“Effective leadership is putting first things first. Effective management is the discipline to carry it out” – Henry Ford.

History is replete with accounts of failed nations, institutions and businesses that have been brought to their knees due to leadership failure.

For Start-ups and SMEs where every decision by the entrepreneur can either develop or destroy the business entity, quality leadership and informed decision making is critical, especially during uncertain and turbulent times.

The likelihood of business failures and the need to navigate unknown business territories and mazes of socio-political and financial complexities, scares many would-be entrepreneurial leaders. Some entrepreneurs start businesses with their heads high in the sky, hoping for instant success despite the ample evidence that show that many African start-ups and SMEs fail in their infancy

With the pandemic ravaging small businesses’ incomes, and collapsing many in the process, entrepreneurial leadership becomes exceptionally crucial. Especially in the face of these pandemic-related challenges, there is the urgent need for African Start-ups and SMEs to gain more insight in entrepreneurial leadership to enable them to navigate through hard times and overcome the unknown.

Here are some points that can guide this leadership journey.

Focus on leading your team into the future.

It was Mary Kay Ash who once said “everyone who has ever taken a shower has an idea. However, it is the person who gets out of the shower, dries off and does something about the idea who can make a difference”

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In times of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity and unmatched speed, entrepreneurial leaders can’t afford to operate in the “business as usual” mode. Rather they should approach every decision from a strategic point of view and never allow current hardships to compel them to make hasty short-term value-based decisions. They must not look at their businesses as “it is”.  Instead, they should make decisions that will enhance the strategic positioning and long-term value of the business after the storm.

Every business is like an orchestra; hence, the entrepreneurial leader must lead by turning his or her back to the crowd, the unfavorable business conditions, and lead their team in finding or creating opportunities for the future during the period of turbulence,

It is here that the entrepreneurial leader must stay closer to the team knowing that it takes business teams that are deeply engaged, enthusiastic and thoughtful to develop new, viable and effective ways to turn around business prospects. They know that clarity affords focus.

Embrace the fear of the unknown.

We know how unsettling it is to venture into uncharted territories, yet, that is where opportunities usually lie..

The primary role of an entrepreneurial leader should be to take the risks of uncertain battles. No leader thrives without leading their teams into finding solutions that make their impact known. The world is now so complex; yet countless opportunities invite us at every turn. Entrepreneurial leaders are not afraid to let go of the good to make room for the great. Like Debbi Fields said entrepreneurial leaders “have the capacity to present problems in an interesting way and make their solutions so constructive that everyone within their team wants to get to work and deal with them.”.

To succeed as an entrepreneurial leader, lead your team into new frontiers, and rejoice when a new idea turns around the organisation.

New discoveries only happen when a leader explores new knowledge or equips the team with the necessary training or benchmarking skills and insights because discovery and exploration is the lifeline of sustainability for all businesses.

Accept failure on the way to success.

As we have seen with the COVID-19 pandemic, many leadership models have failed. In the process, leaders are relearning and unlearning many things. Like in every growth process in real life situations, entrepreneurial leaders learn from the hard lessons along the way. The lessons could be painful moments or bitter failures, but in the process, they quickly adjust and adapt to test their new learnings with new ideas, technologies, approaches, systems and people. Accept defeats as learning opportunities and celebrate what has worked, while looking for creative ways to refine what has not worked.

Indeed, no entrepreneur wants to fail, but if it happens, as advised in this article,  learn from your mistakes and move on.

Be a lifelong learner

Entrepreneurial leaders always look for solutions to advance their personal growth and business sustainability. They always remind themselves that the leader who doesn’t read is no different from the follower who doesn’t know how to read. Leaders therefore explore avenues such as reading, social interactions and market surveys to remain intellectually, socially, and economically relevant

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This helps leaders to connect with new ideas and the people who can help make change happen.

For change to happen, there must be new knowledge and insights. Leaders must be ahead of their team but never out of reach. It is therefore incumbent upon entrepreneurial leaders to be equipped with the understanding that will escalate change.

Lifelong learning, and regular self-introspection help the entrepreneurial leader to know what is happening in different industries, the nature of the strategy of their competitors, and any new technologies coming onto the market.

Let change start from the top, with entrepreneurial leadership.

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