The ROI on Jerkiness

Another thing i've noticed from London-based entrepreneurs. they're insanely nice and well-
mannered. alastair mitchell of huddle and i were talking about this today, and i also touched on it with some of the robert loch-crew last night. european entrepreneurs are both stoic-- not wanting to own up to a VC what their problems are-- but at the same time they culturally have a hard time with bravado. a british entrepreneur never says he's going to change the world, according to alastair and others, because that's just too boastful. likewise the sights are frequently set on a modest exit.

i've long realized you don't have to be *nice* to make it in the valley (i've written a variation of that sentence for businessweek stories on everyone from Larry Ellison to Marc Fleury) but i wonder if typical "not nice" qualities are actually essential for making it as an entrepreneur? do you need arrogance? self-absorption? insensitivity to others? reid hoffman once told me he was a bad manager because he wanted to be everyone's friend. likewise, zach nelson once told me because he was nice everyone *thought* he was their best friend and could get away with more.

if anyone were actually reading this blog i'd get in trouble for this next line, but i'm not sure i can think of very many "successful" valley entrepreneurs who i'd call "nice" with the exception of james hong and evan williams. not that others are "mean"-- they're just too socially awkward to realize they are being rude, or just too obsessed with work to think about someone's feelings. I'd argue the latter is a CEO's time and energy well spent.

likewise, as a reporter i feel like sometimes i need to be rude or pushy or blow up at someone to get stuff done-- even as i feel mean. i'm 90% convinced "nice" is a hindrance to success in the rough and tumble startup world. but wondering if that's just a valley thing or a universal law of business?