Leading for Entrepreneurship

Book chapter, 2016

Leading an entrepreneurial firm is quite different from managing a conventional company. This chapter explains key considerations for guiding, supporting, and inspiring teams of entrepreneurial people to produce ongoing innovation. An essential requirement is to provide direction and feedback without micromanaging or telling employees how they should solve problems. The roles of three types of leaders are discussed: top leadership, founder entrepreneurs, and mid-level leaders (formerly called “middle management”). Further, the chapter examines many ingredients of leadership, from communication and incentives to new approaches for bottom-up creativity and decision-making.