The primary difference is the diversity in the role of leader verses follower. In virtually any job you can do you will encounter the need to follow. Instead of being a team leader you are forced to be a team player.



Don't get me wrong there is a genuine need for team players and the truth is many individuals are wired to work in a team setting. However, there is something that causes a stress point in many when they are forced to follow and their ideas are never considered. They lose an incredible amount of satisfaction from the day in and day out work they may have been involved with for many years.

The entrepreneurial spirit at its core invites leaders to set themselves free from the problems they face when forced to follow.

There are many who shrivel internally at the thought of having to lead. They are well equipped to work, but they are less inclined to be a self-starter. They may not even be motivated to share any original thoughts. They are willing to simply go toward whatever direction they are pointed.

Others chafe at the idea of being told what they can and can't do. These may be the wildest of wild-eyed dreamers who are anxious to move into the realm of owning their own business.

What's interesting is that either individual may be well suited to business ownership. For example the more passive individual may be suited to participating in a franchise business where there are specific and helpful directions in getting the business up and running and then for continued maintenance of the franchise goals.

Those who are mavericks may perform better using a business idea that they originate and one that follows their own internal guidelines. They can easily move into the role of team leader in their own business endeavors and then work hard to learn the skills of management and administration.

The entrepreneurial dream is for everyone, but not everyone will react to it with the same internal response. Leaders may not always be diplomatic, while those who are diplomats aren't always the best leaders. There is a role for every type of entrepreneur, but it makes sense to try to come to terms with the type of temperament you have and the pros and cons this temperament brings to the self-employed workplace.

By better understanding the type of person you are you can more accurately move forward in your strengths and work on your weaknesses – or hire someone who can compliment your limitations.

It is a fallacy to think that any man is an island. The picture of John Wayne taking on the world is not reality. There is no such thing as a 100% man's man. Each of us has strengths and we should work to infuse those abilities into everything we do. The weaknesses we have should be identified and then either worked on to become strengths or we must be willing to rely on another to help offset those areas in which we are not gifted.