Published in the San Diego Union-Tribune, February 17, 2025
by Neil Senturia
Last month, I attended TechCon SoCal, an event that attracted over 800 people, who listened to panels and speeches across the technology landscape, some cyber, some AI, a little biotech, coupled with promises that will change the world.
There was a hunger in the room. This group was deeply engaged. What deal, what technology, which investor, which partner? Can I have it all? How to pick?
First a quick story. I was a junior in high school in St. Louis. A local chicken joint promised “All you can eat,” and of course a gang of us decided to test the boundaries of truth in advertising (this was long before a similar episode on “Seinfeld”).
We went, we saw, we conquered. You just stay with the chicken, no mashed potatoes, no salad, nothing but chicken and as you would expect after we had gone back for sixths, we got tossed out. Then in the parking lot or shortly thereafter, we tossed.
So when presented with a smorgasbord of opportunity, the puzzle is how to pick without becoming ill. Not so easy. They put the lobster at the end of the line for a reason, they put the salad and bread at the beginning. The plate size stays the same.
The risk for the classic founder/entrepreneur is the belief that you can have it all, solve it all. Pick a partner, any partner, name your problem. It’s technology, it can eat the world.
But it can’t. You need to learn how to manage the table and look for the high-value seafood. And call out the line-cutters and con artists.
Dr. Sunita Sah, professor at Cornell, says we are programmed to comply with convention or authority, but “we actually comply much more than we think we do.” Corporate culture favors falling in line. Boat and rocking are not encouraged. Especially if you need the job.
Sah interviewed several hundred nurses. “Nine out of ten did not feel comfortable speaking up when they saw a colleague making an error.” Huh. The doc is giving me the wrong whatever, and it is hard to say something? She interviewed 1,700 airline pilots and crew, and only half were willing to speak up. “Hey, Harry, next time, don’t forget to put down the landing gear.”
Now here comes the soul crusher, which applies to all of us. The reason we don’t speak up is because we don’t think it will make any difference. Sah points out about the nurses, “It’s not because I fear the consequences, it’s because I have spoken up so many times before and nothing changes.”
It is deadening to be in a situation where you are ignored. The feeling of helplessness, it won’t make a difference, the boss can’t hear me.
A friend of mine at Google (director level) bumps into a senior executive (executive vice president level) at the coffee machine. He is struggling a bit with the coffee technology, and my friend helps him. Apparently, no artificial intelligence yet at the coffee bar. The EVP asks my friend what he thinks about a certain initiative. My friend tells him directly that the project is beyond repair and should be scrapped. The EVP nods, thanks him for the coffee assistance, then walks away. My friend leaves Google a few months later and goes to work at another tech company. The project is still underwater and still losing millions.
You don’t get rewarded for pointing out the problem. Taking the path of least resistance is compliance. For the entrepreneur, it is incumbent to listen to the team members, put ego aside, no sabotage, and be willing to hear the objection. To encourage dissent. Engage your team and tell them to look for the no.
Now let’s look at values. We all say we have them, that there are lines we won’t cross. Sah says, “My research has shown me again and again what somebody believes their value to be is quite different from how they actually behave.”
I think I know who you are, and then, surprise. “How could you, are you serious.” A knife in the gut.
My own take on this is to constantly ping the team, not just the yes-executives. Explore the unspoken. Creating the environment for dissent is not enough, a little rabble-rousing won’t kill you. Call the question.
Rule No. 840: No?