It takes a very special individual to create a successful new business. Like you need all sorts of technical, social and financial skills for a start. And it helps to be a little bit crazy. Because start-ups go better if the boss is experiencing what’s called a hypomanic episode.
If that’s you, you’ll be feeling high all the time and your thoughts will be racing. You’ll be rushing around or taking a lot of exercises, you’ll hardly ever seem to need any sleep, think nothing of overnighting in the office, have no time to read books or watch TV, have stopped hanging out with friends, and are neglecting your relationships.
And you’re driven by the thought that someone else will figure out what you’re doing, so that every minute you’re not working, you worry that they might catch up.
If any of that sounds familiar, then your business will probably be very successful indeed. You’re not clinically crazy, just crazy enough to succeed. Though only a thin line separates an exceptionally effective boss from someone who should really be consulting a psychologist! Because what’s making you so productive is just a milder form of what is seen in mental illnesses. So instead of being reckless, you’re managing risk skilfully.
Instead of having delusions, you’re dreaming up products that are so compelling they fly off the supermarket shelves. But your personality would only have to be a little more extreme for you to be mentally ill. Someone who really is manic thinks that they’re God. But if you’re hypomanic, you’re God’s gift to business.
In fact, hypomanics have shaped the world. Especially those that also have bad tempers! A great example is Steve Jobs. A spectacular entrepreneur who seemed to know what people wanted before they knew themselves.
But his colleagues also described him as a control freak with a terrifying temper. His staff were so scared of him they worked 90 hours a week. He treated them all as a means to an end and created a world of computers, tablets and phones tailored to his exact specifications. Nothing was ever left to chance. That was Steve Jobs.
And maybe you too? Or maybe you’re actually a whole lot nicer and know how to delegate, listen to your employees and set achievable goals? Then you and your employees will probably be getting along very well together. But there’s no doubt that new business startups go much better when the boss is hypomanic.
A tendency towards hypomania is inherited though you were probably also pushed very hard as a child. And what really turns you on is the whole process of succeeding. While you’re winning, everything is great. But once it’s clear that you’ve won, you start to lose interest.
Because it’s not success, money or possession that motivates you, but the whole business of getting there. So, are you crazy enough for your new business to succeed? I really do hope so!! BY DAILY NATION