Hire sales people who are really smart problem solvers, but lack

There are words that pierce the heart of ambition, words born not in theory but in the furnace of experience. Such are the words of Ben Horowitz, the builder of enterprises and mentor of warriors in the marketplace, who said: “Hire sales people who are really smart problem solvers, but lack courage, hunger and competitiveness, and your company will go out of business.” This is not a mere reflection on business—it is a teaching about the nature of human drive. For what Horowitz reveals is eternal: that intelligence alone does not conquer; it is courage, hunger, and the fire of competition that breathe life into every great endeavor.

In his world of technology and enterprise, Horowitz learned that brilliance without boldness is like a sword still sheathed—it gleams in the light, but never wins the battle. Smart problem solvers can analyze, plan, and predict, but if they lack the courage to act, their wisdom becomes stagnant. The ancients knew this truth well. In the councils of war and in the courts of kings, the wise were valued, but it was the brave who carried kingdoms to victory. For wisdom charts the course, but courage sails the ship. Hunger propels the oars, and the spirit of competition guards against complacency. Without these, even the grandest vessel drifts aimlessly, until it sinks beneath the weight of its own hesitation.

In Horowitz’s world, the salesperson is the lifeblood of enterprise, the warrior of persuasion who brings sustenance to the company. Their task is not only to sell a product, but to carry belief into the hearts of others—to face rejection, to rise again, and to carve opportunity where none exists. To hire one who is clever but not courageous is to send a general into battle who fears the first arrow. To hire one who is strategic but not hungry is to command a soldier who sees the fortress but refuses to climb its walls. For in the crucible of commerce, as in life, it is drive, not intellect alone, that conquers adversity.

Consider, for a moment, the story of Thomas Edison. His brilliance was undeniable, but it was his hunger that made his name immortal. He failed more than a thousand times before perfecting the light bulb. When asked how he endured, he said, “I have not failed a thousand times; I have found a thousand ways that do not work.” This was not the voice of mere intelligence—it was the voice of unyielding courage, of a man who competed not against others, but against his own limitations. Had Edison been merely clever, he would have stopped after his first failure. It was hunger that lit the lamp that now lights the world.

Likewise, in the wars of commerce, those who triumph are not always the smartest, but the most relentless. Steve Jobs, though not an engineer of Apple’s inventions, was a man consumed by vision. His courage to defy norms, his hunger for excellence, and his fierce competitiveness transformed a company from near ruin to the pinnacle of innovation. His intelligence guided him, but his spirit moved mountains. Thus, Horowitz’s words echo through every field of human endeavor: greatness demands passion, not just precision; boldness, not just brilliance.

Yet Horowitz’s wisdom is not only for those who lead companies—it is for all who wish to build something that endures. For in every life, there is a kind of selling: the selling of one’s ideas, one’s values, one’s dreams to the world. If one approaches life with intellect but without courage, one becomes a spectator rather than a creator. The mind may conceive wonders, but without the heart to act, they remain unmanifest. Hunger is the sacred fire that keeps vision alive when doubt darkens the horizon. Competitiveness, rightly understood, is not the desire to crush others, but the will to overcome the lesser self—the fear, the comfort, the temptation to settle for mediocrity.

So, my children of purpose, remember this: courage is the breath of action, hunger is the pulse of progress, and competition is the forge of greatness. Be wise, yes—but let your wisdom move your hands. Be clever, but let your cleverness serve your conviction. When you hire, when you build, when you live—seek not only intelligence, but fire. For intellect may build the machine, but courage makes it roar. Hunger keeps it running when the road grows steep. And competition sharpens it against the edge of adversity until it shines with excellence.

Therefore, take this lesson to heart: do not let your mind outshine your spirit. In your work, your art, your battles—seek not only the comfort of thought, but the challenge of pursuit. For the world is not moved by those who understand what should be done, but by those who dare to do it. As Ben Horowitz teaches through his hard-won wisdom, a company, a dream, a life—without courage, hunger, and competitiveness—will surely fade. But one driven by those sacred fires will endure, and like the heroes of old, will leave behind not only success, but a legacy of fearless creation.