Entrepreneurs do not like debates; however, they do like action. They like activity and creation. Entrepreneurs dare to do, they personify strategy in action.
Being an entrepreneur, as you would have figured reading my columns, is a journey within.
Entrepreneurship is a way to explore your own boundaries and to realize your own potential through the creation of an enterprise.
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| Anurag Batra |
We as human beings have endlessly debated the question about means and ends. Do the means justify an end? Wouldn’t it be interesting to apply this to the gamut of entrepreneurship and to entrepreneurs. You may even ask if this debate is relevant any more. I am not sure, but it is something I think about.
I am reminded of a saying that was shared with me sometime back: “You should look at your successes from the prism of what you had to sacrifice in order to achieve what you set out for.” As an entrepreneur, more importantly, I believe one must look at what one does from a very personal viewpoint, and from one’s own value system and set of shared values with other entrepreneurs and society.
Entrepreneurs must do the right things in the right manner for the right reason, and then the desired right output of creating an enterprise and shareholder value will be met.
The questions an entrepreneur needs to deal with are: what is the means that he or she employs, and what is the end he or she is seeking?
On a very simplistic level, the means an entrepreneur applies includes risk taking, ability to manage the environment, and the very important ability to execute the idea or dream. And the end is creating a shareholder value and jobs, and ultimately wealth for him- or herself. Whether this is selfish wealth as in sampati or selfless wealth as in sampada is another debate.
When a choice is made, the question is often asked: “Was it the right decision?” For thousands of years humans have struggled with the idea of the morality of their actions. This has resulted in a multitude of belief systems regarding the nature of their actions. In the system of Utilitarianism, the ends justify the means, and actions are judged on results, not on intentions or motives. On the other hand, the antithesis of the Utilitarian ideal is Immanuel Kant, for whom the end results were not important in determining whether an action was just. Motive was everything to him, and he had very strict views on how to judge the morality of an action.
These days Utilitarianism is a more accepted way of life. Its basic philosophy, the idea of the greatest good for the greatest number, is one of the basic building blocks of the democratic system. If a person lives on the principles of Utilitarianism, they disregard the motives involved in an action. Utilitarians try to separate action from the actor, and look at the bigger picture over the individual. Followers of Kant (among others) disagree with this approach, and claim that in this system minorities and individuals are often overlooked. Kant argues that any action cannot be moral unless its motives are moral.
In media, a domain where I operate, the ends and means debate takes centre-stage. Are sting operations justified to expose corrupt politicians and their maldeeds? In my view, yes.
Entrepreneurs have to manage the environment and... you know what I mean. From the early 1960s to late 1980s, the Indian entrepreneur’s ability to stay ahead was synonymous with his or her ability to manage the external environment, read bureaucrats and politicians. However, the business and political environment has changed, and this is no longer a prerequisite, let alone a differentiator.
Entrepreneurs of today are faced with a new set of challenges that are more to do with how much they care for the environment. Are they sensitive to the cause of corporate social responsibility and, very importantly, are they making a difference to the lives of their team in a positive manner? Their dilemma is about how much is good enough; where does one draw the line? To adapt compassion in their corporate decisions is something that they struggle with.
Is this a good time to add Compassion Quotient of an entrepreneur to his or her balance sheet? Entrepreneurs want to be remembered as great visionaries and create a legacy, but they must know what will make them great.
As Will Rogers would say: “It’s great to be great, but it’s greater to be human.”
Anurag Batra is real life, first generation entrepreneur who is Much Below Average (MBA) from the prestigious Management Development Institute, MDI. When he is not busy writing such columns, he can be reached at anuragbatrayo@gmail.com. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Anurag is the co founder and editor-in-chief of exchange4media group which includes exchange4media.com.
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