Entrepreneur and manager are two distinctly different skill sets.

I sat down recently with someone who had experienced a significant business failure, read Celebrating Failure, and took inspiration from its approach toward failure.  He is over his defeat, after analyzing it and benefiting from its lessons, and is now seeking new business opportunities.  He wants to return to his management roots and if you are looking for such a leader I can connect you.

I was fascinated listening to him describe the new opportunity he is seeking.  He loves to manage, lead and continuously improve existing systems that are in place at existing businesses.  A true professional manager and based on his past turnaround successes he has a great future with the right company.  You can't buy an education at any university like the one he has experienced. 

His enthusiasm to manage made me see more clearly the differences between an entrepreneur and a manager.  I started my ad agency as an entrepreneur that simply loved to write creative commercials and create new enterprises.  It brought me joy.  When the business began growing rapidly, I had to step into the role of manager of the organization and my role on the creative side was diminished. 

And then there is "that challenge" that all entrepreneurs ultimately face if they stay at the company they started and it meets with success. "Sure he can start a company."  And they said it as if it were an accident the way the company grew.  "We'll give you that, he now qualifies as a bona fide entrepreneur...but can he lead and manage a company?  They are two entirely different skill sets." 

And they are correct.  Hearing it was intimidating.  You just prove yourself in one area as an entrepreneur, and suddenly you are suspect and challenged in another area as a manager and leader of people.  Always up for a challenge I got in line.

I loved leading and managing for 30 years, much like I now love rediscovering the entrepreneurial start-up and creative writing side of starting another company.  But they are two distinctly different skill sets as my new "manager" friend reminded me.    Change is my drug of choice.  I'm guessing if I now do 30 years as an entrepreneur, a manager gig would start looking pretty good.  Much like it does now to my friend.