The Entrepreneurial Brain

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Have you ever wondered why your bosses seem like they’re nuts? Or have you ever wondered why you feel a little crazy, unfulfilled, anxious, or frustrated in your current work environment?

Well, you and your boss may be hard wired entrepreneurs. Recent studies show that there’s a very high incidence of ADD among CEOs in small companies. These are people who take risks need people to help them stay organized, don’t like working for other people, have a lot of energy and are good at multitasking.

Carl Silverstein of BizTimes categorizes the different types of entrepreneurs and how their brains function. See if you or your boss fits any of these categories:

The Trailblazer: These individuals are described as being independent, persistent, decisive, and fast. They are not happy unless they are in charge. They demonstrate their calculated risk-taking by basing their decisions on facts, rather than feelings.

The Go-Getter: These generalists are very driven, independent, and have a high level of dominance and sociability. They are very competitive, strong motivators, and leaders. They manage both process and people effectively. Even though go-getters are very driven to succeed, their competitive nature is tempered by a concern about others.

The Manager: These individuals are very goal-oriented and quite analytical, which leads them to focus more on processes than people. They understand that some projects take longer than others and look at people as vehicles for them to accomplish their goals. They tend to offend people by their straightforward style of communication. At the same time, they consider their staff an extension of their family and are very loyal. Their biggest strength is the ability to grow the business. They enjoy working by themselves and managing others can be a challenge.

The Motivator: This individual has the highest level of sociability, an above average level of dominance, and is driven and independent. They work well under pressure, can build consensus quickly, and tend to collaborate with others. They are the change agents, and are skilled in motivating people. They avoid confrontation by being able to create a strong emotional argument. They have mastered the three “Fs,” feel, felt, and found. They excel at leadership and at selling.

In organizations, it’s important to be able to align your personality type with the goals of objectives of the business. Those people that can do this effectively are usually successful. If you are an entrepreneur, you will likely only find this alignment in taking risks and accepting leadership roles within your group or company.

It’s been said that being an entrepreneur is like jumping out of an airplane with all of the tools and materials needed to make a parachute on the way down.

Now that is certainly not a leap that everyone would take. But if it sounds like fun to you, there’s a good chance you’re functioning with an entrepreneurial brain.