Working Through Consulting to Creative People
A blog by psychoanalyst Michael Jolkovski who looks at music ensembles, businesses & creative teams.
On October 15th 1 Comment
I just want to point to this fine memoir of someone whose startup failed to thrive in the non-cult known as Y combinator.
It’s valuable for the emphasis on the functioning of the team as make-or-break — a factor that can make all the other factors irrelevant.
I’m tempted to write a long meditation on Orian Marx’s essay — but it’s well through out and written and I’d rather let him tell it.
On October 6th
This post by Matt Milosavljevic titled What I Learnt at Startup Camp supports my thesis that human factors are a huge make-or-break factor in startups, bands, and other creative entities. He puts it rather nicely:
People, in my opinion, are the key differentiators between the success and failure of pretty much any startup. It’s true that lady luck can make several cameos during the course of an act, but really it’s the cast that will makes or breaks the show.
Well said. I like his Venn diagram about the degree of “overlap” between people. I’m inclined to agree.
On September 30th
Since I listen all day to the anxieties of people, I’ve gotten an earful this week. And it’s only Tuesday. The mega-environment is becoming rough and uncertain. Money, especially money for new projects, is expected to be harder to come by, and a lot of things will become difficult.
Doing well in this climate will require psychologically resilient people and organizations — those with the capacity to resist despair, fear, and retreats into fantasy, to keep doing what needs to be done. Flexibility, an unfazed grasp of reality, persistence and patience will serve people well. (Sometimes it will require the flexibility to abandon projects that are checkmated and move on to something else with a minimum of handwringing). Groups that can manage discouragement and anxiety and support one another will do all right. Teams and groups who sink into finger-pointing when times are tough will not make it. Read more »
On September 6th
Here I confess one of my junk-food type indulgences. I’ve enjoyed the “reality” show featuring Chef Gordon Ramsay. Not the silly competition one — the one where he visits a restaurant in trouble and turns it around.
Never mind the foul-mouthed tough-guy persona. I’m impressed with how the show presents a case study in consultation. In each episode, the case is presented of a foundering restaurant. The consultant comes in and makes a rapid assessment. There is a tense meeting where he presents his diagnosis and treatment plan. He encounters resistance and overcomes it, and there is a happy ending (usually). Read more »
On August 27th
This study from Baylor has been making the rounds. I recommend watching the short videos in the sidebars. It’s a good study, even if I think the researchers miss the best implications.
They focus on one aspect of Borderline Personality Disorder: people with this condition have a very hard time judging what is fair in a give-and-take situation. They will often feel persecuted and deeply unsafe. They will genuinely feel they are getting the short end of the stick, even when others have made huge concessions. Others perceive them as hugely selfish.
My point is not to diagnose your bandmates or fellow hackers/entrepreneurs with a personality disorder, satisfying as that may be. If you don’t know what this disorder is, don’t worry. My point is to shed light on the group-house syndrome. Read more »
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