Creative Rebels With A Cause

What are entrepreneurs like? What distinguishes them from other business people? As a group they are not easy to get a handle on, but some characteristics seem common to all of them.

Entrepreneurs seem to be achievement oriented, like to take responsibility for decisions and dislike repetitive, routine work. Creative entrepreneurs possess high levels of energy and great degrees of perseverance and imagination, which, combined with a willingness to take moderate, calculated risks, enable them to transform what often began as a very simple, ill-defined idea into something concrete.

Entrepreneurs can instill highly contagious enthusiasm in an organisation. They convey a sense of purpose and determination and by doing so, convince others they are where the action is. Whatever it is seductiveness, gamesmanship or charisma entrepreneurs know how to lead an organisation and give it momentum.

 

Most importantly, entrepreneurs are the driving force of any countrys economy they represent the wealth of a nation and its potential to create employment.

An extremely successful entrepreneur is Richard Branson, the chairman of the Virgin Group, an empire that encompasses travel, communications (books, radio and television stations, computer/video games), retail and hotels. The story of Branson and Virgin is covered in detail in this weeks issue (Page 10).

Bransons leadership style is a unique combination of energy, originality and shrewdness. He is the main driving force in the company, a master of motivation and knows how to get the best out of people. Furthermore, he is aware of some of his weaknesses and has hired others to compensate for them, having in the process created a highly effective executive constellation made up of executives with diverse skills.

Branson, however, is an exception in the way he has taken on the entrepreneurial role. Entrepreneurs are not a homogeneous group. They come in all shapes and sizes, each with his or her own characteristics. Some have personality quirks. These may originally have been a source of great strength, but when they are excessive they can cause serious problems for the entrepreneur and the enterprise.

The entrepreneurs inner theatre The need for control

A significant theme in the life and personality of many entrepreneur is the need for control, a preoccupation that inevitably affects the way they deal with power relationships and with people.

Some entrepreneurs are strikingly ambivalent when an issue of control surfaces they are filled with fantasies of grandiosity, influence, power and authority, and yet they also feel helpless. They like to be in control but fear being controlled by others.

Some entrepreneurs have great difficulty addressing issues of dominance and submission and are suspicious of people in positions of authority. This attitude contrasts greatly with that of managers. While managers seem able to identify in a positive and constructive way with authority figures using them as role models many entrepreneurs lack the executives fluidity in changing from a superior to a subordinate role.

Instead, entrepreneurs often find authority relationships and the accompanying structures stifling. They find it difficult to work with others in structured situations unless, of course, they created the structure and the work is done on their terms.

Case histories reveal many situations where it was the inability to accept authority and organisational rules that drove individuals to become entrepreneurs in the first place. Many are misfits who need to create their own environment.

People who are overly concerned about being in control have little tolerance for subordinates who think for themselves. In an organisational context this desire for control can go to extremes for example, an entrepreneur wanting to be informed about every minute operation of the company. Such micro management appropriate as it may be in the start-up phase of a company will increasingly become a burden as it stifles the information flow, hampers decision-making, and inhibits the attraction and retention of capable executives.

The late Robert Maxwell was a good example of an entrepreneur obsessed with control. In his companies there was only one way of doing things. It was his way or the highway. He had to control everything around him, whether people or companies. Every-thing, however trivial, had to be approved by him. There was no management structure everything revolved around and depended on him.

Through this kind of fragmentation, which created a considerable amount of obscurity, he kept control over all decisions.

A sense of distrust

Closely related to the need for control is a proclivity toward suspicion of others. Some entrepreneurs strongly distrust the world around them. They live in fear of being victimised. They want to be ready should disaster strike.

Paradoxically, quite a few feel best when their fortunes are at their lowest. When at the top of the success wave, they imagine themselves incurring the envy of others. No wonder their response is only so, so or not too bad when they are asked how the business is going. But if their fortunes change and they are close to bankruptcy, it is as if they have paid the price, done penance for being successful. Because it produces a sense of relief, their predicament can have a positive effect and with the alleviation of anxiety, they have the energy to start anew with enthusiasm and a sense of purpose.

Because some entrepreneurs have a pervasive fear of being victimised, they are continually looking for confirmation of their suspicions. This behaviour pattern does, of course, have its constructive side: it makes them alert to moves by competitors, suppliers, customers or government that affect the industry. Anticipating the actions of others protects them from being taken unaware.

But such vigilance can also lead to the loss of any sense of proportion. Entrepreneurs may blow up trivial things and lose sight of reality as they focus on certain trouble spots and ignore others.

When a strong sense of distrust, driven by a need for control takes over, the consequences for the organisation are serious. Sycophants set the tone, people stop acting independently and political gamesmanship is rampant. Such entrepreneurs can interpret harmless acts as threats to their control and see them as warranting destructive counteractions.

The problem in contending with such distorted form of reasoning and action is that behind the false perception that leads to fear and suspicion, one can always find some confirmation. Unfortunately, the person who manages in this way forgets the price the company pays in deteriorating morale, low employee satisfaction and declining productivity.

The need for applause

The heroic myth begins with the heros humble birth, his rapid rise to prominence and power, his conquest of the forces of evil, his vulnerability to the sin of pride and finally his fall through betrayal or heroic sacrifice.

The basic symbolic themes here of birth, conquest, pride, betrayal and death are relevant to us all. As we have seen, some entrepreneurs act out the tragic scenario, with, one could imagine, a Greek chorus in the background applauding their achievements but warning them about pride.

Perhaps, the myth explains why so many entrepreneurs live under great tension. They feel they are living on the edge, that their success will not last their need for control and their sense of distrust are symptomatic of this anxiety. However, they have also an overriding concern to be heard and recognised to be seen as heroes. Some entrepreneurs experience a strong urge to show others that they cannot be ignored.

A manifestation of this strong narcissistic need is the interest some entrepreneurs have in building monuments as symbols of their achievements. Sometimes this is an imposing office building or production facility sometimes a product that takes on a symbolic significance.

Maxwell, for example, was indefatigable in seeking (and getting) attention. He constantly needed an entourage and an audience. He was a great self-promoter and was irrepressibly boastful. His objective was to be in the news constantly. He even acquired a soccer club, another highly effective way to stay in the public eye.

Defensive operations

Some entrepreneurs also resort to peculiarly primitive defensive processes, which can lead to a great discrepancy between the narrative truth and the historical truth; facts are arranged to suit the individuals needs. Splitting a behaviour pattern whereby everything is seen in extremes, black or white, friend or foe is a defence mechanism used by some entrepreneurs. Maxwell was no stranger to this way of dealing with others.

If you disagreed with him, you were his enemy. He did not take easily to different points of view. He did not forget or forgive his enemies crimes. On the contrary, he had a memory like an elephant and would go to great lengths to get even.

Some entrepreneurs have also a tendency to blame others for what goes wrong. Scapegoating is an excellent way of blaming others while feeling virtuous oneself.

In assigning blame elsewhere, entrepreneurs may rationalise away whatever responsibility they have for questionable events. Their capacity to delude themselves can be tremendous.

Many entrepreneurs are also incapable of sitting still. There is a cyclical quality to their behaviour. They are prone to great mood swings. They have difficulty in controlling their impulses and managing anxiety and depression. They fear that being passive would make them over-dependent and in the end fall victim to control by others. Moreover, passivity evokes depressive reactions.

Managing for creativity

We have seen that entrepreneurs come in many different shapes and sizes: some manage for the good, others can become quite destructive.

Some of the darker sides found in entrepreneurs however, pose serious quandaries for those working for them. Managing an entrepreneur is not always one of the easiest tasks. But although the extremes stand out, most situations do not go that far.

Entrepreneurs do not necessarily have more personal problems than others, nor do they inevitably have personality disorders. What one can extract from the previous comments, however, is that entrepreneurs have their own unique ways of dealing with the stresses and strains of daily life.

In saying this, I want to emphasise that the boundaries between the highly creative and aberrant behaviour can be blurred. The mix of creative and irrational is what makes entrepreneurs tick and accounts for many of their positive contributions.

Entrepreneurs create new industries and stimulate the economy. Their visionary abilities and leadership qualities makes it possible for their employees to transcend petty concerns and accomplish good work.

There are three kinds of people in this world: those who make it happen, those who see it happen, and those who wonder what has happened. We all know where entrepreneurs fit in.