Find Your Dutch Uncle

If you are considering a new venture, first find yourself a Dutch Uncle. If you want to run an existing business effectively, find yourself a Dutch Uncle. If you are considering whether or not to jump off a cliff, definitely find yourself a Dutch Uncle. So what is a Dutch Uncle?

There is an old English expression that refers to a Dutch Uncle, which is a person willing to give you frank and uncensored feedback. The dilemma of leadership is that it is lonely at the top. The dilemma of entrepreneurship is that your friends do not want to tell you that your baby is ugly. Good leaders cherish the subordinate with the courage to tell them when he is being either an ass or a fool. A wise entrepreneur will listen to her employees and customers.

Put simply, you cannot plot an accurate course without feedback. Without a Dutch Uncle, you may get lulled into believing sycophants, which typically come in the form of friends, relatives, and employees. This is not to say that your Dutch Uncle is always right. At the end of the day, you must place you bets and take your chances like in Las Vegas.

By revering leaders and entrepreneurs who ignored naysayers and the conventional wisdom to find great success, we can too easily draw the conclusion that every Dutch Uncle is a road block, which we should drive blindly around. You ultimately must decide what is right and live with the consequences of your decisions. There is no doubt in my mind, however, that more honest feedback and expression of opinion will lead you to make better decisions.

As a final note, your Dutch Uncle does not have to be from the Netherlands or even your uncle; that is just a bonus if you find it.