on, by incorporating Doubt and Relativism in my decision making.
I feel, and strongly believe ;), that Relativism is the cure to many cognitive biases; if you doubt yourself you can't be affected by the Dunning-Kruger effect; I think everybody should train themselves in managing the unavoidable cognitive dissonances of day to day life, it would make the world a better place. Relativism is also an important tool for creativity: the moment you doubt your frame of reference, you start seeing the picture outside of the box, new possibilities open up. Of course Relativism has it's shortcomings, and beliefs, which are rooted in emotions, command our behaviours more powerfully that the logical reasonings of Relativism.
However, I believe, there are ways for us to be both "passionately convinced" and relativistic at the same time;
I try to be like Cezanne, who would ask himself: "is this what I see?" |