As someone who has designed and conducted leadership trainings, I’d like to share some leadership concepts I’ve encountered that seem particularly applicable in entrepreneurial settings.
“Leaders are those who empower others.”
— Bill Gates
While every leader must ultimately take charge, make decisions and chart the course, leadership is less about exercising power than it is about aiding others in finding their power. Look at it this way: Would you rather have people who work for you or with you? Providing people with genuine opportunities to be innovative, actively seeking their input, means that they become much more invested in your enterprise. They work harder and contribute more — all of which benefits you and your business.
“Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results.”
— Gen. George Patton
This reflects the same sentiment but makes the point that you as the entrepreneurial leader set the overall objectives and operating structure. Yet, even in this context, opening the door to participation from staff, a board or investors builds engagement and buy-in. It’s your vision; you are accountable for it and maintain it, but enabling others to help refine and advance it is beneficial to all involved.
“A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.”
— Martin Luther King Jr.
Consensus is a powerful, and very challenging thing to build. In almost every group setting — a team, a business, a nonprofit — there is a defined leader and others who are substantial influencers. When there are important decisions to be made, directions to be taken, a good leadership tactic is to determine your preferred approach then consult individually with the key influencers in the group. Get their input, and if they seem not to align with your viewpoint, do what you can to bring them on board. That way, when the decision is made, the most important voices in the organization will be supportive.
Of course, consensus cannot always be achieved. In those situations, leadership requires moving forward anyway, ideally providing a good rationale for why differing ideas were not accepted and being willing to take the bullets that will inevitably fly from those who disagreed rather than blaming the circumstances or other people involved.
“Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.”
— Publilius Syrus, circa 75 BC
When things get tough true leaders emerge. And since it’s inevitable that things will get tough sooner or later, leaders are well served to have some plans in place for likely challenges. (“Be prepared” is the very useful Boy Scout motto). Seeing the big picture enables entrepreneurs to anticipate many problems before they arise, or at least before they get out of control. At the same time, when circumstances are rough, identifying and taking the immediate next steps is vital. Enlisting key staff and supporters in solving the problem is much better than going it alone. Believing in oneself and believing in the existence of a positive outcome are keys to weathering the storm.
“A good leader is a person who takes a little more than his share of the blame and a little less than his share of the credit.”
— John Maxwell
Pretty self-explanatory. The objective of entrepreneurship is to develop and maintain a successful enterprise not to bask in some transitory glory.
For entrepreneurs looking to explore the qualities and techniques of leadership more deeply, there are several high-quality leadership trainings in our region. As the former executive director of the Committee for a Better New Orleans, I can strongly endorse that organization’s annual Bryan Bell Leadership Forum, but many other options abound. Yes, these things take your precious time, but it’s likely time well invested.
Keith Twitchell spent 16 years running his own business before serving as president of the Committee for a Better New Orleans from 2004 through 2020. He has observed, supported and participated in entrepreneurial ventures at the street, neighborhood, nonprofit, micro- and macro-business levels.
