The Entrepreneur's Weekly Nietzsche summary

In Human, All Too Human, a work published in 1878, Nietzsche observed that “deviating natures are of the utmost importance wherever there is to be progress.” But what exactly does that sentence mean – and how can we draw an entrepreneurial lesson from it?

We all know what “progress” means: improvement, betterment, positive change. Call it what you want. But what about those “deviating natures” who actually bring about the improvement? What are they like?

A start-up may begin with a solitary man or woman. But over time, if the business succeeds, it’ll have to scale up, taking on additional employees to help deal with its growth. Now, growth is a clear sign of success, and an obvious cause for celebration – but maybe it should give us a moment’s pause all the same.

In his book Beyond Good and Evil, Nietzsche wrote, “Insanity in individuals is something rare – but in groups, parties, nations, and epochs it’s the rule.” In other words, wisdom can go out the window when individuals form groups. 

Leaders need self-confidence. Whether they’re entrepreneurs, artists, philosophers, or politicians, people who set out to lead need a strong sense of self-worth and a resilient faith in their own competence and abilities. Without that kind of self-assurance, we doubt ourselves, second-guess our decisions, and eventually flounder.

What’s more, an obvious lack of confidence can make it hard to attract followers – after all, if you don’t believe you’ll succeed, then how can you expect anyone else to?

“The more abstract the truth you wish to teach, the more you must allure the senses to it” – so goes a typically brief insight of Nietzsche’s, drawn once again from Beyond Good and Evil.

It sounds like a proverb for teachers or pastors – after all, who teaches “truths” besides educators and religious leaders? In fact, sometimes entrepreneurs do. What’s a pitch if not an attempt to teach investors the “truth” about your firm? A chance to show them the genuine problem your ideas address, or the true, long-term value of your fledgling company?

In one passage from Nietzsche’s book Human, All Too Human, he meditates on the type of victory leaders should aim for. It begins, “How we must Conquer,” and declares, “We ought not to desire victory if we only have the prospect of overcoming our opponent by a hair’s breadth. A good victory makes the vanquished rejoice, and must have about it something divine which spares humiliation.”

There’s a lot to unpack and explain there, but the gist is pretty clear: narrow victories aren’t desirable. If we’re aiming to win, we should win so spectacularly that our victory will overawe our competitors, and be so decisive that it’ll avoid humiliating them.