Tool Box
Issue No. 21 - February/March 2005
Entrepreneur and commander
by Ben Cork
One has been arrested for multiple driving offences. Another commandeered a tank down Sydney's Pitt Street mall. And a third pitted himself against police and security forces to ambush the Sydney Olympic Games. Is this the work of dangerously maladjusted individuals, determined to create chaos in our carefully-ordered society?
Not quite - in fact, the perpetrators of these unusual acts are, respectively, none other than Bill Gates of Microsoft, Virgin's Richard Branson and MD of Messages On Hold Australia, Kym Illman. All three are entrepreneurs who excel in their industry, leading by innovation and example. Certainly, they're not your average Joes - so what is it exactly that sets them apart from the crowd? Maybe there's an X-factor these people have that others don't? As it turns out, there are many behavioural traits common to this unique personality type.
The most immediately apparent is a need for control. An overriding philosophy that entrepreneurs share seems to be "if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself". Entrepreneurs love a challenge, and have clear ideas about how a project or process should flow. Given their natural sense of urgency, they're inclined to take charge of any task that comes their way, continuing this hands-on approach throughout their career (for example, Richard Branson and Dick Smith can always be found in the thick of the action, be it launching new stores or tackling legislation in the courts).
Not surprisingly, these business leaders are highly self-confident about their abilities to get the job done, and multi-task with ease. This tireless focus on achievement is one reason entrepreneurs prefer to get the job done themselves, rather than becoming frustrated relying on the efforts of others.
The typical characteristics are ideal for starting up a new business venture… but ironically, too much success can lead to problems! As their business gets bigger, the strong l...
