Following the SPIDER and the KUNG FU MASTER, the ENTREPRENEUR role is particularly important when it comes to large, complex endeavours.
It might at first seem contradictory, because a project is fundamentally a short term endeavour: still, the successful project leader is fundamentally an Entrepreneur, because he builds something, even if it is temporary. He builds his project as a vehicle to reach certain objectives. Obsessed by his objectives, he is able to postpone short term gains for longer term benefits; he is able to take (reasoned) risks.
The Entrepreneur mindset is often the key distinction between the successful Project Leader and the average project manager.
It is amazing how many organizations have difficulty to accept that sometimes, upfront investment is necessary to reach longer term goals, at least when it comes to investing in people, processes and systems.
The Entrepreneur role is about being able to invest early to reap larger benefits tomorrow. While it entails a certain dose of uncertainty, this practice allows the successful project leader to reap the fruits of appropriate early decisions. It is essential for ultimate the project success, yet so unfamiliar to most organization’s cost cutting cultures.
How entrepreneurial are you really in your day-to-day work?
Project Soft Power is now released to the world!
