We're Not Wrong, We're Just Different
Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys.If you're a country music fan you recognize this title and opening passage from the Ed and Patsy Bruce song, made famous by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. If there ever was a honky-tonk anthem, this is it.
It's a down-tempo tune that probably works best about an hour before last call, when moods get mellow. Not that I would have any personal experience, you understand. I just heard someone talking about it once, and that's the story I'm sticking to.
Every good anthem has a hook lyric which, when you hear it for the first time, just reaches inside of you and pushes a button you didn't know you had. The great anthems push that button every time you hear it. I'm sure I'm not the only American who gets a tingle up the spine when we hear or sing this flourish from our anthem, The Star Spangled Banner:
Oh, say does tha-at star spangled ba-a-nner-er ye-et wa-ave...
Well, the hook lyric in Mama's Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys goes like this:
He ain't wrong, he's just different,
And his pride won't make him do things
To make you think that he's right.
Entrepreneurs And Cowboys
I'd be rich if I had a nickel for every time someone has contemplated an entrepreneur doing what entrepreneurs do, and then asked, "What's wrong with him?" Well, entrepreneurs are a lot like cowboys--they're not wrong they're just different. And the fact is, the world is a better place for it.
My friend and Brain Trust member, Jim Houtz, has a lot to say about this in his new book, Seize The American Dream (©2002, JaGrand). Jim says, "Make no mistake, entrepreneurs are different than most people."
Jim also says entrepreneurs are special, and goes on to tell us how. Below are some of the special traits of entrepreneurs Jim identifies in his book--and which we've discussed on my show --each followed by a thought from me.
Houtz: Entrepreneurs do what they do because they are trying to prove or build something; very few are doing it for the money.
Make no mistake, entrepreneurs like financial rewards as much as the next guy. It's just that to most entrepreneurs, money is a by-product. It's a means to an end. What drives them, as Jim Houtz says, is "to create something from nothing."
If money were the most important thing to entrepreneurs you wouldn't be reading this article that was delivered to your computer by email. Deferred gratification, thy name is entrepreneur.
Houtz: Entrepreneurs have above average or super intelligence.
Entrepreneurs are usually smarter than the average bear, but more importantly, they have a special kind of intelligence that allows them to see things before they exist. Anyone can ask, "what if?" But it takes an entrepreneurial mind to turn that question into something you can hold.
And don't confuse intelligence with education. One of the greatest entrepreneurial minds I've ever observed had a poor formal education.
Houtz: Entrepreneurs don't concern themselves with what others think of them.
Entrepreneurs care about what others think of them about as much as they care about the weather on the other side of the planet. Which is not to say that entrepreneurs don't seek outside advice and counsel. But if your opinion is going to be valued by entrepreneurs, you'd better be able to understand their vision. Entrepreneurs don't have time for marketplace pedestrians.
Houtz: For entrepreneurs, rules are not etched in stone but are written to be modified when necessary.
If you want to see an entrepreneur in the bud, go to any third grade class and look for the munchkin who won't color inside the lines. People who need to operate in the comfort of a known world create lines. Lines create paradigms and entrepreneurs eat paradigms for lunch.
Houtz: Entrepreneurs work longer and harder than anyone else.
Entrepreneurs turn the lights on and they turn the lights off. Entrepreneurs don't have "hours," they do whatever it takes. When someone says, "Thank God it's Friday," entrepreneurs say, "Only two more working days 'till Monday."
It's not that entrepreneurs are workaholics; it's just that they don't actually think of what they do as work. Work is when you clock in. People who work think about quitting time, their vacation, and how long they have until retirement.
Entrepreneurs quit when someone--or something--makes them. A vacation for an entrepreneur is forced separation from their passion. And retirement for many entrepreneurs is when they go to that great marketplace in the sky.
Entrepreneurs don't HAVE to work--they GET to work. Entrepreneurs know if you love what you do, it's not work.
Houtz: People say entrepreneurs are "risk takers." But entrepreneurs don't see it that way.
Entrepreneurs know that today's genius is tomorrow's passé. Not taking the risk is the most dangerous and counter-intuitive thing an entrepreneur could do.
Houtz: Entrepreneurs frustrate competitors by pricing differently and thinking differently.
Remember my comment about entrepreneurs eating paradigms for lunch? These meals are usually served up by competitors stuck in the philosophy that sounds like, "we've always done it this way."
Entrepreneurs know that for them, convention and status quo ultimately lead to failure, and they are constantly seeking new ways to create a competitive advantage. Want a statistic on this? The SBA reports over half of all innovations in the United States are created by small business entrepreneurs.
Houtz: Behind every successful entrepreneur are a supportive spouse and family, and a surprised in-law.
Most entrepreneurs run on a sophisticated fuel mix. In addition to all the standard stuff humans need to function, entrepreneurs need heaping helpings of emotional support and a big scoop of understanding from those special people who love them. And believe it or not, some of the high-octane elements of our fuel are provided by the in-law who said, "He'll never amount to anything. Why doesn't he get a real job?"
So, now, back to my question: Should mamas let their babies grow up to be entrepreneurs? Absolutely. Entrepreneurs are beautiful people whom the world cannot do without.
Write this on a rock... Like cowboys, entrepreneurs aren't wrong they're just different. And their passion won't let them do the things that make you think they're right. But you should love them anyway.
