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- Andreessen Horowitz cofounder Ben Horowitz said hesitation is “the worst thing” leaders can do.
- Horowitz said hesitation “locks up the company” on “Lenny’s Podcast.”
- “Most of what we do as a firm is to try to help people with that confidence problem,” Horowitz said.
CEOs can make a slew of mistakes while trying to lead their companies to profits.
While some may struggle with hurdles like poor communication or unrealistic expectations, Andreessen Horowitz cofounder Ben Horowitz said one bad habit is the “worst thing” a leader can do.
“Hesitation, you know, that’s generally the most destructive,” Horowitz told “Lenny’s podcast” on Thursday.
Horowitz said that sometimes CEOs must choose between unfavorable options, which can lead to hesitation, but making hard decisions is necessary.
“The psychological muscle you have to build to be a great leader is to be able to look in the abyss and go, ‘Okay, that way’s slightly better. We’re going to go that way.'” Horowitz said.
During the interview, Horowitz said lost confidence leads to hesitating in timely moments, which can have unintended consequences for CEOs and their companies.
“Hesitation is very dangerous because one, it locks up the company, but even worse, what happens is, if you have senior people working for you, they get very nervous and they feel like they need to jump into that void and make the decision for you,” Horowitz said. “That’s when it gets political — like very political — because people are vying for power inside your little, you know, screwed-up company.”
He added, “Most of what we do as a firm is to try to help people with that confidence problem.”
Representatives for Andressen Horowitz did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Horowitz also discussed leadership on the Thursday episode of “Lenny’s Podcast,” saying CEOs should be C-students rather than A+ students because they’re used to making mistakes.
“Like, if you’re an engineer and you’re used to getting things right or if you’ve been a straight A student or something like that, it’s very disconcerting,” Horowitz said. “It’s better to have CEOs who are C-minus students.”
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