CHAPTER 4

Self-Inspired Behavior

Love What You Do and Get Very Good at Doing It

If you don’t give up, you still have a chance. Giving up is the greatest failure.

JACK MA, Founder, Alibaba

Self-inspired behavior is perhaps the sharpest difference of all between entrepreneurs and bureaucrats. But what are entrepreneurs actually self-inspired to do? When I think of legends like Disney, Lever, and Honda, or modern-day entrepreneurial icons like Jack Ma, a couple of images come to mind. First, they love what they do—they’re highly committed to their work. And second, they constantly try to get better at what they do—their performance is high. These two ideas, high commitment and high performance, are the backbone of an entrepreneurial approach ...

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