Rarely can entrepreneurs make a company succeed by themselves. This is much like the fact that greatest athlete doesnt ensure that their team will win if the other players cannot perform. As such, entrepreneurs need to be able to identify staffing needs, expertly fill them, and lead the team to success.

Leadership is the process through which an entrepreneur is able to influence employees to achieve the objectives of the organization. To be an effective leader, an entrepreneur must 1) build trust and confidence among employees and 2) effectively communicate with them.

Leaders can build trust in many ways. They can achieve it by working hard, maintaining a constant message and/or being available to solve employees problems among others. By showing employees that they are fully committed to achieving the vision, entrepreneurial leaders build trust and confidence in employees. This in turn yields high employee satisfaction and commitment.

Effective communications is equally critical to successful leadership. If employees are unclear about the companys vision, and/or receive mixed messages over time, they will be unable to focus all of their efforts on achieving the companys goals. Conversely, by delineating the companys vision and goals, and reinforcing them over time with the same message, the companys goals become engrained in its employees.

In addition to building trust and effective communications, other keys to entrepreneurial leadership include the following:

• Seeking self-improvement: a great leader always seeks to become even

  better.

• Possessing technical skills: While the leader may not need to have the

  greatest technical skills in their organizations, they need to be savvy enough

  to lead the team.

• Accepting responsibility for actions: Leaders and companies always make

  mistakes. Great leaders dont place blame on others.

• Making decisions: Good leaders must make good and timely decisions.

• Being a role model: A leader must set an example to employees and guide

  them to excel.

The ability to effectively lead is a crucial factor in the success, or lack thereof, in entrepreneurial ventures. By understanding and embodying what it takes to lead effectively, entrepreneurs can maximize their chances of success.

Dave Lavinsky

As President of Growthink, Dave Lavinsky has helped the company become one of the premier business plan development firms. Since its inception, Growthink has developed over 200 business plans. Growthink clients have collectively raised over $750 million in financing, launched numerous new product and service lines and gained competitive advantage and market share.