Running head: ENTREPRENEURING LEADERSHIP

Leadership as an Essential Role in Entrepreneuring

Patrick Hesse
University of Kentucky

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2
Abstract

Throughout this paper I will be discussing the essential role leadership plays in the
communication of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneuring can be challenging, yet extraordinarily
rewarding; however, to achieve high levels of success, an entrepreneur must possess and exercise
several key attributes. Through my research I discovered that, most successful entrepreneurs
exhibit strong leadership abilities. It is one of the most necessary traits someone must
demonstrate in order to be successful in this field of work. Leadership is the backbone to
entrepreneuring, and without strong, effective leadership, achieving the stated objectives of the
business becomes much more difficult. In addition to strong leadership ability, a successful
entrepreneur is highly self-motivated, is adept at motivating others, and demonstrates the ability
to be adaptable to the ever-changing business climate. In order to further improve and develop
the business, a strong leader must not only remain motivated, focused, and on task, he/she must
inspire others in this endeavor, leading others to work for the common goal of achieving shared
business objectives. Finally, successful entrepreneurs possess the ability to take calculated risks,
without an overriding fear of failure. They see their glass as half full, instead of half empty,
and they focus on the positives instead of dwelling on potential negative outcomes It demands
the ability to take calculated risks, the initiative to implement actions to achieve business
objectives, and the optimism to overcome fear of failure. All of these roles play a huge part in the
communication of entrepreneuring and without them there would be no businesses.

Keywords: entrepreneuring, leadership, backbone, self-motivation, risks

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Have you ever had that one person you look up to and
idolize? Have you ever though about why you might idolize them?
Well, chances are you idolize them because they have strong
leadership skills. Developing strong, effective leadership skills
requires ongoing effort and practice. Leadership cannot be taught.
It can, however, be enhanced and developed through coaching and

Figure 1. Quote by John Maxwell

mentoring. A successful leader remains open-minded and passionately seeks the knowledge and
opinions of others, even when it conflicts with his/her own beliefs, all in a quest for knowledge
and ideas that will contribute to betterment of the company. (A New Class) A quote by John C.
Maxwell showed me through his words, the fundamentals of being a leader, and it is applicable
in the business world as well.(See Figure 1) I broke it down to mean, one who knows the way
by being innovative and self motivated to map out the struggles that might come across when the
business is growing. Then shows the way I interpreted to mean the owner leads by example for
his employees and hires people that are willing to work and get the business where it is
envisioned. Finally, goes the way is not afraid to take the risk and has the willingness to fail in
order for his business to get to its maximum potential. It serves as an even bigger role in the
communication of entrepreneuring, without effective leadership in entrepreneurship, or any
business as a matter of fact, there would be no advances. My father, a successful entrepreneur, is
one of the strongest, most effective leaders I have ever known. Inherent to his character are
many of the attributes of a successful entrepreneur. He is unassuming and never arrogant, he
exhibits integrity, and is trustworthy and fair. Perhaps, in part, because of his background in
coaching and education, he is an intuitive listener. When interacting with employees, he remains

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open-minded and genuinely listens to their ideas and concerns. The result is a workplace
environment where employee input is encouraged, resulting high employee morale that, in turn,
leads to high productivity. By using effective interpersonal skills, he has earned the trust and
confidence of his employees in himself as their leader. He believes that, without leadership in
the communication of business, there is no room for it to expand and grow in the vision of its
proprietor.
Equally important in the scope of business is a leaders ability to adapt to changing
situations within the business climate. Successful entrepreneurs demonstrate adaptability, both in
long-term business planning and in the day-to-day operations of the business. In all businesses
challenges arise and mistakes are made. A strong, effective leader can overcome difficulties as
they arise, often resulting in positive outcomes from a potentially negative situation. Despite the
most meticulous planning, in all businesses things go wrong: employees get sick, equipment
breaks down, shipments are delayed, any number of problems can arise, at any moment, and
slow production. It would be easy to become frustrated and angry when things dont go as
planned. Effective leaders demonstrate adaptability by using problem-solving skills to overcome
challenges that arise in the workplace, often, through their actions, transforming a potentially
negative situation into something positive by learning from mistakes, and implementing
strategies to prevent them in the future. (8 Traits)
Effective business leaders demonstrate a willingness to take calculated risks, without
becoming consumed with the fear of failure. True leadership takes courage. A well-informed
business spirit sees opportunity where others dont. In business, taking a risk puts valuable
assets on the line including money, time, and reputation. However, strong leaders recognize that
taking risk invites new opportunities and promotes creativity. It frees employers and employees

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from the constraints of conventional thinking. Often, a combination of calculated risk, a bit of
blind trust, and good business instinct allows businesses to reap previously unimaginable
rewards. Risking allows them to recapture and further enhance more of the very things they
might have briefly feared losing initially: money, time, and reputation.(Weighing the Pros and
Cons) The best business leaders are capable of putting fear aside and stepping out of their
perceived comfort zones in pursuit of business development. Ironically, not taking risks creates
risk. By not taking risks, an entrepreneur risks allowing his/her product to become stale causing
customers to become bored and to move onsomething no entrepreneur wants to see happen!
Entrepreneuring is a business field that is successful through leadership. Leadership
provides inspiration, influence, and an atmosphere for creativity and innovation. Leadership
requires the ability to motivate others. When researching for this paper, a quote by Stephen
Covey summarized leadership for me particularly well: Leadership is not a position, it is a
moral authority. Moral authority comes from following universal and timeless principles like
honesty, integrity and treating people with respect." This hit home with me because I believe
leadership is an acquired skill that is constantly evolving. (Leadership Skills) Finding the
optimum combination of setting high expectations and goals for your business and workers,
while still respecting that these goals will not be achieved overnight, takes time and patience.
Different things motivate different people. For some, establishing weekly or monthly sales goals
including incentives for achieving stated goals is profoundly motivating. Simple genuine
appreciation and recognition for quality work can also be motivating. Others might require a
team spirit to feel motivated. Leadership might be further demonstrated by simply being a
positive, genuine role model for the people working for the business. Regardless of how it is
achieved, when inspiration is developed within a company, it drives the business to grow. When

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people are inspired at work they tend to work a lot harder, and are generally more productive,
thus increasing the bottom line and increasing the probability of positive cash flow. Both, a
foundation of an inspirational work place and having a motivating boss are valuable assets that
will positively influence the business. Creativity flourishes when people feel inspired and
motivated. (It Takes Leadership) Creativity keeps things fresh and cutting edge, allowing the
company to develop newer and more innovative products and/or services, reducing the risk of
mediocrity. Successful, effective leadership is a complicated process, and can often prove
challenging to implement. However, through practice, it
can be an extraordinarily powerful tool in the creation of
productive, profitable entrepreneurial businesses.
Another essential trait in the success of
entrepreneuring is intrinsic, or self-motivation. Selfmotivation involves the ability to do what needs to be
done and not require outside encouragement from others.
Intrinsically motivated individuals often possess strong self-

Figure 2. A quote by Eric Thomas

that provides me with selfmotivation

confidence. They have a quiet resolve and a strong belief in

their own abilities. In fact, many of the techniques used to motivate employees also enhance the
self-motivation for entrepreneurial leaders. By nature, intrinsically motivated individuals are
inquisitive, always looking for newer, better, more innovative ways to improve. (8 Traits) They
exhibit a positive outlook and view challenges simply as obstacles to overcome. A quote that has
become my mantra as a student-athlete at the University of Kentucky, expresses the underlying
spirit of all entrepreneurial leaders very eloquently, When you want to succeed as bad as you
want to breathe then you will be successful.(See figure 2.) This quote provides me with

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underlying power to never give up and constantly push myself to stay on task setting high goals
and always pushing to achieve them. Self-motivated people react positively to setting goals and
respond favorably to recognition when they achieve those goals. Recognition for a job well done
is deeply motivating to those already motivated from within.
Going hand-in-hand with self -motivation is mental strength. Entrepreneurial leaders
must possess the mental fortitude and strength to go the distance and get the job done. Without
mental strength one does not have enough motivation to push through the hardships often
encountered when starting a business, maintaining the day-to-day operations of that business,
and the ability sustain continued growth and improvement of that business.
Successful entrepreneurs are driven by a well-defined vision of what the business will
become. They look past all the small goals and think on a more universal scale at what the
business will be like when it is grown and thriving with success. They intrinsically understand
that they are the engineer of progress and that self-motivation, the motivation of others, and
adaption to changing situations is essential to the progress and development of the business. (It
Takes Leadership) Entrepreneurs continually seek ongoing education for themselves, as well as
their employees. Trends, technology, and business strategies are constantly changing, and it is
very important to stay up-to-date on all of them.

Another leadership role that is absolutely critical in entrepreneurship is having the ability
to take risks and to overcome the fear of failure. My father, an entrepreneur, stated to me, It is
important to be the kind of person who sees business challenges as opportunities, and to be the
one who is willing to live with both the consequences and rewards of accepting those
challenges. This quote illustrates the importance of taking calculated risks in the

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entrepreneurial world. Think of the most successful business entrepreneurs in history: Steve
Jobs, Donald Trump, and Oprah Winfrey, do you think these people sat around contemplating
whether or not they should follow their dreams? Of course not--successful entrepreneurs are
risk takers, and each one of them risked money, time, and their reputations, knowing there was a
possibility of complete failure. (Leadership Skills) Observing their well-known success, what if
they had been too filled with fear to take a risk? Many of the most successful entrepreneurs
have failed many times; I remember when I was watching Jobs, the movie, it showed Steve
Jobs failing many times and him never giving up on his dream, and in the end it paid off. By
persisting and following his dream, he will without doubt, be remembered as one of the most
successful entrepreneurs in history.
As one can clearly see leadership plays a huge role in the communication of
entrepreneurship. Effective entrepreneurial leadership requires courage, and is often difficult to
find in the business world because it requires persons to think and act outside the box, to
challenge conventions and use creative, adaptive thinking to challenge the norm.
(Entrepreneurial Leadership) Effective business leaders are not afraid to disrupt mediocrity in
order to keep their businesses on the cutting edge. In addition to their strong leadership abilities,
successful business leaders share several other common attributes. They are inherently selfmotivated and have a strong mental fortitude that allows them to get the job done. They are
willing to explore what they dont know and seek the opinion of others in search of new,
innovative ways to improve their existing business. These individuals demonstrate the ability to
motivate others who work for them through goal setting, incentives for achieving goals, praise
and recognition, and teamwork. (Entrepreneurial Leadership) They serve as positive role models
for those employed by them by being consistently being fair, trustworthy, unassuming, and open-

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minded in their dealings with others. Daily, they operate at the highest level of integrity and
inspire others by example. Perhaps most importantly, entrepreneurial leaders are wellinformed risk takers who see opportunities where others dont. I have been honored to have a
father that is a successful entrepreneur. Growing up around this work force, I have learned many
of these traits that are not only a positive in entrepreneuring, but are all around necessary in life.
Many of the skills in which it takes to be a successful leader are some of the most imperative
ones we need as individuals. Seeing the drive and motivation that this special group of people
that we call entrepreneurs have is unreal; I have been more than blessed to grow up around it.
Their desire for success is a driving force from within, and they view their business on a
universal scale, with a clear vision of what it will become.

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