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Comment by leetrout | Hacker News Reader

“ 7. At the start of any design effort, the person who most wants to be team leader is least likely to be capable of it.”

That’s interesting. I generally have strong opinions about things I care about and would much rather be the one making decisions so I can own the outcome, ESPECIALLY negative outcomes. Maybe it’s just a control thing... I’d rather fix my own mess

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“ To summarize: it is a well-known fact that those people who most want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it. To summarize the summary: anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.” Douglas Adams

This has largely been my experience.

Strong opinions could be bad at the start, when nobody really actually knows what the heck is going on.

I think it's largely a function of the intrinsic reason that someone wants to lead.

Are they in it for the title or the prestige? Their desire will as some point run in conflict with the larger program goals.

Do they do it because they enjoy bringing a diverse set of viewpoints together to create something that couldn't be created in isolation? That might have a better chance of success.

Unfortunately it's very difficult to determine this externally without a significant investment in time or otherwise.

> Do they do it because they enjoy bringing a diverse set of viewpoints together to create something that couldn't be created in isolation? That might have a better chance of success.

That reminds me of the phrase:

If you want to go fast go alone. If you want to go far go together.

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