A Job Description for the Business Owner - стр. 18

When it comes to leadership, the foundation is very simple. A leader is a person who has found enough courage and persistence to set a main goal and purpose for a group. It is that simple: courage and persistence. Notice that I did not say anything about intelligence. It is desirable but not vital. If this seems incredible to you, just listen to the majority of political leaders who are followed by millions of people and you will be able to see for yourself. When we were kids, we would meet our friends after school in the school yard and then wander from corner to corner, suffering from idleness until someone suggested, “Let’s build a fort”, “Let’s play soccer,” or some other activity. If the boy who made the suggestion was able to advance his idea and get others to be in favor of it, then he would become the leader at that particular time. We then had a very meaningful (at least we thought so) activity to engage in, and our game began. Any game was better than no game, and any leader was better than no leader.

From the viewpoint of experience, we could debate the purposefulness of such games, but boys who wander around aimlessly are happy to engage in any activity. Modern culture often offers people very boring games: wrapping your body in a fashionably branded piece of cloth, buying a shiny car to take you places quickly, and building a house with thick walls. But the most talented people, even if they cannot dream of something really large, respond to an interesting or challenging game offered, even if it goes beyond their usual daily routines. If you create an important goal and attractive purpose, it inspires those who still have a taste for life.

The first role of a business owner is to create an inspiring main goal and a clearly defined purpose. It is the very first thing you need to do, no matter whether you’ve already started out on your journey as a Vaishya or you are one of those rare people who have survived the civilized world as a Kshatriya.

A business owner, along with all other company employees, is, of course, part of a group. Every group member fulfills his own particular responsibility as a salesperson, an accountant, a process engineer, et cetera. An organization is a system whose members perform specific functions. A salesperson works with customers; an accountant handles financial transactions and maintains records; an engineer develops new processes and monitors their compliance. In this system, the owner plays a special role. His function is to establish goals that will unite the entire group. But in this capacity, he may encounter a trap that is easy to fall into.