My religious studies also taught me how to analyze complex problems. When you study Torah, you learn how to peel an onion. You learn to look at a situation, a single word or phrase, and to appreciate that even one word can have multiple interpretations.
~Dan Bricklin/”Natural-Born Entrepreneur”
“Dan Bricklin” is not a household name, but he and his partner Bob Frankston were responsible for creating a killer application, the first electronic spreadsheet program VisiCalc, which transformed personal commuters from a novelty into a must-have business tool. The above quote comes from Bricklin’s article in the September 2001 issue of the Harvard Business Review. Although he and Frankston were students in Harvard’s executive MBA program in 1979 when they began writing the code for VisiCalc, Bricklin acknowledges his ability to visualize and then develop the concept was the result not only of his business training, but every other learning experience which preceded his studies in Cambridge.
Bricklin’s reference to his religious training seems even more relevant when you look at the comparisons between the federal response to the current pandemic and those of governors such as Andrew Como (NY), Larry Hogan (MD), Gretchen Whitmer (MI) or Mike DeWine (OH). Several commentators have suggested the inadequate federal response validates the theory this is what you get when the president has neither military or public service experience. Yet Como, Hogan, Whitmer and DeWine never faced anything which could have possibly prepared them for the level of crisis management the current situation requires. Therefore, without the advantage of past experience, the difference between success and failure depends on the application of universal principles developed over a lifetime of formal education and self-learning.
It was this epiphany which took me back to my time at the National Governors Association (NGA), in particular, an event called the “New Governors School.” Within two weeks of election day, NGA invites new governors-elect to a series of workshops taught by sitting governors. In 1990, the opening presentation was delivered by outgoing Illinois governor James Thompson, during which he gave the audience two pieces of advice.
- Governing requires a different skill set than campaigning. Do not appoint your campaign manager to be your chief of staff.
- Heed Murphy’s law. The very first appointment you need to make is the director of emergency management. How you respond to a crisis, and there will be one, will define your legacy.
Although my bias is toward governors, I know the United States Conference of Mayors and the National Counties Association provide similar learning experiences for their incoming members.
A second benefit of these conclaves is a direct result of the social activities which accompany the instruction. Dining together on the floor of Rupp Arena at the University of Kentucky or enjoying a concert by the West Virginia Symphony at the Greenbrier Resort created a level of comfort simply by being among others who were also entering a new phase of their public service careers. Political scientists and media pundits can speculate what it is like to be a governor, but only those who wear the same shoes can tell you how it feels.
Sadly, there is no such thing as a “New Presidents School.” Though there could be. Imagine if the next president, within days of November 3rd, invited all living presidents to the transition office. Not to rehash history because it is impossible to predict the exact nature of the next crisis. Hurricane Katrina was not a replay of September 11. Deepwater Horizon was not a sequel to Katrina. What these events had in common was the need for sound principles of governing, when employed, can resolve or at least mitigate the negative impacts. Imagine George Bush telling the next commander-in-chief, “Don’t pick a major donor to run FEMA or any other agency with critical responsibilities.” Or Barack Obama advising a successor, “Don’t rely on corporations which cause a problem to resolve it. Jump in immediately.”
Absent such an experience for the next occupant of the Oval Office, may I suggest the next president read “Natural-Born Entrepreneur” on the day after the November election. Imagine how the spring of 2020 might have been different if Donald Trump was aware of what Bricklin shares with aspiring entrepreneurs.
You don’t have to be perfect. I learned to accept that I would make mistakes and the crowd wouldn’t rip me to shreds.
First, understand your talent and what you bring to an endeavor. Even today at Trellix, the company I founded to build Internet publishing tools, my title isn’t president or chief executive officer. It’s chief technology officer, a role I planned to hold from the very beginning.
Don’t wait to get started. Or at least understand that if you wait, you may have less flexibility in making trade-offs.
I’ve arranged my affairs so that on short notice I can afford to live without a salary for a year. This approach has allowed me to keep the business going longer.
Dan Bricklin is no Nostradamus. In 2001, when he first offered this advice, he did not predict the disruption and suffering associated with this global pandemic. It only seems relevant because the lessons are timeless, not tied to any specific situation. When and where you learn these lessons is irrelevant. Willingness to absorb and heed them is the key. In other words, make every day a “training day.”
For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP