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The entrepreneur and the conductor

NVArchitectNVArchitect subscriber Posts: 12
We entrepreneurs tend to believe that we are a pretty special breed of people with a unique gift and a rare set of attributes.  But just as John Donne, the 16th century English clergyman & poet said "No man is an Island, entire of itself", so too concepts of entrepreneurship don`t only exist in the commercial world, being detatched from all others. The entrepreneur may be surprised to find that similar characteristics exist in other forms of human endeavour.
Take the conductor of a successful symphony orchestra for example - Are they not the entrepreneurs of music as their counterparts are of commerce?
 
I found an article about conductors and was struck by the similarities between a conductor of an orchestra delivering a successful performance and the entrepreneur with venture partners delivering a successful commercial enterprise. I adapted it from conductor in the music world to entrepreneur in the commercial world and here is the result. The Entrepreneur as Conductor
 

Comments

  • NVArchitectNVArchitect subscriber Posts: 12

    Craig ... do you ever sleep? I note your ceaseless contribution to debates here at Startupnation.com. Thanks again for visiting and contribution to this post.



     



    Your argument that the composer is the entrepreneur and the conductor is the CEO brings up the unresolved debate about what it means to be an entrepreneur. It is a debate that has raged for the past 50 years and one that does not appear to being resolved any time soon.



     



    I think that a composer is more the creative inventor where the conductor is the one who must marshal and co-ordinate the resources to successfully take the composers work to market where it can find a ready acceptance. Whilst both attributes are found in entrepreneurs, my bet is that the conductor is displaying the most entrepreneurial skills in this process.



     



    Either way, the article I wrote was simply to point out the similarities in entrepreneurial behaviours and skill sets that exist outside of just the commercial world.



     



    Thanks again for your comment.
  • dduttonddutton subscriber Posts: 1
    One of the important attributes of a conductor is to orchestrate all parts of the symphony in such a way that no one piece overshadows the contribution of the others and together they make beautiful music.
     
    Our entrepreneur is quite similar, if they can master the music.  If they are too much into the inventor side of the picture, they lose sight of the harmonious interaction of the leadership pieces of the organization.  That is why the E-Myth was so popular.  Too many technical people believe that they should be providing these services for themselves, yet they lack the leadership and vision to create a true symphony. Its only when an entrepreneur is open to growth, contribution by the right advisor`s and maintains unlimited faith in action, can he or she  achieve what one would expect from the symphony of business success.
     
    Jim Collins captured many of these conductors in the Level 5 Leadership shown by the CEOs of the Good to Great Companies and the lasting principles that lived from CEO to CEO in the Built to Last Companies.  If you enjoy this study, you might be a fan of these two books.
     
    Well, that`s my thoughts - I am still striving to be that CEO, as I develop my software company while maintaining a Virtual CFO business coaching practice, published my book, teaching, speaking and sometimes searching for early stage capital!  Oh, entrepreneurs rarely sleep!
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