The Red Sox are an interesting test case. Last year they were called the most talented team in baseball. Starting in September they imploded and now they’re barely winning half their games.

How did this happen? Two managers later they still are not able to figure it out. The team is in a funk.

I think it is about culture. When you have so many players earning so much money regardless of performance I cannot help but wonder if they’ve lost their hunger. They don’t have a winning culture.

In 1998 and 1999 I saw the same thing happen with some entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. Many became incredibly wealthy very quickly. So many kept their jobs but you could tell that they were done. They lost their hunger.

All this reminds me of a lunch I had yesterday with an entrepreneur. Here’s what we discussed: entrepreneurship is who you are and not what you do.

IMO early stage is a calling. It takes so much work to build great companies. For me, I don’t think money alone is a sufficient motivator.