One of the most helpful distinctions I've seen analyzing the condition or evolution of organizations is in Michael Gerber's concept of the technician, the manager, and the entrepreneur.
Gerber notes that many people in business start out as technicians working in the specialty they once performed with a larger firm and then, unfortunately, continue on in that mode for fewer benefits and less money.
Their true role as a business person, however, also requires a manager and an entrepreneur; the first to manage projects and the second to envision and create the ultimate goal: a business.
The technician temptation, so to speak, is a powerful one. You know your specialty. You are comfortable working within its confines. Your expertise is unchallenged. And you can point to good things that are being accomplished. Those achievements, however, can distract you from noticing the managerial and entrepreneurial tasks that are unfinished or never started.
To build a business, or an effective work unit with an organization, you have to get through all three roles with the entrepreneur being the highest. In smaller organizations, it may be impossible to shed the other two roles entirely but it is not difficult to evaluate your work to see if you're slipping far too much into the job of the technician.
Gerber notes that many people in business start out as technicians working in the specialty they once performed with a larger firm and then, unfortunately, continue on in that mode for fewer benefits and less money.
Their true role as a business person, however, also requires a manager and an entrepreneur; the first to manage projects and the second to envision and create the ultimate goal: a business.
The technician temptation, so to speak, is a powerful one. You know your specialty. You are comfortable working within its confines. Your expertise is unchallenged. And you can point to good things that are being accomplished. Those achievements, however, can distract you from noticing the managerial and entrepreneurial tasks that are unfinished or never started.
To build a business, or an effective work unit with an organization, you have to get through all three roles with the entrepreneur being the highest. In smaller organizations, it may be impossible to shed the other two roles entirely but it is not difficult to evaluate your work to see if you're slipping far too much into the job of the technician.
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