Beware the Arrogant Venture Capitalist Their weaknesses may vary , but there's typically a common characteristic not-great venture capitalists share: arrogance.

Early in my entrepreneurial career, I didn't really know what to make of venture capitalists. All I heard was that they were scary people who wanted to take over your company and screw over entrepreneurs. In my first business, I deliberately stayed away from venture capitalists. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine someday becoming one.

Much to my surprise, being a venture capitalist is a perfect role for me. While a number of the venture capitalists I know and work with are great, many aren't. Their weaknesses vary, but there's typically a common characteristic the not-great venture capitalists share: arrogance.

Arrogance shows up in several ways. The most easily identifiable one is Mr. Know-It-All--the venture capitalist who thinks he knows everything. He's an easy guy to spot because everything he says is a directive about what to do. There's never any dialogue; he says if you listen to him, everything will work out fine--yet, it rarely does.