Entrepreneurs pose interesting personality study

One area in which I enjoy applying my knowledge of psychology is in the understanding of certain aspects of business.

For many years I have been intrigued by the personality of the so-called entrepreneur, as I come from a family where both parents displayed many entrepreneurial characteristics, as did many of my relatives. I was in business before becoming a psychologist and over the years as I have gained a better understanding of my own motivations and drives, I have found that I, too, have strong entrepreneurial characteristics.

Webster defines us simply as contractors, those who undertake to carry out ay enterprise. But we are more. To describe us as mavericks, dreamers and even loners is, in my estimation, fairly accurate.

I still remember carrying a knapsack around while I was in the first grade to sell pencils and tablets at school. Later in junior high and high school, I remember having my own soda pop business at construction sites where my father was building homes. Entrepreneurs tend to be individuals who at an early age set up the lemonade stand in their front yard; who operate a lawn mowing business with several friends working for them. At the age of 10 they may make doll dresses and sell them to neighborhood kids. Most entrepreneurs have worked at some job before the age of 15; about half of them earned at least half of their college tuition.

Yes, as you might gather, they may be hard to live with. They don’t work well for other people. They tend to be result-oriented people. They are often impatient. They are not joiners or clubbers; so, you won’t find many of them belonging to the Rotary or the Lions Club. Like the Type-A personality, which many of them are, they have a strong need to take charge. They don’t like diffusion of power. Their self-determination is often developed during childhood. Although stubbornness and tenacity may be good qualities in business, these qualities do not work as well in interpersonal relationships.

Adept at mastering obstacles and viewing tough situations as challenges, entrepreneurs don’t think in terms of failure. As a matter of fact, they interpret less than successful experiences as simply that, not as failures. In a seminar I presented to a group of entrepreneurs, I asked how many would rather jog uphill than down. As you might guess, the majority opted for “up.”

Entrepreneurs suffer from stress-related illnesses and do not adjust well to any form of inactivity, including retirement. Most do not retire, but simply slow down or “die in harness.”

Many entrepreneurs come from families where there was a struggle to make ends meet. Money is often a way of simply keeping score; they are very competitive. Frequently found to be risk takers, they are not afraid of starting a new business or of going out on a limb financially. Being married to an entrepreneur can have mixed blessings. It can be a source of stress to a spouse who does not understand his drives and motives or who doesn’t share his dreams. One helpful suggestion that I would have is to explore the entrepreneurial tendencies of a potential mate before deciding to tie the knot. As one friend of mine said, “It’s like being married to a new person every six months.” Life with the entrepreneur is certainly not dull, but it can be hectic at times.

Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D. Copyright 1985