Following the words of Miguel de Cervantes, in a place whose name I do not want to remember, not many years ago, a story happened, a story that I hope will become a popular belief, which shows to the best extent what the mentality of those who manage to succeed in business.
Two individuals of different profiles formally agreed to contemplate possible synergies, although, to be honest, in practice was a mere financing search interview based on a personal interest.
In that conversation, an executive (with several master’s degrees) tried to convince his boss (who lacks higher education), a founder of a large company, to invest in projects that he and a friend from a good family and wealth resources were trying to produce in a specific industry.
In an attempt to get closer to the Founder, addressing him by his first name, the executive tried to persuade him with the impact that this financing will have on his own name and his social recognition in the country and, if the project grows, in the world.
To the allegation, the Founder responds – humbly and thanking that he asks for his advice – that his company is one of the best-valued brands globally and that its business model has been imitated by competitors, giving rise to a global base industry on the idea that he generated. Therefore, he understands that the concept is valid, but that social recognition is no longer necessary because it already has it.
Seeing that the theory of social impact is ineffective, the executive follows the steps that have been instilled in his alma mater, relying at all times on his costly university degrees and his experience in various family businesses. Even imposing that only he, for his worth, is the only person he must rely on to create quality projects since he can enhance the brand value that the Founder has created.
Faced with the inaction of complicity, acting with arrogance and too much self-pride – typical of those who dress in silk to mask their nature –, the Founder responds – at all times in a moderate and respectful tone – with a simple but forceful phrase “I don’t believe in studies, intelligence is born, it is not created.”
It explains how the company, born from a real market need – which only a few manage to realize – has generated, without a high resource base, but with experience, the sector’s first world brand. The Founder also added that when everything is created and there are results, money attracts honey like bees and when everything is to be done, only the family supports us in our projects.
The Founder explains that money may be attractive, but it never brings happiness; happiness can only be given by our own projects and dreams, something that cannot be bought since it is born from ourselves.
When only one looks for success and glory, neglecting a possible contribution to each moment’s general market, success will be potential if the idea is good and it is novel. However, when the fashion trend changes or the product is not updated, the fall will be precipitous.
A series of absurd arguments lacking real content was professed by the executive, with emphasis, emotion and the odd gesture lacking in respect, to which the Founder reported forceful allegations of force majeure with the same serenity with which the conversation began. After all, they both said goodbye.
Later, moments of both individuals were different. The Founder continued working on his ideas, ignoring any impact or wrong gesture during the conversation, merely storing it in his memory and processing the executive’s character in question for future decisions, in which he would consider or not as a participant.
However, the executive was not silent. Perhaps even some expletives came from his mouth when he told the story to colleagues, friends, family, etc. Anyway, maybe even a selfie was not missing for his social networks.
In this way, a supposed private and non-impactful conversation came to be today, which reaches all of us today.
That is not a specific story. It is written by a server based on a compendium of stories, which I would like to title: ‘founder vs. CEO, the reality of life.’ This story shows that intelligence and genius are natural, not something taught in a school or university.
The basis is that all study is necessary; in the end, it contributes to the experience. The theory is valid, but it is preferable to learn from our ancestors and alive family their successes and mistakes than from what a CEO says in social networks or even in his latest motivational book since, based on the trend, it will indeed have been written by a Ghost Writer.
However, do not take part in the whole, work and learn from whoever has a worthy and wise mind. Those who are genuinely successful are usually humble and discreet, listening before speaking.
After all, the Founder produces an idea; the CEO demands results. The CEO gets fame and name for the company he works; the Founder brings the company to fame.
A founder leaves you touched with a sentence filled with content. The CEO confuses you in an empty conversation in which ego empowerment is the basis of the conversation, probably due to the complexes under which he hides.
In general, the founders or creators of the idea never value their work, creating an elite and relationship only with other founders.
On the other hand, the CEO culture generates rejection because they want to take center stage by making use of their irrepressible verbiage. After all, it is not what some might call elitism, but it is reality.
The Founder does not skip the chain of command; the CEO tries to impose and alter the Founder’s ecosystem.
Whoever tries to be educated in the culture of success will not achieve the same results, or perhaps yes, it all depends on the dirty games that can be reached.
However, real success is always marked by hunger and need, by the illusion in a project, the love that can have for an idea, since our ideas and projects are such as our own children. Today we live on what various geniuses have created at the level of industrial quality. See in this regard Bill Gates or Steve Jobs in computing, Amancio Ortega in soon fashion, or Juan Roig in food.
We have reached the point where others adapt Founder's ideas as they own. Indeed, sometimes someone who improves the idea that someone else has designed is usually successful, but when it is already in the fourth or fifth generation, what is achieved is trivializing genius.
That genius sometimes goes through fashions and stages, especially when new concepts emerge such as Big Data, Blockchain, Hybrid Learning, or online teaching, where any beardless who knows what he has read on the internet about it is sold as an expert in the matter.
To conclude, mention a phrase from my country where it is said that ‘even a fool makes watches.’
In this way, please learn to innovate, be yourself, never try to be what you are not, since whoever distorts by sequentially copying an idea is equivalent to manufacturing an imitation whose quality will leave much to be desired.
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