While there are key similarities among highly effective entrepreneurs, sales people, and business leaders, there are also differences.
Some key differences, as pointed out by Waverly Deutsch in his article What Great Entrepreneurs, Salespeople, and Business Leaders Have in Common (Fall 2018 Chicago Booth Review), include:
Entrepreneurs
- Motivated by a desire to own outcome
- Thrive in uncertain environments
- Natural salespeople with high persuasion skills
- according to Butler’s Insights CareerLeader Study
CEOs
- Make decisions with speed and conviction, even when lacking data
- Engage for impact by aligning people around the goal of value creation
- Adapt proactively by thinking about the long term and acting quickly to change
- Deliver reliably on commitments and create accountability
- according to Kaplan and Serensen’s Insights gh Smart Study
Salespeople
- Enable others to act by collaborating on value creation
- Model the way by reliably meeting commitments
- according to Kouzes et al.’s Leadership Challenge Study
What leadership behavioral skill will you focus on? Whether you are an entrepreneur, CEO, or sales person, I encourage you to take time to reflect on what matters most to you and your team – so that you show up as more mindful leader, someone who brings out the best in oneself and others by consistently showing up grounded, present, and calm – especially in difficult situations.
For a deeper dive, read Waverly Deutsch in his article What Great Entrepreneurs, Salespeople, and Business Leaders Have in Common (Fall 2018 Chicago Booth Review) where he focused on 41 dimensions of leadership looking at leaders’ traits, and skills, interests.