I have been in this startup ecosystem for over a decade now in multiple hats. There is a pattern that I have noticed: you need to be a people’s person before anything else. I have also seen people be it a VC, founder, or an analyst at a fund progressing well in their career with this virtue.
There are numerous scenarios where mutual help has been a win-win for both sides. People whom you help, they help you back. They want to see you succeed. They go at any length to see you do good.
Think in terms of winning heart, winning deals will be the byproduct. The no-asshole policy makes the organization a better place. The industry is too small, and everyone knows everybody else.
Hold your anger and put yourself in the shoe of others. Your subordinates need your pep talk. They will learn everything from virtue to vice from you. So be very careful.
Our life is not about being right or proving others wrong.