The perceived personal characteristics of entrepreneurial leaders

ABSTRACT

Although the concept of entrepreneurial leadership has begun to attract interest from leadership scholars, it remains a neglected area in entrepreneurship and SME research. This exploratory study attempts to bridge the fields of entrepreneurship and leadership by proposing a model of the characteristics common to entrepreneurs and leaders and showing how entrepreneurial leaders (ELs) differ from entrepreneurs and leaders. Semi-structured interviews and a short-structured questionnaire were used to gather data from a purposive sample of 20 corporate managers and business owners. Respondents considered ELs to have personal characteristics different from those of non-leader entrepreneurs. ELs were specifically perceived as visionary entrepreneurs who also have the motivation and ethics of a leader. The findings suggest leadership plays a critical role in venture growth and long-term entrepreneurial success, and therefore requires greater research attention. Implications for developing leadership in entrepreneurs and the conceptual development of entrepreneurial leadership research are identified.

KEYWORDS:

• Entrepreneurship
• leadership
• venture growth
• vision
• trait theories
• leadership motivation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Ling He (MMgtRes, MBA) is an Research Assistant in the school of Business and Law at Edith Cowan University, Western Australia.

Peter Standen (PhD, University of Western Australia) is an Associate Professor specializing in leadership and research methods in the School of Business and Law at Edith Cowan University, Western Australia. His research interests include leadership and entrepreneurship in small and medium-sized enterprises.

Alan Coetzer (PhD, Massey University) is a senior lecturer in strategic human resource management and workplace learning in the School of Business and Law at Edith Cowan University, Western Australia. His research interests include HRM in small and medium-sized enterprises with a special focus on employee learning and development.