Entrepreneurs – Born or Made?

The debate whether entrepreneurs are born or made has been hot lately. In the first issue of Beyond Profit, we talked to Greg Dees, the “Father of Social Entrepreneurship as an academic subject,” about using academia to develop the talents of social entrepreneurs. Vivek Wadhwa, an entrepreneur turned academic, just wrote a thought provoking piece on TechCrunch on the subject, arguing that entrepreneurs are made, not born. Below, Beyond Profit Guest Blogger Jerryanne Heath gives her two cents on the subject.

Ashoka cites entrepreneurial quality as the one of the most important characteristics of leading social entrepreneurs. To Ashoka, entrepreneurial quality “defines leaders who see opportunities for change and innovation and devote themselves entirely to making that change happen. These leaders often have little interest in anything beyond their mission, and they are willing to spend the next ten to fifteen years making a historical development take place. This total absorption is critical to transforming a new idea into reality…”

So where does this entrepreneurial quality come from? Is it present at birth? For those who may not have an entrepreneurial predisposition, can they acquire this quality through academic or personal experiences? And for social entrepreneurs in particular, what characteristics drive these individuals to affect social change? Can people be taught how to be social entrepreneurs?

According to Dr. Paul C. Light, NYU Wagner’s Paulette Goddard Professor of Public Service, not just anyone can become a social entrepreneur. His Stanford Social Innovation Review article states that true social entrepreneurs are distinguished by special attitudes, skills, and practices. They make deliberate decisions to solve social problems, rather than stumble into their work by accident or circumstance. Social entrepreneurs are risk takers – they understand the consequences of challenging status quo and they usually make this decision rationally.

Although social entrepreneurs make deliberate decisions to solve social problems, Dr. Light also states that timing matters. Opportunities for sweeping social change arise during specific points in history when prevailing wisdom weakens and the status quo is no longer sufficient. These punctuations in history produce a wave of activity that feeds on itself. We seem to be at one of those points in history right now.

Can this point in history, with all of the buzz and excitement about “doing well by doing good,” create social entrepreneurs out of individuals who would not otherwise exhibit entrepreneurial traits? Increasingly, academic and fellowship programs are being developed to teach entrepreneurship skills. To what extent do the tools gained through these programs influence someone’s decision to become an entrepreneur?

Jerryanne Heath is the CEO and Founder of ConceptLink Consulting, a firm that helps US and international social-mission organizations connect with their stakeholders through various event management and communications strategies. She is also co-chair of the Africa Social Enterprise Forum.

Photo Courtesy The Oresund Entrepreneur