Entrepreneurship is about leadership and endurance

Endurance is about the ability to continue when things get really tough. Most entrepreneurs can relate to that, especially in the past few months. Some entrepreneurs have seen their businesses and livelihoods decimated by the pandemic. Businesses have closed down and some have lost friends and family members. These are challenging times. We cannot under estimate the challenges that many businesses face during this time. But entrepreneurs must lead by example.

One of the most important lessons from these few months is the need for great leadership. If you are looking for inspiration there is no better person than the Irish-British explorer; Sir Earnest Shackleton. Here was a man trying to get to the South Pole before anyone else. His crew of 27 men got stranded when their ship ( appropriately named Endurance) got stuck in ice. They had to leave the ship and lived on ice for more than 18 months before being rescued. Their story was that of leadership, grit and determination. https://www.biography.com/explorer/ernest-shackleton

Challenges make leaders

I hope that very few of us will ever face the same type of challenges in our lives as those 28 men in 1914. They faced their challenges with only one aim in mind, once the boat had ran aground, there was only one thing on their minds, to get everyone back home safely. Their goals changed from reaching their destination to getting back home alive. They did without a single loss of life. This was in 1914, before modern communication systems.

In this modern age, we rarely need explorers to find new lands of opportunities. Now, entrepreneurs are our new heroes. They make new things and provide ideas.

For those interested in the video exploration of Shackleton https://youtu.be/sgh_77TtX5I

Trust

Leadership is also about trust. Followers who believe that their leaders have their best interest at heart will put their trust in such leaders. Shackleton is remembered today not only for his expeditions, but his great leadership qualities. The people who followed him on his expeditions put their trust in him. He was renowned for putting his people before himself. Of course he took many risks, motivated his crew and kept their spirits up over the several months that they were lost on the frozen island.

To build a great organisation, you need leadership skills that will show your team members that you will always put them ahead of profit.

‘People work for leaders and not organisations’ is common leadership phrase.

The difference between success and failure in some ventures could really be down to leadership skills, ability to take calculated risks, some form of endurance, imagination, enthusiasm and the ability to communicate the end goal to the members of the team. We know that as soon as the people notice there is a failure of the above mentioned skills, the whole project could be in trouble.

If you don’t have the skills, you can always employ or ask for the help of others who are conversant with what to do in these circumstances.

You may be interested in https://www.enterprisedoctors.com/entrepreneurs-lead-by-examples/