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Sam Altman: Determination Is the Most Underrated Quality. More Important Than Brains, Networks, or Great Ideas.

By Sam Altman · Founder Mindset · 1 min read

The most underrated quality of all is being really determined. More important than being smart. More important than having a network. More important than a great idea. Being a 3 or 4 standard deviation outlier on determination — that's a required skill of a CEO.

Key Points

Determination is more important than intelligence, networks, or great ideas
The hardest thing is the level and frequency of bad stuff that happens to you
When great people with perfect backgrounds still fail, it's usually insufficient determination

So much about being a successful entrepreneur is just not giving up.

More Important Than Smart, Networks, or Ideas

Altman: The most underrated quality of all is being really determined. This is more important than being smart. More important than having a network. More important than a great idea.

The hardest thing about starting a company is the level and the frequency of bad stuff that happens to you. Most people that are good in other ways eventually just get killed — the company gets killed by stuff going wrong. So much about being a successful entrepreneur is just not giving up.

More important than smart. More important than networks. More important than a great idea.

Great People Still Fail Without It

Altman: When we have funded people who have a great idea, perfect background on paper, a great product — and still failed — it has usually been that they are insufficiently determined.

Of course you need a good product and a good market and to be smart. But that's really obvious. The degree to which being a 3 or 4 standard deviation outlier on determination is a required skill of a CEO — that was not obvious to me when I started.

Great idea. Perfect background. Great product. Still failed. Usually — insufficiently determined.