Do Nice Founders Finish Last?
If I had a dollar for every time that I’ve been advised to “try not to be so nice” as a woman in business, I could probably fund my company by now.
The number of times I’ve heard this has only accelerated since beginning my entrepreneurial journey and it’s become something that I spend a lot of time thinking about.
I’m currently an Entrepreneur in Residence at Human Ventures, where I’ve had the opportunity to take a really cool Founder Assessment that maps your personality against attributes that are either positively or negatively correlated with success as an entrepreneur. Fascinating!
Generally speaking, the assessment painted me to be a pretty fit entrepreneur:
Open to new experiences - check.
Extraverted - check.
Conscientious - BIG check.
Not prone to neuroticism/ anxiety - check.
…Agreeableness: epic fail.
According to research, being an agreeable person (made up of a combo of how compassionate you are as well as how polite you are) is negatively correlated with entrepreneurial success.
I’m not here to argue with the data. I’m just here to ask… what the F?
As a female… and a Midwestern female to boot, I find it hard to stomach that being a “nice” person who cares deeply for others might be a detriment to my company.
But, I see why this might be the case. Agreeable people are more likely to:
Fail to negotiate for what they / their company deserve
Avoid creating discomfort for others, even when it’s necessary
Prioritize their own self-interest over the interests of others
Influence or manipulate others to their advantage
I believe that this can’t be the entire story, however. My devil’s advocate argument is that there are also many great things that come with being agreeable, like:
Being a great mission-driven founder who deeply internalizes an empathy / desire to help their customer
Being a likable leader who a team feels a sense of loyalty and gratitude toward
Taking the time to develop authentic relationships with others rather than being transactional, which can pay dividends in the long run.
Paying it forward to other founders by making time to help and share along the way
All in all, I see pros and cons of the trait, but the foundational truth that stands out to me is that the most authentic version of yourself is still the best one to be. Rather than trying to change or suppress personality traits, the best thing you can do is embrace the superpowers that come with your unique set of traits while maintaining an awareness of the blindspots that may come with them as well. And for the love of god, let’s just stop accusing female Founds of being too nice :)
What do you think? Do nice founders finish last?
