软件依然通吃世界

     《财富》头脑风暴技术大会（7月22-24日在美国科罗拉多州阿斯彭举行）定期将最优秀的科技创新人才聚集一场。《财富》将每周聚焦一名与会者，让他/她给出自己对商业、技术以及企业家精神的独特见解。这次我们请了瑞尔登商务公司（Rearden Commerce）董事长兼首席执行官帕特里克•格雷迪，请他回答10个关于工作之外的问题，比如他最钦佩的公司，以及他给青年企业家的行业建议等。他的回答如下。

《财富》：你曾得到的最佳建议是什么？

格雷迪：是我成长时我妈真的每天都对我说的一句话——只要我专心去干，我没有什么做不了的事。这句话给我灌输了力量感和个人责任感。

你最近看的一本书是什么？

    《凯恩斯与哈耶克：定义现代经济学的冲突》

你想对即将进入严峻就业市场的年轻人说些什么？

    许多聪明的年轻人在写简历时敷衍了事。其实，他们应该展示对与自己所面试工作热切的求知欲、了解以及激情，而且能够具体说清楚，为什么自己是这份工作的不二人选。

如果你不干现在的工作了，打算干什么？

    我会再创建一家软件企业。马克•安德森（硅谷著名投资人——一周）说得很对——软件通吃世界，而我认为这场盛宴现在才刚刚开始。

你平时有什么娱乐活动？

    培养我们家两位不同凡响的千金。

你最钦佩哪位商界或科技界人士？原因是什么？

    杰夫•贝索斯【亚马逊（Amazon）首席执行官】。他具备世所罕见的眼光、极其卓越的管理能力以及对远大目标的不懈追求。

你还敬仰哪些公司呢？为什么？

    谷歌（Google）。他们有和亚马逊类似的基因，都坚信凡事皆有可能，而且还积极地组织人力和财务资源去实现目标。尽管人们对它们好评如潮，而且他们的市值目前也高达3000多亿美元，但我仍然认为，这两家公司实际上都被低估了。

你如何平衡工作和生活？

    花时间陪我女儿。这是雷打不动的。我组建的团队也都尊重这一点，工作时也会做出相应变通。

当下的管理者必须具备的一个特征是什么？

    人品好。

企业家们必须读商学院吗？

    不需要，事实上，读商学院可能弊大于利。企业家看到的不是世界现在是什么样，而是它未来可能变成什么样。他们不应该被传统的教条所累，反而玷污了自身纯净的洞察力。（财富中文网）

    译者：项航

    Fortune's Brainstorm Tech Conference (July 22-24 in Aspen, Colo.) regularly brings together the best and brightest minds in tech innovation. Each week, Fortunewill turn the spotlight on a different conference attendee to offer his or her own personal insight into business, tech, and entrepreneurship. This week, we asked Rearden Commerce Chairman and CEO Patrick Grady to answer 10 questions about life outside of work, the company he admires most, and industry advice for young entrepreneurs. His responses follow.

Fortune: What is the best advice you ever received?

Grady:My mother told me every single day -- literally -- when I was growing up that I could be anything I wanted to in life if I put my mind to it. It imbued me with a sense of empowerment and personal responsibility.

What was the last book you read?

    Keynes Hayek:The Clash that Defined Modern Economics

What would you say to a group of young people looking to enter the tough job market?

    There are a lot of smart young people with resumes that "check the boxes." Demonstrate genuine intellectual curiosity, understanding, and passion about the job you're interviewing for and be able to concretely explain how you're uniquely suited to fill it.

What would you do if you weren't working at your current job?

    I'd start another software company. Marc Andreessen is right -- software is eating the world, and I don't think we're through the appetizers yet.

What do you do for fun?

    Raise two epic daughters.

What business or technology person do you admire most? Why?

    Jeff Bezos [CEO of Amazon]. He has a remarkably rare combination of vision, operational excellence, and commitment to ambitious long-term goals.

What other companies do you admire? Why?

    Google (GOOG). They possess similar DNA to Amazon (AMZN), believing that anything is possible and backing it up with the intellectual and financial resources to make it happen. I believe that they're actually underrated despite the respect they receive and the $300 billion market cap that they currently enjoy.

What do you do to live a balanced life?

    My balance comes from my time with my daughters. It's sacrosanct, and I've got a team that respects that and works around it.

What is one characteristic that every leader should possess?

    Character.

Is business school necessary for entrepreneurs?

    No, in fact it's more of a liability than an asset or necessity. Entrepreneurs see the world not as it is, but how it could be. That purity of vision shouldn't be tainted by looking at the world through a conventional lens.