REFLECTIONS ON CHARACTER AND LEADERSHIP

34 REFLECTIONS ON CHARACTER AND LEADERSHIP

mode of behavior. The role of the passive, helpless victim is replaced by

acting the role of the person in control. For male entrepreneurs, the

psychological absence (real or imagined) of the father may make the

child experience an Oedipal victory, creating a highly ambivalent atti-

tude towards people in positions of power and authority.

His inability to function in structured situations makes it neces-

sary for the entrepreneur to design his own organization where he

is in control and at the centre of action. His achievements in setting

up enterprises become important tangible symbols of prestige and

power. But his achievements are not suffi cient to ward off a persist-

ing sense of anxiety and other stress indicators. Rejection, dissatisfac-

tion, and a fear of failure follow many entrepreneurs like inseparable

shadows.

The Reactive Mode

Before society at large recognizes their capabilities, potential entrepre-

neurs enter a period of disorientation, without apparent goals, during

which they are testing their abilities. These future entrepreneurs drift

from job to job, encountering diffi culties in the acceptance of their ideas,

in conceptualizing and structuring possible ‘ new combinations. ’ Other

people perceive them as a deviant, someone out of place, provocative

and irritating because of their seemingly irrational, non - conformist

actions and ideas. Non - conformist rebelliousness become entrepreneurs ’

mode of behavior, their way of exerting power and control over an

environment perceived as dangerous and uncontrollable. The entrepre-

neur ’ s actions do not derive from the inner strength and self - assurance

that a secure, consistent family upbringing would have provided. Instead,

the driving ambition can be seen as a means of trying to contradict

strong feelings of inferiority and helplessness. Hyperactivity is a reaction

against anxiety.

This special kind of ‘ reactive model ’ makes for a sense of impulsiv-

ity: the entrepreneur ’ s actions are determined by speediness, abruptness

and short - term, operational planning. These people are characterized by

a low tolerance for frustration and tension and a low attention span,

constantly in pursuit of immediate gains and satisfactions. For the entre-

preneur the initial impression, the hunch, is often taken as the fi nal

conclusion w ith no fur ther ser ious search and del iberation process. There

seems to be an absence of concentration, logical objectivity, judgment,

and refl ectiveness, as if the process of cognition is impaired and does not