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Managerial Vs Entrepreneurial

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  • 12-07-2006 7:18pm
    #1
    Supercell
    Registered Users Posts: 15,342 ✭✭✭✭


    I've often wondered if a great manager makes a great entrepreneur or vice versa.

    People like Alan Sugar or Donald Trump spring to mind. They are hugely successful but seem to have a certain hard rough edge about them, perhaps its this that gives them their success.

    I've seen great managers (or ones I consider to be great), that handle people so well that their staff in the end think its their idea to do what the manager originally intended and its all smiles. However these people invariably seem to report to some hard ass higher up the line that just demands results.
    I imagine most successful entrepreneur's have a certain amount of managerial skills, which helps them towards their goals, but tbh the top dogs seem to have this in rather limited supply

    So what do you reckon, do great manager make great entrepreneur's or are they lacking the hard edge required to drive the business forward ?

    Do massively successful business men/women make poor managers?

    Apologies to the mod if this seems to be the incorrect forum, posted here because maybe there is a higher proportion of entrepreneurial readers here than in any other forum (none others seems to fit and this is about being a success in business)
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    #2
    Black_Couch
    Closed Accounts Posts: 222 ✭✭Black_Couch


    I think there are two distinct groups of characteristics that make good managers and good entrepreneurs. Along the lines of; Managers - analytical,
    Entrepreneurs - creative. However to say these are mutually exclusive is not true. I think that a good entrepreneur can make a good manager and vice versa. Although this isn't always the case.

    In general, risk-taking is what differentiates managers and entrepreneurs. Managers are restricted to tasks and certain activities, boxed into a defined role. Entrepreneurs don't have boundaries and are forced to take risks to suceed. If you have a good entrepreneur as a manager -> you get intrapreneurship. i.e Steve Jobs. Its this willingness to take risks that is the entrepreneurs' strength and weakness when thinking in terms of management.

    I'm not really sure how managers work out as entrepreneurs, I think they have much more of a systematic approach when tacking business. Again this could be an advantage or disadvantage.


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    #3
    fintan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 647 ✭✭✭fintan


    Good entrepreneurs dream the big ideas and bring ideas to life.
    Good managers pay attention to the details and actually finish the project.

    An excellent example of an entrepreneur who is great at bringing ideas to life and then appointing an excellent manager to see it through is Richard Branson (Virgin).

    Excellent examples of managers would be Jack Welch (GE) and Louis V. Gerstner Jr. (IBM)

    All who have published books if you want to read more into it.


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