Did you ever wonder why some business people are successful and others are not, and yet they both call themselves entrepreneurs?
The answer often lies in how their brains are wired. Many successful business people have attention-deficit characteristics, qualities or tendencies.
“There’s a very high incidence of ADD among CEOs in small companies,” said Daniel Amen, M.D., a brain researcher and director of Amen Clinics Inc., a group of four brain-imaging centers in the United States. “These are people who take risks, need people to help them stay organized, don’t like working for other people, have a lot of energy and are good at multitasking.”
Psychologists tell us that our personality is influenced by both our genetic makeup and by the environments in which we live and do business. Over 1,500 entrepreneurs whose companies had sales of over $1 million dollars were studied for Entrepreneur Magazine. The researcher Bill Wagner looked at their personalities, emotional intelligence and brain dominance. His research yielded two major categories of entrepreneurs: the generalists and the specialists.
This article will concentrate on the generalists. In the next article, I will examine the personalities and behaviors of the specialists.
The largest category is the generalists, who are big thinkers, risk takers, results-driven and enjoy autonomy. They fall into four sub-categories: the trailblazer, the go-getter, the manager and the motivator. Generalists started, own and run the majority of successful businesses in this country.
So let’s get inside their heads and see what makes them tick and see if you identify with any of these descriptions.
The trailblazer: These individuals are described as being independent, persistent, decisive and fast. They are not happy unless they are in charge. They demonstrate their calculated risk-taking by basing their decisions on facts, rather than feelings. The research indicates they are better leaders than managers and need to surround themselves with people who can manage the business. They are highly innovative and can easily take an idea to the next level. Being strong strategic thinkers, they focus on marketing and operations. These entrepreneurs prefer starting a business to buying a franchise or distributorship. Would you classify Steven Jobs as trailblazer?
The go-getter: These generalists are very driven, independent and have a high level of dominance and sociability. They are very competitive, strong motivators and leaders. They manage both process and people effectively. Even though go-getters are very driven to succeed, their competitive nature is tempered by a concern about others. These types of generalists make up the largest percentage of people who start businesses. In many cases, they prefer to be the outside “rainmaker” and require someone who would be the “inside” person. They tend to invest in existing businesses or start a new venture. Does this description remind you of Mark Attanasio, the principal owner of the Milwaukee Brewers?
The manager: These individuals are very goal-oriented and quite analytical, which leads them to focus more on processes than people. They understand that some projects take longer than others and look at people as vehicles for them to accomplish their goals. They tend to offend people by their straightforward style of communication. At the same time, they consider their people an extension of their family and are very loyal. Their biggest strength is the ability to grow the business. They enjoy working by themselves and managing others can be a challenge. It is important for them to hire managers who are better at listening and working with others. Could an example of this person be “The Donald”?
The motivator: This individual has the highest level of sociability, an above average level of dominance and is driven and independent. They work well under pressure, can build consensus quickly and tend to collaborate with others. They are the change agents and are skilled in motivating people. They avoid confrontation by being able to create a strong emotional argument. They have mastered the three “Fs,” feel, felt and found. They excel at leadership and at selling.
To summarize, Darrell Zahorsky in his article, “The 9 Personality Types of Entrepreneurs,” states, “Your business personality type are the traits and characteristics of your personality that blend with the needs of the business. If you better understand your business personality, then you can give your company the best part of you. Find others to help your business in areas you aren’t prepared to fulfill.” Incorporating this suggestion into your operating strategy could help you move your business forward and accelerate its growth.
