You probably know of Mark Cuban in one way or another. As an entrepreneur, he was a pioneer in streaming radio over the Internet. As a venture capitalist, he was an early investor in Box and makes lots of unconventional bets on ABC's Shark Tank. And as the owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, let's just say he isn't shy about speaking his mind.

I'm an organizational psychologist and Wharton professor. In my book Originals, I explored the habits of successful nonconformists—people who champion new ideas instead of following the crowd. So naturally I was excited to talk to Cuban in this new column, which celebrates the truly creative among us.

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Adam Grant: You've called passing on Uber your biggest investing mistake. Where did you go wrong—and how has your decision-making changed since?

Mark Cuban: It hasn't really changed; I just missed it. It happens, in that I saw the risk of dealing with transportation bureaucracies in each city and thought we should discuss what that meant to UberCab first. [Uber cofounder] Travis [Kalanick] went out and got other folks, and that was the end of it. I don't know that I learned a lesson—just happens sometimes.

AG: Intuition is famously unreliable. It's basically subconscious pattern recognition, and it's never clear whether the patterns you've seen in the past will hold in the future. How do you know when to trust your gut?

MC: I always check my hole card. I trust but verify by doing my homework. The exception to that is smaller deals where I might just wing it, because these days I get lazy sometimes.

AG: Bad is often stronger than good: The negative impact of a terrible cofounder outweighs the positive impact of a great one. When I'm building my founding team, what should I make sure I avoid?

MC: Someone with the same skill set as you. Someone who doesn't have a quality or skill that you find valuable. Someone whose work ethic doesn't match yours.

AG: What kinds of pitches are you most tired of seeing?

MC: The "Uber of something."

AG: What would you say is the most undervalued company in tech right now, and why?

MC: Amazon. It's the world's greatest startup. It continually invests in new ideas and new technologies. No one does it better.

You have to be ahead of the curve in some technology and prove to me you know it cold and know how to apply it. The only thing that stands out is demonstrable expertise.

AG: There's evidence from the NBA that a strong team player adds 60 percent more value than a ball hog. How do you gauge whether a player is more of a giver or a taker?

MC: There are any number of factors. It's a team game. It's not whether they pass or shoot more; it's whether they are doing what the coach asks them to do. There are some guys who are so good that you want them to shoot every time they touch the ball. The problem is when a guy sees himself as filling one role and the coach has something else in mind.

AG: You led a major turnaround of the Mavs. Of all the innovations that you introduced, which one has been most underappreciated?

MC: Not trading Dirk [Nowitzki]. But beyond the obvious, when I came in, there were no player-development coaches. I brought in ten former players to help our players develop their game. I remember having to explain to the sports media that we spent more on support of our personal computers and software than we did developing our most important employees: our players. That paying former players and specialists to help improve the skill sets of our guys was just common sense. Now every team has a staff of player-development coaches. No one had done it before us.

AG: Which NBA rule would you change to make the game more fair? More fun?

MC: I would get rid of the clear-path foul. It wastes a lot of time and isn't a deterrent to fouling. I would also get rid of the infection-control rule. It was a mistake to bring it in the nineties, and it's still a mistake today.

AG: If I wanted to work for you, how would I go about getting your attention and persuading you to hire me?

MC: You have to be ahead of the curve in some technology and prove to me you know it cold and know how to apply it. The only thing that stands out is demonstrable expertise.

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AG: On Shark Tank, you're often the first or last to make an offer. What's the deal?

MC: I like to listen to the questions and answers from all the other sharks. It's not a negotiating tactic; it's a way to learn as much as possible about the company and entrepreneur.

AG: When you came to speak at Wharton, you invited a big group of students out for drinks afterward. Why? Was it your way of continuing the Rookie Club, which you started in your twenties at Mellon Bank?

MC: Absolutely. Every school, organization, company has its own culture, expertise, and attitude. I like to experience as much of it as I can. It keeps me from being isolated at all levels.

AG: You've gotten fired from or quit multiple jobs. When people go through that and then have to explain it in their next job interviews, what should they say?

MC: The truth.

AG: You once managed a Dairy Queen for a few hours after saying that you wouldn't hire the NBA's head of officiating to manage a Dairy Queen. Any lessons learned about management?

MC: Making a curlicue soft swirl is hard. Make sure the people you hire can do the job.

AG: If [fellow shark] Kevin O'Leary runs in Canada, what kind of prime minister would he make?

MC: A smarter Donald Trump with some compassion, however that translates.

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