Joe Lonsdale, founding partner at San Francisco-based venture capital fund 8VC, thinks that a second, more important, type of leader is missing from the tech community. Here’s a breakdown of his recent Medium post on the subject, and what it means specifically.
Startups Demand a Type of Leadership Opposed to the One Needed
The heart of the issue is an apparent contradiction: Startups demand leaders, but they hone the skills that a great leader would never have. Startups need an “us vs them” mentality in order to survive. Leaders of a larger community can’t introduce this sort of fear-mongering, but need to work together with others. Lonsdale is looking for leaders that attract followers due to their vision, and can’t find them. Writing about the greed-based startup mentality that opposes this leadership, he says: So what’s the solution?
Embrace the Bigger Picture
Lonsdale calls for a Renaissance-style focus on the big picture and the arts:
Learn From Example
The post wraps up with a selection of book recommendations and quotes that drives home the main point: A focus on reading about past non-tech history should be a requirement for those hoping to pick up the leadership slack in the world at large. Image Flickr / Ben Stanfield
