The Spheres of Entrepreneurship

Many narratives surrounding entrepreneurship paint an inaccurate picture. They depict scenarios that suggest the entrepreneur controls all aspect of the business from conception to execution. The work that Excellence Unbounded does with entrepreneurs to support them in building leadership capacity breaks with this false narrative. Consider it using the following framework. There are 2 spheres in which entrepreneurs operate. First, there is the sphere of influence. The sphere of influence is where the entrepreneur leads others, exerts influence, and shapes outcomes. The types of activities within this sphere are all externally focused. They may involve things like talent acquisition, marketing, operations, raising capital, scaling, etc. Each of these requires the entrepreneur to exercise leadership, which is an activity focused on influencing (not controlling) others, in pursuit of specific outcomes.

The other sphere in which an entrepreneur operates is the sphere of control. While this will likely spark some disagreement, entrepreneurs can only place ONE thing within the sphere of control: themselves. This is why self-leadership is such a critical capacity to develop. An entrepreneur’s ability to emotionally self-regulate and control how they lead themselves extends into how they lead (influence) everything that falls within their sphere of influence. While many founders operate under the illusion that they are able to control the outcomes, this is not accurate. Leaders do not control the outcomes. They influence them; they shape them. This is why the inner work matters so much. Someone who can emotionally self-regulate and effectively lead themselves possesses greater capacity to deal with the factors they cannot control – those within their sphere of influence.

The ability to self-regulate one’s internal state translates into competencies like executive presence, effective communication, and personal resilience (just to name a few). That’s because emotional self-management is a critical component of effective self-leadership. Those who take the inside-out approach to their development benefit because this informs how they deal with everything that lies within their sphere of influence. Founders spend a disproportionate amount of time engaging in endeavors that fall within their sphere of influence. Therefore, time spent focusing on the inner work increases the likelihood that they will excel when executing externally-focused tasks.

Excellence Unbounded specializes in designing unique, unconventional journeys that empower entrepreneurs to BE more by developing their capacity to emotionally self-regulate. If you would like to learn more about what your journey might look like, book a discovery call.