Master Two Disciplines
Thesis: to build a successful startup you need to approach mastery in no shortage of two disparate disciplines (for example Business Marketing and Computer Science, not Business Marketing and Product Management) or a combination of mastery of one discipline and one skill. Think of it this way – these individuals could lead the company in at least two core functions without a drop off in skill from if they hired a specialist for the specific function.
Example:
Henry Ford: Discipline: Manufacturing; Business Management
Bill Gates – Skill: Critical Thinking, Competitive Strategy; Discipline: Computer Science, Business Management
Steve Jobs – Skill: Persuasive Communication, Negotiation; Discipline: Human Computer Interaction; Marketing
Mark Zuckerburg – Skill: Strategic Thinking, Recruiting; Discipline: Computer Science, Service Design (an emergent field)
… And be supremely lucky.
