When I try to imagine the kind of leadership I'd want to follow, I arrive at the conclusion that it's something you could only call obsession. Here are seven elements I thought through to reach that conclusion.
Obsession with scale
Many entry barriers have lowered. It's easier for individuals to start businesses, easier to publish, easier to have influence. But precisely because of that, I want to focus on what individuals cannot do. When you aspire to creation that changes the world rather than creation that goes viral on social media, I firmly believe that what's truly needed is the obsession and fixation of a single person. It's under such obsession that opportunities become large.
Don't let go of the reins
"Draw the picture, gather the materials, then delegate" is often said to be the job of the top, but in the context of "complex invention," that's not necessarily true. It might work in driving a car that's already moving. Kazakhstan — a central Asian nation showing strong economic growth — has implemented a consistent growth strategy under the powerful leadership of a single president, Nazarbayev, for 28 years. How much advantage does 28 years of investing in a single grand idea generate? This isn't an argument for controlling everything. I'm drawn to people who keep attacking the most difficult and uncertain problems so that they can hold the results in both hands.
Don't fight the wrong enemy
Only fight the thesis of "live in the future and build what's missing." Building "something wonderful" that customers have never seen and getting it to many people — focus only on that. Fundraising and talent planning are all derived from that in reverse. Competition with rivals will inevitably occur and can't be avoided. But that's not a reason to keep doing something. Bet everything on the thesis.
Love what you do
Finding the right place, finding the right method, at the right time, continuing the right effort — only when all of these align does something truly wonderful emerge. All of them are hard, but the first three can sometimes arise by chance. But continuing the right effort can absolutely never emerge by accident. I believe the only things people can sustain are "things needed to live" and "things that bring joy." I want leadership that is the result of pursuing what you love.
Can move people
I understand that what one person can do alone is trivial. Continuing tireless effort so that the people involved will root for you. Being able to attract people who feel "I want to be involved" and step into your circle. I don't want a popularity contest. But I want the communication skills to take positions, convey beliefs, and reliably capture a handful of people who resonate with those beliefs.
Works to reduce ambiguity
Ambiguous things are food that exponentially increases "uncertainty" and "difficulty of experimentation." This nature gives ambiguity "a gravitational pull that keeps things in place." Reducing ambiguity is equivalent to having a concrete action plan. Time is only time — it can also be substituted for life. One of the important facts I've understood in my life so far: most important time cannot be bought with money. Time is not money. Being able to consistently provide "a concrete action plan in the moment." And when new information flies in that changes the premise, being able to instantly update that opinion. Even if it turns out to be wrong in the moment.
Is building
Understands the preciousness of actually moving your hands and the difficulty within that, and can exercise imagination. Someone who can be troubled by the dilemma between moving their own hands and doing other work. Someone who can swing a correct judgment while oscillating between the right priority and the joy of creation itself.
And all of these elements are also gaps between my current self and my ideal. I want to close them one by one.
