One thing that strikes me, when I am in the midst of great entrepreneurs, is just how much they know about so many things. And, when it comes down to the depth of knowledge relating to their business, the level of understanding of the intricacies and deep details is astounding. They view themselves as the engine-room operator of a highly-tuned machine. They understand how it is supposed to “sound” in every type of instance. They tinker and tune, tune and tinker, to ensure optimal performance in the context.

On the other extreme, I am always amazed at how some “so-called” entrepreneurs regard the importance of both industry and product knowledge. They have cocooned themselves in the self-belief (denial) that they are extremely gifted and even “artistically misunderstood”. This self-belief system thus abdicates them from being required to understand or comply with any industry knowledge. When you look at a Picasso, you would think that he does not have the ability to paint properly, and indeed anyone with a sick sense of humour and a paint brush could come up with something similar. The truth is that Picasso was an incredibly gifted artist, who, once he understood all the techniques and nuances of painting, decided to then create his own style. They say that true genius is the simplicity on the other side of complexity. It is the process of learning the complexity and then being able to simplify it.