Introduction
These stories feature some exceptional peopleâbecause outstanding entirepreneurs are exceptional people. In some way or another they are âgame changersâ. They rewrite the rules. Their stories are encapsulated within stories of the organisations, businesses, products and services where entirepreneurship has been evident, but the real stories are about the people behind the events. Some of our stories feature contemporary entirepreneurs, but some go back a long way. A study of history will reveal many entirepreneursâsome loved, some feared or treated warily because of their willingness to challenge the status quo. Our stories only scratch the surface, but they provide evidence to support our arguments. All the people we feature made a difference. They all possess attributes which made them all-in-one entrepreneurs, leaders and managers.
Some of our entirepreneurs have genuine âstar qualityââthey are instantly recognisable for their achievements; they have changed the world in some way by envisaging (and delivering) something that has altered the way others think and behave. They are thus catalysts and enablers of major, sometimes transformational, changes. Naturally many entirepreneurs demonstrate more modest achievements, but in a humble way they still affect how others think and behave. One critical issue in understanding potential entirepreneurs is whether they themselves are thinking in this wayâand what drives them.
Tim Smit conceived and built an innovative and futuristic eco-tourist attraction, the Eden Project, in Cornwall, England. Outside is a sign declaring: âWe are a charity. We are ordinary people trying to change the worldâ. Whilst the Eden Project is generally and widely regarded as a success story, the original expectations of the costs involved were an underestimate, particularly as fresh ideas led to additional elements being added. In turn this led to fundraising challenges, but Smitâs determination prevailed.
Entirepreneurs are people who are driven to achieve and create change. They want to improve things for other peopleâin some cases for the worldâand, ideally, leave a legacy. Recognition for their achievement and contributions is often important to them, and they may thrive on the status and visibility their success brings them. But this is not a prerequisite; some are perfectly happy just to do it. They measure their success in a more personal way. Some entirepreneurs, but certainly not all, become wealthy. That said, it is more likely that the wealth and status are enjoyable rewards rather than the original driving force. As you read these stories you might like to reflect upon the motivation of the entirepreneurs involved and why they behave as they do.
You will see how people have used their experiences and acquired knowledge and skills alongside their natural attributes. When anyone starts a new business they are in a position to build on three things: who they are (their talent and temperament), what they know and are able to do (knowledge and skillsâtechniques they have learned) and who they know (the network of contacts they have built up, helped by both their background and experience). A personâs background, and the situations and circumstances they have to deal with, affect how they exploit their talents and contacts and manage their temperament. In some cases it will come across that they appear to be the right person in the right place at the right time. Regardless, they still have to accept the challenge and do somethingâand persist if their initial efforts are received with only lukewarm support and enthusiasm, or resistance, and also when setbacks occur. It is easy to look back with hindsight and say âgreat ideaâ when something succeeds, but how sceptical might we have been at the outset when everything looked far less certain? The ultimate measure of success, of course, will always be what people accomplishâand entirepreneurs always look for opportunities from which they can gain.
The slightest advantage in one being, at any age or during any season, over those with which it comes into competition, or better adaptation in however slight a degree to the surrounding physical conditions, will turn the balance.
Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species, 1859
You will come to appreciate that entirepreneurs are determined individuals who believe in both themselves and their ideas. Rarely can they see or predict how things will evolve and emerge once the metaphorical start-line has been crossed, but they accept the risks and uncertainty and deal with the setbacks. They know they could lose something if it doesnât work out but they accept the challenge. They are typically helped by drawing in others who not only support them but who come to believe in what they are attempting to do. They learn all the time, developing new insights, capabilities and skills.
Many of the people discussed here are familiar names. They are people whose stories could readily be (and often have been) told in âconventional wisdomâ books on entrepreneurship (because they started out as an entrepreneur) and books on leadership (because they exhibited leader attributes that allowed them to grow and sustain something significant). And it would also be possible to show that they have demonstrated an ability to manage, whatever style and approach they might have adopted. Books on leadership are popular because being recognised as a leader is conventionally more popular than being seen as an entrepreneur or a manager. If we were to go with conventional wisdom it would be defensible to look at these individuals as entrepreneurs, leaders or (sometimes, but less frequently) managers. It would be better to think of them as entrepreneurs and leaders and managers. But really, none of these are truly adequate, as we argue in Chapter 3 when we critique conventional wisdom. These role-based terms compartmentalise peopleâand we have come to believe we must look at the complete, entire personâand the scope and entirety of their achievements. Looking at them as entirepreneurs embraces that they are individuals who have seen and seized opportunities in the context of a clear strategy and âbig pictureâ for what they are trying to achieve, alongside an ability to deliver efficient and effective performance through getting to grips with the âlittle pictureâ activities and details. In other words, at heart they are people we would readily cite as entrepreneurs, but who have additional attributes that help explain why they are able to conceptualise something outstanding and different that changes the way people think and behaveâand deliver on the promise of the opportunities they spot. They can make sense of the âNew Normalâ world. They are also able to gather, organise and influence the support and supporters they need.
Being able to effectively balance directional and operational excellence should not be underestimated, in part because each requires different, but complementary, philosophies. Direction, especially where there is a visionary aspect, often involves conviction and passion for something an individual can articulate clearly; it is this conviction that encourages entirepreneurs to take that âgiant leapâ and set off. Operations, on the other hand, often involve compromise and flexibility to ensure things get done; there are accommodations with others. Put simply, inflexible dogma can be a serious inhibitor of progressâbut so too can directionless action.
Alongside the most outstanding entirepreneurs we also feature examples of people who exhibit similar attributes and champion change, albeit at a more modest level. Some of our stories feature entirepreneurs whose values have been a significant and driving influence. In the stories of social transformation a strong faith element also comes through. Some individuals are motivated by a cause, and their actions are, in effect, their strategy for fulfilling their cause-driven purpose. They again seek out opportunities and look to make things happen.
Part Two of the book explores the context of entirepreneurship. Entirepreneurs understand and make sense of the world in which they live and how they could improve something. They find opportunities, act on them and make things happen. They deliver results. They gather supporters and build something with real momentum and positive, beneficial, appreciated outcomes. Sometimes they see a clear path through the uncertainty of our turbulent world and provide an option that provokes a reaction of âWhy didnât I think of that?â. On other occasions they actually contribute to the dynamism and uncertainty by stirring things up. They disrupt. They introduce something that makes us see our existing practices, products and services as âold hatâ, or yesterdayâs choice. What entirepreneurs are good at, and what they contribute, extends beyond starting something for short-term gain. They appreciate the need for sustainability, with the inherent and constant innovation and improvement this requires. In the beginning they may well be very hands-on and lead by example, but they grow as the organisation grows. They harness their various characteristics and attributes (themes we explore in Part Three). In effect, they retain ownership of the âbig pictureâ and work on the business while keeping a watchful eye inside the business and making sure the detailsâthe âlittle pictureâ elements that deliver performanceâare not neglected.
The BBC television programme Masterchef provides an excellent insight into the notion of âentiretyâ. For readers who are not familiar with the format, the programme is a lengthy search for a chef with outstanding ability and a real desire to enter or progress in this challenging and competitive world. Generally they are people with only limited experience at the outset, but with the potential to grow and improve. People are eliminated before the televised element in an introductory round, and then in quarter- and semi-finals. Three amateur chefs contest the final. Competition is intense and the winner demonstrates all the attributes we associate with the entirepreneur.
Over the course of the programme the contestants are set various challenges, and in every case they are working against the clock. They have to be very organised and focused. They will sometimes be asked to invent and cook dishes of their choice from a set of ingredients they are given; more often they will be given the opportunity to cook anything they like (a completely free choice) but with time acting as a constraint on their freedom of choice. On other occasions they will be given a finished dishâwhich they do not see being preparedâand, without a menu or directions, they must select the required ingredients and re-create the dish. To succeed in this, they need excellent taste (to discern what is actually in the dish) and insight into how it might have been put together. At times their efforts are judged by the programmeâs two presenters on their own; at other times professional chefs, professional critics and past winners of the programme will offer their opinions. A variety of âexpertsâ with different tastes, expectations and standards must all be convinced. These challenges generally take place inside a studio kitchen. But other challenges include mass catering (where the contestants work in teams rather than individually at some external location) and cooking in prestigious restaurants where they are working under the direction of the chef in charge of the kitchen. Both âeverydayâ and fine dining are thus involved.
We can see how the programme demands an ability to both discern and create new tastes: combining ingredients in an innovative way to produce a distinctive taste and dish is a key requirement. The ability to imagine something new and different is important. But so too is the ability to deliver perfect food in a tight timescale. Sometimes they choose the menus; at other times they must work under direction. Everything must come together and be plated up in an attractive way. When a meal comprising two or three dishes in total is asked for, balance throughout is also important. Good food presented poorly wonât win. Attractively presented food that doesnât have a stimulating taste wonât win either. Not being on time is unacceptable performance. In every round the contestants are presented with opportunities and choices. They are required to stretch themselves and improve their level in each round, always dealing with the risk that being too ambitious could mean they fail to deliver a good, attractive dish on time. It is a balance of bravery, imagination and delivery. The ultimate winner deserves to win: they have been truly tested both emotionally and as a chef.
There seems to be no obvious pattern to the backgrounds of the winners. So can âanyoneâ win Masterchef? In one sense, yes; in another, no. The winner requires motivation and passion to bring out and exploit underpinning capabilities. Typically, and in part linked to ongoing learning, their manifest abilities improve week by week as they enjoy, and thrive on, the challenge and opportunity to work at something they enjoy. At the end of the challenge they are more capable than at the start. They have created a marriage of vision and skills.
Interestingly, there are different Masterchef competitions for the general public (the main programme), professional chefs and celebrity chefs. The format is the same, but the extent of the challenge (the number of different demands) and the expected level of attainment vary from the outset.
We now present over 30 stories of entirepreneurs and entirepreneurship. We encourage you to look for the following themes as you read through them_
- Their impact. The nature and extent of the transformations we discuss, and whether they âchanged the worldâ or achieved something more modest, albeit still very significant. How they impacted the world: whether they found new opportunities in the âNew Normalâ world or acted as a disturbance. Whether they affected thinking or behaviour, or both.
- Temperament themes. What motivated them to start in the first place and how their ambitions changed as things emerged and developed. We also evaluate how much we might have expected people to appreciate the potential of what they were starting. You might add the extent to which some of them have been attributed âstar qualityâ or celebrity status for their contribution, and whether this might have been important to them, either before or after the event.
- Examples of key talent attributes. For example, seeing and believing in a different future and then making it happen. Ted Turner foresaw the potential for 24-hour broadcast news and created CNN; now both the BBC and Sky offer a rival service and it is something we take for granted, especially when we travel overseas. Broadly, you are looking for evidence of the directional and operational themes we have already discussed in this introduction.
- Specific choices, and the decisions people tookâreflecting their discernment attributes.
- The team element. Some of the stories of entirepreneurship in action emphasise this, as well as the importance of personal values.
- Succession and sustainability issues. How the things entirepreneurs start can continue after they are no longer active in the organisation.
