ENTREPRENEUR SPECIAL...ENTREPRENEUR V/S CEO

ENTREPRENEUR V/S CEO

Nolan Bushnell believes, "The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer." But where do all the creative deeds lead without the organisational skill of a CEO?

    Entrepreneur, CEO or both? Which hat, as the founder of a company, do you choose to don? Perhaps you were the right person for the CEO's job initially, but has the company outgrown your management ability? As the founder, can you, or should you, attempt to grow with the company? What does a CEO really do anyway? All these questions have long since been a fraction of industrial literature. Europe Asia Business School, Mumbai recently hosted a seminar to address the nuances surrounding the debate between the need for an entrepreneur and a CEO.
    Dr. Kamal K. Sharma, managing director, Lupin Ltd answers, "In today's corporate arena, to be a successful CEO, one requires to constantly innovate and envision; these, by the book, are entrepreneurial qualities. To effectively lead a company, one must differentiate between product, process and people. A CEO is the one who articulates the vision of an entrepreneur; but currently he dons both hats."
    Thus, even though what the corporate scenario needs differs in every situation, at this developing stage, India could use a motivated entrepreneurial spirit. Manoranjan 'Mao' Mohapatra, CEO, Comviva concurs, "India Inc has truly emerged into a dynamic and vibrant landscape of businesses and people. There is no doubt that a CEO brings to the table an ability to focus on a vision, recognise and create industry trends, generate new streams for revenue generation and hire a winning management team, amongst other things. However, with the pace of business up where it is, the need to be flexible and adapt to changes and have the ability to take calculated risks are also very important. What India Inc needs is best of both, a CEO and an entrepreneur - a CEO with an entrepreneurial instinct." Consequentially, the question faced is that, as a founder, it's your business, your idea; your net worth at risk and certainly nobody else will work as hard as you will, but is this really the right way to evaluate who should be the chief executive officer? Ashank Desai, one of the founders of Mastek was also the first CEO. He speaks from experience, "Back when we founded Mastek,
the dire need of the hour was tapping the export market. As the CEO, I took a personal lead to drive the exports of the company to tap the international software markets. However, with today's changing times, carrying out both roles is daunting. India Inc today needs abundantly creative individuals who can provide structure to a company. As an entrepreneur, one puts in all his/her worth. A CEO on the other hand contributes structure and proficiency. India is at a dwelling stage where the economy requires a fair mix of both qualities."
>> ENTREPRENEUR SPEAK
Nipun Virmani, co-founder, Roomstory com
Entrepreneurs come in all shapes and sizes, and with all sorts of technical qualifications. What you need to become one is a passion for doing what you're trying to do, an open mind to be able to adapt and adjust your course as you go along your journey, and the drive to execute. On the other hand, when it comes to being a CEO, it really varies. Most CEOs in business today come with a strong education background, a reasonable amount of experience and demonstrated leadership. All we need to do is provide the spark that's needed to ignite their passion.
>>CEO SPEAK
Malcolm Monteiro, CEO, South Asia, DHL Express
A successful CEO uses his/her leadership skills to efficiently communicate the vision and lead the organisation on its journey to success. He/she has the ability to build winning teams, instill a healthy culture and comprehend operational and functional modalities to run the business. There are several examples of entrepreneurs who with the help of the right CEO have made the business scalable and extremely successful. 'India emerging', as the future 'superpower', has been a subject of discussion for many years but to bring out her true prowess in the global arena, India Inc requires successful leaders with the vision of an entrepreneur and the skills of a CEO.

Arshie Chevalwala ET120529