Double Thinking Gladiators

In his famous book “1984”, George Orwell introduced the concept of Doublethink – the act of “holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.” It seems to me that one of the success criteria for an entrepreneur is their mastery of doublethink. Being an entrepreneur necessitates an awareness of the brutal reality of the risks associated with starting a company (e.g., 99.9% of ideas never realize their market potential) combined with the absolute and unwavering belief that they will somehow prevail. An ordinary person couldn’t reconcile these two contradictory ideas … but then again, entrepreneurs are far from ordinary.



It is said that innovation is a contact sport and that players must be prepared for a few bruises and cuts along the way. Most ideas never see the light of day, most new business ventures fail, and most entrepreneurs lose their shirt. The only positive thing is that losers in this modern version of survival of the fittest generally do not get eaten. Is it any wonder that so many wannabe entrepreneurs are advised by their parents and friends to “just get a real job?” Yet despite (or perhaps because of) the brutality of the game, the modern entrepreneur is celebrated as the savior to our economic woes. And like the gladiators of yesteryear, spectators enjoy cheering on their favorite competitor … but failing that, it is also jolly good fun to watch them be torn apart. Don’t believe me? Think of how quickly Canadians switched from having pride in Canadian tech success story RIM to taking macabre delight in watching its downfall. The brutal truth is that people love heroes that fight against all odds, love to celebrate their success, and love tearing them apart even more.

The entrepreneur is a modern gladiator whose goliath is the multinational that controls their market of interest. One important difference however is that these modern gladiators are educated and understand their odds. Yet somehow they embark upon their futile quest. Are they crazy? Certainly some are, but in my experience it is more likely that they are simply able to push aside their statistical knowledge and live in a private world where failure is inconceivable. Yes, I said inconceivable. The entrepreneur doesn’t just weigh the odds and rationally accept the risks. Rather, they redefine reality itself such that they are somehow immune its sting. It’s what fans of Steve Jobs have come to know as a ‘reality distortion field’ and what Jim Collins calls the Stockdale paradox in ‘Good to Great.’ It's the ability to have absolute faith in your success while simultaneously recognizing the futility of the cause. It doesn’t make rational sense but it’s critical to success. Doublethink.

Ty
The Idea Whisperer
@tyshattuck