The Entrepreneur
Summary of the profile: Entrepreneurs, above all else, want to create new businesses. They tend to relentlessly pursue this goal, and will channel their energy into it even in the face of failures. It is crucial to them that they create something which is theirs, and this issue of ownership perhaps forms the largest barrier to their happiness in organisations. Partly, this is due to organisations typically not understanding the needs of The Entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs do not desire to accumulate wealth per se; what an Entrepreneur wants is for the world to understand that “I made this”. Obviously, being wealthy is one way of showing this, but only if the Entrepreneur is recognised as the person behind the idea, product or service.
Strengths: Highly motivated and often highly energetic allowing them to work extremely hard for sustained periods. Often willing to make (sometimes extremely large) sacrifices to achieve their goals. Can break through barriers and find new, creative ideas by not accepting traditional rules and guidelines. Will pursue their goals relentlessly often against long odds, and will channel their energy into achieving these even in the face of failures. Does not seek nor need the traditional long term career path. Willing to take large risks when trying to make their ideas a reality. Often clearly see the big picture and connect sometimes abstract concepts before others.
Considerations: Can become bored relatively quickly, even with their own creations. Tend to be most motivated when they first have an idea and start making it a reality. Need have the skills, the ideas and the understanding of the business world to start a new business before they ‘take the plunge’. Often have to take large risks when they try to make their ideas a reality, so they need to think about what is at stake if they are not successful. Need to be careful not to miss the detail by focusing only on the big picture. Organisations often find the needs of the entrepreneur hard to understand and accommodate. That said, Entrepreneurs can find fulfilling work in organisations, particularly those offering “intrapreneurship” opportunities.
Needs within a role: Organisation Entrepreneurs, by definition, like to build their own enterprises. Some work in organisations while planning their own enterprises in their spare time. Others work in organisations that provide them with two very important things: • Opportunities to create new things. • The ability to take ownership of what is created.
Content of work Entrepreneurs want to create something new and they will be happiest when their work allows them to do this. Entrepreneurs become bored relatively quickly, even with their own creations. They are most motivated when they first have an idea and start making it a reality. Once it is a reality, they get started on a new project.
Job opportunity checklist: As an Entrepreneur, you may find the following ‘checklist’ helpful. It contains questions to think about either when making career decisions, or perhaps just to see how well your current job ‘fits’ – you don’t necessarily have to make major, life-changing decisions to make your job more consistent with your career focus. The questions are designed for Entrepreneurs who are considering an opportunity within an organisation – for Entrepreneurs who have built, or intend to build, their own enterprises, many of the questions are irrelevant. • • • • • How much freedom will you have in the organisation? To what extent will the organisation take ownership of what you create? Will your job actually entail creating something new? Do you think the organisation will be accommodating of your needs to receive personal recognition for what you have made? Does the job sound like it follows an “intrapreneurship” model? This describes a situation where an employee is expected to act very much like an entrepreneur, but with the aims of the organisation in mind. Consequently, the work content is exactly the sort of thing that appeals to The Entrepreneur, but there is less risk since the Entrepreneur has access to the organisations’ resources.
About Career Focus: The eight career focuses (as graphed above) are based on the eight ‘career anchors’ identified in research by Edgar H. Schein. Each focus consists of a unique pattern of competencies, motives and values which combine to capture “the one element in a person’s self-concept that he or she will not give up, even in the face of difficult choices”1. Every individual possesses a career focus type. The Zookel career focus questionnaire helps people uncover their career focus and use this to make better career choices. This is critically important, as research shows that people have higher job satisfaction when their job is consistent with their career focus2. Career Focus vs. Standard personality measures Career focus differs from standard personality measures such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) as it is designed to give you specific insights into your career, as opposed to provide general information about your personality. For example, knowing your MBTI type would not necessarily help you decide whether to take a promotion, or whether you should apply for a new opportunity. Career focus provides you with specific, straightforward and practical information that is much easier to apply and understand in a career context than general personality scores. Usability
The eight career anchors have been found repeatedly across cultures and types of work. For example, they were found in Israelis of both genders from varied work backgrounds2; research, development & engineering professionals in New Mexico3; Information Systems personnel in the United States4 and an unnamed service organisation in the UK5.
1
Schein, 1990, p. 18 ¦ 2 Danziger & Valency, 2006 ¦ 3 Igbaria, Kassicieh, & Silver, 1999 ¦ 4Jiang, Klein, & Balloun, 2001 ¦ 5Yarnall, 1998