More Thoughts on the True Entrepreneur

Thoughts on Thoughts:

When discussing the differences between the True Entrepreneur and the Good Leader, the knowledge I base most everything on is primarily personal experience and secondarily considerable research. Application, hands on experience, was far and away the dominant way I learned. Although I gave considerable time and effort to reading established thinkers on both subjects and those in ways connected like History, Religion, Philosophy, Psychology and more. This resulted in boxes upon boxes of notes to support my thirst to know and understand. Regardless, it was the hands on work I did with people over many years that taught me the most and proved the most reliable. I know that nothing ever beat face to face interaction and genuine dialogue. Interestingly, I developed a deeper appreciation of people as did my coworkers and students. 

The authors I read may have been giants in their field, but if their theories and thoughts did not work when and where I worked I changed it to work or erased it. In other words I was responsible for what I did and said with people. What and who I was and believed is what I taught. It was me being me and not a warmed over Plato or Maslow. This was graphically pointed out to me during a lecture to a group of therapists. During a brief break one of them came to me and said “why give credit to others when what you are saying and doing is you?” Took a while to appreciate that being me was what I most needed to be. It is the message I carry to this day. “Be myself, there is nothing better I have to give.”

Today I know that when I lived my life as an entrepreneur I was definitely focused on the task at hand, no mountain or wall held me back. I also know I was an imperfect entrepreneur. I knew what I wanted, but never understood the vital importance of having the necessary resources. Having too little money never stopped me and this was a weakness I carried with me for years. The True Entrepreneur will have the necessary funds, or get them. That’s a part of their picture and is what helps makes them True Entrepreneurs. I forged ahead without proper funding and it had to influence what I did create. The penalty I paid was the energy it took to overcome this lack of resources.   

Regardless of the lack of funding what I created had to be led. Where to find the leader to lead others is no small problem. It was easier to take this position than to find another since I best understood my philosophy. I know it took people experiences to help me grow this philosophy. I was it, but needed to recruit others to learn and apply it. It helped that I love teaching what I believe and know. This made it possible to share with others and to guide them in the art of leading others into better relationships. In the process I set aside my entrepreneurial spirit. Being both, and successful at each, seems an impossible task, and in fact may be?

Leadership demands that the leader be the example and not the unique star. This is difficult at best since people tend to remain what they are successful at. Entrepreneurship is challenging, exciting, fulfilling to be sure, and power is important. Leadership, on the other hand, is a grind since it is all about being therole model, responsible and real at all times. It is not about one’s ego-centric self. It is not an act. And good leaders do not need and use power over others. In fact, Good Leaders empower others to be themselves.

The entrepreneur———–Different from leader————Both so essential.      Sy

The True Entrepreneur

Good leadership is important, but a True Entrepreneur may be of greater importance. Where would our world be without innovators and entrepreneurs that succeed at creating their vision? And where would any organizations be without leadership leading people to succeed at what they gather for?

The True Entrepreneur dreams a dream usually having to do with goals and how to achieve those goals. Rarely do they concern themselves with others beyond facilitating reaching their goal.  This may bring serious relationship problems between people that live and work together. Being driven by goals hardly lends itself to smooth and caring relationships. 

Whether the True entrepreneur is focused on building a business for profit or securing funds for a charity they are the same person in how they operate. Setting goals and working tenaciously towards those goals is what they do. If the entrepreneur’s goal is finding donors to fund an organization that’s their job; if to become wealthy, that’s their job. The challenge to achieve fires their creative juices not how people feel towards them.

Because of the True Entrepreneur’s drive their value to a group serving community needs may be huge due to their determination to fund the program and their methods winning over donors? They may well be the key to the success of gathering appropriate funding. If a volunteer group does not have an entrepreneur type amongst them the wise thing to do may be to find one and bring them on board.

 On the other hand, there is a reason for concern when adding a True entrepreneur to a board. Being goal directed does not lend itself to caring, supportive relationships and if they happen to be control driven conflict between members is assured.

Without question both True entrepreneurs and Good Leaders are essential to society and it is most unlikely that they are the same person. The task they have before them demand different and specific mind sets and behavior. Most Entrepreneurs treat people as chess pieces. People play or do not play parts in their drama. They are purpose not people driven. Good leaders, on the other hand, are all about relationships between people and how they function.

How to deal with this problem is significant because the value of each to the group (any gathering of people, whether for profit or charity) may make or break the group. The True Entrepreneur creates the need for a group and the good leader makes the group function properly and to grow.

Dealing with interpersonal problems that are sure to occur: A facilitator may be necessary and genuine dialogue between all at the table is absolute. The primary purpose of the facilitator is to teach and referee the rules of dialogue so that power, control and manipulation by anyone member fails to rear its ugly head.  In every case, Genuine Dialogue is the key to a successful organization.   Sy—

Haiku: Entrepreneur, yes!————So necessary to us————They make what is not.