Historical past tends to mythologize entrepreneurial names within the tech world. We attribute to them black-and-white way of life traits, with little or no room for grey. For instance, Steve Jobs was a charismatic and publicly engaged chief, whereas Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak was an introvert who most well-liked working in solitude.

It is simple to put money into these caricatures, after which inquire as to which camp you belong. Are you an extrovert and a born chief, or a lone wolf higher suited to behind the scenes? Do you could discover your ideally complementary co-founder, or is it higher to strike out by yourself?

Earlier than launching Jotform, I anxious about whether or not I had the character to steer an organization. I knew there was a monitor document of being a confirmed internet developer, however I did not know if I had the proper attributes to be a CEO — to execute the mandatory strategic work and efficiently talk a imaginative and prescient. I launched anyway, and 17 years later have found that, in pursuit of the proper firm tradition, working in solitude versus a staff setting — introversion versus extroversion — is a nuanced affair. I’ve noticed that folks search solitude for varied causes, and that understanding these motivations helped me higher admire the general wellness, inventive and management advantages that may stream from working solo.