Only a small fraction of entrepreneurs lead their enterprises to a successful reality. But, sadly, even if their enterprise does become successful, they can still fail when their companies succeed. As the enterprise becomes more successful, the boards of directors and other stakeholders want to see that business succeed in the future and they don’t usually see that future with the founding entrepreneur leading the way. It happened to Steve Jobs. It has happened to thousands of other entrepreneurs and it can happen to you unless you learn how to be more than just an entrepreneur and more than just a leader. In order to avoid their mistakes you need to walk the walk of an Entrepreneurial Leader, right on the razors edge. Being an Entrepreneurial Leader is more than just being an entrepreneur plus leader. Entrepreneurs have certain needs, wants, and desires for their companies. But so do the people who make up that enterprise. It’s difficult for founding entrepreneurs to make room for others thoughts, concerns, opinions, and desires when it comes to their babies. Why? Because entrepreneurship is a fundamentally selfish act. You began your company because you wanted to be your own boss. Most of your motivations for starting the business were about you. And running a company in this mode of thinking ultimately leads to failure. Leadership, on the other hand, is about selflessness and making those around you feel they will be successful. A leader can take a team of individuals with differing wants, needs, and visions and get everyone on the same page. A leader makes everyone feel like they are being heard, are appreciated, and are winning. But to be a successful entrepreneur, you can’t just be the selfless commander-in-chief. In order for you to be successful and grow with your enterprise you must somehow balance the two opposing natures of the entrepreneur and the leader. In Startup Leadership entrepreneur and professor Derek Lidow describes the narrow boundary between these two opposing domains and provides you with the skills and tools to become an Entrepreneurial Leader. Based on Lidows popular and well-respected class Entrepreneurial Leadership, Startup Leadership distills Lidows insights gained from his experience and others who have struggled as entrepreneurs and leaders as well as from extensive research to present the best practices for growing with the company you created. It provides the tools needed to avoid the unseen traps most entrepreneurs fall victim to and needed to achieve the delicate balancing act that all Entrepreneurial Leaders must perform in order to successfully lead their team, enterprise, and themselves to lasting success.
