In no way can you be greedy, sloppy, slow, and not play well with others. Those are all traits that are going to lead to your eventual downfall. They're all negative traits that will prohibit your company from growing and ultimately being a success.
I can cite you off-hand at least 10 examples of not-so-nice people that made it big in business, I have a real problem finding more than 3 that I think are or were successful and that are very nice people.
It may be just my experience. But the Dilbert series has to ring true to so many people for a reason.
Being not-so-nice can definitely be a symptom of playing well with others. The stereotype of the "popular" kids in high school is that they're jerks. And yet, they're considered the ones with the best social skills!
It's a fine line between 'social skills' (playing well with others) and 'manipulation' (getting others to do what you want them to).
Many people that are very successful are really good at getting others to do what they want them to do by pushing the right buttons. That does not make them 'nice people' or 'people that play nice with others'.
Dilbert lives in a cube farm in a large corporation. Neither he nor his co-workers are entrepreneurs. Dilbert rings true because so many people live in cube farms and many entrepreneurs have escaped cube farms. Based on your other comments, it appears you live in or escaped from a cube farm yourself.
Your comment "people that made it big in business" is telling... at the point someone has made it big in business, their business is likely to be big and they are not likely an entrepreneur any more.
Would you mind citing the comments that gave you the impression
I live in or have escaped from a cube farm?
You said you were a boss and appreciate Dilbert. Good predictors, but apparently not flawless. ;-)
So, someone who has a large business is not an entrepreneur?
That is not a disjoint set, but it is a very small set. The qualities spencerfry talks about, I associate with small businesses. Spencerfry (now) says this explicitly in a comment on his web page.
I've seen one or two Dilbert episodes, and I typically relate it to how large companies are being run where-ever I go. I've been a boss, the last time more than five years ago, it is a frustrating experience when compared with the freedom I've got as an independent. The last time I was actually employed is ages ago and it never was in a 'cube farm', nor did I have to escape (in fact, I had a really nice boss, but he definitely was the exception).
Small businesses and large businesses are completely different beasts, but entrepreneurs are found in all businesses by definition.
