Funny, when I was trying to formulate a theory in my mind I was thinking of the phrase "vicious cycle". I was close enough, I think:)
I'm wondering if it's because Canadians and other countries with similar environments have been conditioned to exercise a different muscle: getting and retaining public funding. The incentive there is to under-promise and deliver/over-deliver, or at least appear to be delivering or over-delivering on paper. It's like that because the public judges are often much less knowledgeable and are forced to judge you on what you said you were going to do on your initial proposal and you're often times forced to start working before any money is deposited in your bank account.
In Roberts reply to my comment above, he mentioned I factor I thought was a 40-60% contributor, I'd say your observed factor is a contributor, and if I was asked to assign a value I'd say between 10-30%. I should probably write a blog post/phd on this.
In Canada I don't think it's the same reasoning. We don't shame ambition, but we also prefer to be a "big fish in a little pond."
It's the inferiority complex that comes from living so close to America. Companies and individuals that stay here are mostly focused on becoming the best Canadian version of the thing.
This is a well-known thing in Scandinavia (or at least I think it's well-known - I'm not Scandinavian.) They call it the "Law of Jante". (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Jante) I didn't know it was a thing in Irish culture too.
We don't have a word for it that I'm aware of, but I would say that is at least 40-60% of the undertone I notice. Even when I myself was getting into startup stuff 20+ years ago, I very very very vividly recall my father looking at me and saying with real distain "why do you think you have to be better than everyone else?".
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Very wise thing to get clear on. Thank you.
It's a self fulfilling prophecy, there aren't NOT ambitious founders in Canada, it's just "obnoxiously ambitious"* Canadians move to SF.
*(whatever that means, but not said in a negative way, I'd put myself in that bucket, as a Canadian who moved to NYC and built DigitalOcean etc.)
Funny, when I was trying to formulate a theory in my mind I was thinking of the phrase "vicious cycle". I was close enough, I think:)
I'm wondering if it's because Canadians and other countries with similar environments have been conditioned to exercise a different muscle: getting and retaining public funding. The incentive there is to under-promise and deliver/over-deliver, or at least appear to be delivering or over-delivering on paper. It's like that because the public judges are often much less knowledgeable and are forced to judge you on what you said you were going to do on your initial proposal and you're often times forced to start working before any money is deposited in your bank account.
In Roberts reply to my comment above, he mentioned I factor I thought was a 40-60% contributor, I'd say your observed factor is a contributor, and if I was asked to assign a value I'd say between 10-30%. I should probably write a blog post/phd on this.
The word for this in Ireland is "notions". Trying to be successful carries the stain of trying to be better than your peers.
Perhaps Canadians have a similar word? I can't really think of an equivalent in the US, which is perhaps telling.
In Canada I don't think it's the same reasoning. We don't shame ambition, but we also prefer to be a "big fish in a little pond."
It's the inferiority complex that comes from living so close to America. Companies and individuals that stay here are mostly focused on becoming the best Canadian version of the thing.
The ones who want more just move to America.
This is a well-known thing in Scandinavia (or at least I think it's well-known - I'm not Scandinavian.) They call it the "Law of Jante". (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Jante) I didn't know it was a thing in Irish culture too.
Hey Robert. :)
We don't have a word for it that I'm aware of, but I would say that is at least 40-60% of the undertone I notice. Even when I myself was getting into startup stuff 20+ years ago, I very very very vividly recall my father looking at me and saying with real distain "why do you think you have to be better than everyone else?".
I've never really encountered this attitude outside of small towns though.
At companies I see something similar I guess, but it's more defeatist than anything else.
I hear this sentence a lot: "We can't compete with X so let's only do Y".