I have written about the elements of exceptional startups. This post is slightly different. I want to share what I think is the most important trait of a successful startup. By trait I mean a cultural characteristic - a way of doing things. A company personality.
I believe the most important trait of exceptional startups is intensity.
Not intelligence, charisma, or positivity, although these three traits are required.
Why do I believe this?
The first reason I believe this is observation. I have been a part of 3 exceptional startups, and each of them had a culture of intensity, with the most intense being the most successful. I have also observed this across dozens of other startups - those who end up breaking out operate with a very high level of intensity.
The second reason I believe this is logic. If you consider how impossible the startup journey is, it stands to reason that only through intensity can something be created out of thin air that grows to be worth billions of dollars in just a few years. Startups are dead by default. And yet a small number of them overcome that certain death to build something enduring. Certainly such large outcomes don’t come about through happenstance - it is through the focused, intense effort of a group of people that something like that can happen.
John Collison’s tweet resonates, although he uses tenacity and passion to describe something similar:
The third reason I believe this is because of what I have learned by studying some of startups most successful founders and operators. A few examples:
- Paul Graham describing the Airbnb founders:
- Jason Lemkin’s observation:
- The Elon Musk biography had a clear theme of intensity as a core driver of Elon’s success, with dozens of examples in the book.
- Sam Altman’s view:
Worth noting: the people above have different personalities. Yes, Steve Jobs and Elon Musk are abrasive, often accused of being ass holes. But few people would say that about Brian Chesky, Sam Altman, and John Collison. Yet they are all intense, even though each has a different personality.
When I shared this observation about intensity on LinkedIn, several people asked me to share more about what I meant, so I will end with that.
Intense is an adjective meant to convey a high or extreme degree of something. This means that intensity is a layer across all other characteristics. A force multiplier - a measurement of extremism.
- Not all fires are intense, but we know an intense fire when we feel and see it.
- Not all work ethic is intense, but we know an intense work ethic when we see it.
- Not all communication is intense, but we know intense communication when we hear it.
- Not all missions are intense, but we know intense missions when we hear and live them.
Perhaps the best summary of what I mean by intensity is Frank Slootman’s performance culture:
- Raise the quality bar
- Increase the speed
- Narrow the focus
Doing all of these things to an intense degree is what I mean by intensity.
Most startups care about quality, but not intensely. They want to increase speed, but not intensely. They think focus is important, but they don’t focus intensely.
Most people want to live, but not intensely.
But without intensity, great startups (and I would argue, great lives) cannot be built.