Younger siblings make the best business builders

I met an entrepreneurial headmistressrecently. A few years ago she was appointed to rescue a failing school, whichsuffered chronic problems with pupil discipline. On her first day she shut thedoors and asked every teacher to identify the worst offenders. They provided 72names. She excluded every disruptive teenager, saying they would not bereadmitted until she had met them and their parents for individual sessions inher study. Over the coming days she saw each one and in time almost allreturned to finish their education. Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the schoolimproved radically.

我最近认识了一位颇具企业家精神的女校长。数年前，她受命“拯救”一所长期受学生纪律涣散问题困扰的失败学校。上任第一天，她关上门，要求老师们说出最捣蛋的学生。教师们列出了72人的姓名。她将所有的“捣乱分子”赶出课堂，称她会在自己的办公室分别与他们和家长单独谈话，然后才允许他们重返学校。接下来几天，她与每一名学生会面。最终，几乎所有人都返回学校，完成学业。同时，学校的风气也得到了根本的改善。

The really interesting aspect of herdramatic actions was that they broke all the rules. She had to ignore thesystem to fix the mess. Her methods were tough and unorthodox but highlyeffective. The school is now far improved and she has been feted.

特别有趣的一点是，她的惊人举措违反了所有的规定。为了收拾烂摊子，她不得不无视制度。她的方法严厉、不正统，但效果奇佳。如今，学校的面貌大为好转，这位校长也赢得了尊敬。

Of course, complete rejection of all

authority can lead to prison. There is sometimes a fine line between being an

independent spirit and a criminal. A recent study at UC Berkeley Haas School of

Business suggests that many successful entrepreneurs share a history of getting

into trouble as teenagers. I know of two billionaires who were expelled from

school. Clashing with institutions –big

companies, government, schools –is almost expected of self-made men and

women. The need for autonomy is a compulsion among business founders –they have to build their own structures rather than

fit in with someone else’s.

当然，完全藐视一切权威可能会冒牢狱之灾。有时，独立精神和犯罪仅有一线之隔。加州大学伯克利分校哈斯商学院(UC Berkeley Haas School of Business)近期的一项研究显示，许多成功的企业家都曾在青少年时期惹过麻烦。我便认识两位曾被学校开除的亿万富翁。对于靠自身努力成功的人，与既有体制对抗——如大公司、政府、学校——几乎再正常不过。自主意识是企业创始人的必需品——他们必须建造自己的构架，而不是套用别人的构架。

A man who has consistently rejected external

controls is Craig Venter, a scientist-entrepreneur. He made his name as a key

promoter of the Human Genome Project and founded two companies, Celera Genomics

and Synthetic Genomics. He says: “In my

case, a rebellious attitude has probably been the most beneficial, although

painful at times, trait in my life.”He hasfallen out with various partners and organisations but his achievements areundeniable. He typifies the outsider who is also the pioneer, a loner who canbe more innovative because he refuses to conform.

克雷格•文特尔(Craig

Venter)便是一个不断抗拒外来控制的人，他既是一名科学家，也是一名企业家。他以推进人类基因组计划(Human Genome Project)而闻名，成立过两家公司——Celera

Genomics和Synthetic Genomics。他说：“就我个人而言，反叛精神尽管有时会带来挫折，却令我的人生受益良多。”他曾与多名合作伙伴和机构不欢而散，但他的成就无可否认。他是一个典型的置身体制之外的开拓者，一个因为拒绝遵守条条框框而更富有创造力的孤军奋战者。

Innovators need to challenge the

established order; they cannot simply follow existing pathways. Society

benefits from such invention even if it generates upheaval. It counteracts the

tendency for big companies to become resistant to change. As George Bernard

Shaw wrote in Maxims for Revolutionists: “The

reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in

trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends upon the

unreasonable man.”

创新者需要挑战既有秩序，不能只是循规蹈矩。创新或许能造成颠覆性的影响，但会造福社会。大公司会变得抗拒变革，而创新则与这种倾向相对抗。正如萧伯纳(George Bernard Shaw)在《致革命者的箴言》(maxims for

revolutionists)中所写的那样：“理性的人适应世界，不理性的人让世界适应自己。因此，一切进步来自不理性的人。”

I have long believed that birth order is a factor in determining whether someone becomes an entrepreneur. Firstbornchildren tend to be more confident and perform best academically. They makeclassic authoritarian leaders and do well as executives in hierarchicalorganisations and in highly structured careers. They are used to takingresponsibility, conforming to expectations, giving orders and getting specialattention from their parents. They are more likely to be conscientious andprefer the status quo. But I believe they are less likely to be entrepreneurs,save if there is a family business to run.

我一直深信，出生排行是决定一个人能否成为企业家的因素之一。头胎的孩子往往更自信，在学业上表现也最出色。他们可以成为一流、权威的领导者，能够在等级制机构和层次结构分明的职业领域胜任高管工作。他们习惯于承担责任、满足期望、发号施令、获得父母的特别关注。他们更可能尽职尽责，更倾向于维持现状。但我认为他们不太可能成为企业家，除非是经营家族企业。

Later-born children tend to have more

freedom. They are left to their own devices because parents, by then, have

become more relaxed about bringing up their offspring. There is less pressure

on them to be the perfect son or daughter. They are likely to be more creative,

more enthusiastic risk-takers but do less well in school. They often possess a

flexibility and independence that helps them build a start-up. They are perhaps

less interested in status and rank. Often, there is less weight of promise on

their shoulders –that is generally borne by the eldestchild. Younger siblings are free to pursue adventures. These characteristicsare advantageous to the entrepreneur.

排行靠后的孩子往往享有更多自由。由于此时父母在养育子女方面开始松懈，他们能够自由发展。相比之下，他们没有成为完美子女的压力。他们往往更富有创造力、更热情、更敢于承担风险，但学业较差。他们头脑灵活、思想独立，这些都是有助于自主创业的品质。他们可能对地位和等级兴趣不大。通常，他们肩上承载的期望较轻——重担往往在长子长女的身上。家庭中较年幼的孩子能够自由追求刺激的生活。这都是有利于企业家的特征。

Yet many entrepreneurs are also insecure.

Part of why they strive is because they seek praise and attention. Possibly

they are saying “Look at me Mummy/Daddy!”even as adults. Most have had to compete foraffection with siblings who are typically bigger and more mature in the earlyyears.

但很多企业家也缺乏安全感。他们奋发向上，部分原因是为了得到表扬和关注。可能他们直到成人后还在呼喊：“爸爸/妈妈，看我！”大多数人幼年时不得不与通常年纪更大、思想更成熟的兄弟姐妹争宠。

My amateur studies among entrepreneurs

suggest a majority of them were not first-born –perhaps

because they feel more comfortable being a maverick, working without many

restraints. I always felt that myself, as a third-born son. Of course, there

are degrees of rule-breaking. Complete anarchists do not become entrepreneurs –their energy is too destructive. Indeed, successfulenterprise relies on a proper system of laws and ownership of property. But itneeds challengers too.