We are very much familiar with the concept of one person or a group of people, coming along, having a big dream within, starting some venture and someday with due course of time that little venture turns into something humongous and plays a great part in shaping the future of the world. Also, as a result of this we often come across some ideas, or some fields that may or may not have been delved into before, and these are the ideas that initiated by some intuitive mind, form the base of what we call in present terms ‘Start-ups’.
The term “start-up” although highly used in the present times, the meaning upstart dates back to 1550. Now, in the sense of “budding company”, it was first used by Forbes magazine in 1976. However, the usage of “start-up” steadily rose in the 90s and then peaked around 2002—that is, shortly after the spectacular burst of the “dot-com bubble” of the late 90s and early 2000s. Here, we would like to focus more upon the enterprise behind a venture, rather than the very glamorous face of it. Be it a Start-up or a full-scale board-based company, there has always been highs and lows, failure and success, big profit margins and steep debts, and so on. But have we ever given a thought to the factor that actually decides a great portion of the future of a venture? It has been revealed through studies that one of the prime factors deciding the fate of the business, is the attitude of the entrepreneur towards the entire setup. It depends on the key characteristic of ‘Leadership’ on the part of the boss, that determines how the business runs in the long run.
A question posed and answered, by the Harvard Business Review is:
What catapults a company from merely good to truly great?
A five-year research project searched for the answer to that question, and its discoveries ought to change the way we think about leadership.
It has been greatly observed that any company may turn rapidly from a small seedling to a great Banyan, stretching out its multiple branches across the planet, in order to move towards a more and more developed version of the small seedling once planted and nurtured by a brilliant leader. It is always necessary for the breeder of a venture, to look after the initiative as a small child, and to groom it with utmost care and sensitivity.
A good leader is one who never looks into their own achievements as the point of focus, rather concentrates on the achievements of the company as a whole. The team plays a very important role in this part where, a company thrives and develops if every member of it looks up to the boss as a guide, and admires them as a leader. On the other hand, the moment the team starts despising the boss, the leadership regime faces a heavy blow, ultimately bringing down the future of the firm. This is the ‘humility’ factor that makes one a good entrepreneurial leader.
The next thing a good entrepreneur has to look forward to is the ‘will’ to work and move ahead. Regardless of whatever ups and downs comes in the way, it is the holy duty of the leader to keep inspiring the team to move forward and to never lose the target upon which the entire enterprise had been focussed upon.
The true purpose;
Apart from these, it is also required for a company to be unique from the crowd. In order to be successful, it is to have a vision, a philosophy and a proper code of conduct maintaining the overall discipline of the firm. A business is not always about making money, but it is also to serve a purpose in the society. Setting up an enterprise, be it a start-up, a small business, or a large industry, one should always look upon the resultant at the end of the day. If a business can satisfy both needs of the material and the spiritual world, only then it deserves to be named as a true success.
